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Washington, D.C.—The nation’s taxpayers as well the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) would benefit significantly from a reversal of the severe budget cuts of recent years, the leader of the union representing IRS employees told a House subcommittee today.

“Without the additional funding proposed in the administration’s (fiscal 2015) budget request, taxpayers will continue experiencing a degradation of services,” President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) said in testimony submitted to the House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee.

The White House has proposed an increase of $1.1 billion for the IRS in the coming fiscal year, which would help restore the funding for important taxpayer service and enforcement activities that has been slashed in recent years. Since 2010, the IRS budget has fallen by $1 billion from cuts and sequestration, resulting in the loss of 10,000 employees.

This filing season has been particularly difficult for taxpayers, President Kelley said, noting long telephone hold times, lengthy lines at Taxpayer Assistance Centers, and a reduction in services—including tax return preparation and a limit to only ‘basic’ tax law questions on the types of information that can be provided by IRS employees in person or on the phone. Instead, taxpayers are directed to use online resources, which for many is problematic.

“Taxpayers’ inability to get the answers they need to understand complex tax issues will almost certainly impact the accuracy of their returns,” she said, “which could delay refunds to the many taxpayers who depend on their refunds to pay their bills and meet other financial obligations.”

The House subcommittee is today conducting a hearing on the IRS budget for fiscal year 2015.

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.