Christopher Rizek Talks to Bloomberg Law on IRS During Government Shutdown

Taxpayers are finding it difficult to reach IRS staff to comply with the agency’s deadlines, despite needing to meet their tax obligations as the government shutdown drags on.

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Taxpayers and their advisers should take extra care to document their responses and payments to the IRS as the shutdown continues to ensure that their bases are covered if they need to offer proof of compliance, said Christopher Rizek, a member of Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered in Washington. Rizek from 1995 to 1998 worked as an attorney-adviser and associate tax legislative counsel with the Office of Tax Legislative Counsel at the Treasury Department.

That includes keeping thorough records and requesting certified return receipts from the U.S. Postal Service that confirm the date the IRS received a payment or document, he said.

“I think a lot of stuff is going to be missed and it’s going to take a while to sort out,” Rizek told Bloomberg Tax Jan. 18 on the sidelines of the ABA conference.

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This type of action would be in the agency’s interest—and would help taxpayers too, said Rizek.

If the IRS tries to fight every taxpayer who may have missed a deadline during the shutdown that will add to its already heavy workload, he said.

“I think the service is, by necessity, going to have to be fair about that,” he said.

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Excerpt taken from the article “Dealing With the IRS During the Shutdown? Keep the Receipts” by Allyson Versprille for Bloomberg Law’s Daily Tax Report.