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Washington, D.C.—As employees of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) conclude another successful tax-filing season, processing both higher numbers of returns and more taxpayer refunds, the head of their union again called on Congress to provide the agency with sufficient resources to fully realize the benefits of the most massive restructuring of a government agency in the nation’s history.

President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which represents some 97,000 IRS workers, also urged Congress to approve legislation that would modify a law that unfairly singles out IRS workers and which has cut into revenue collections.

“Year after year,” President Kelley said, “IRS employees are asked to do much more, yet the resources, available to them, including funding for additional personnel, training and equipment, continue to fall short of what is needed if America’s taxpayers are going to get the service they need and deserve.”

The NTEU leader said the administration’s proposed $10.4 billion budget for the IRS in fiscal 2003 is “less than it appears” because federal agencies would be required, for the first time, to pre-fund future retiree health and retirement costs from appropriated funds.

IRS filing statistics for the week ending April 6 show an increase of 4.3 percent from the same week last year in the receipt of individual tax returns—to more than 79.7 million—and a 4.7 percent increase, to more

than 64.9 million, in the number of refunds certified. “This increasing workload,” the NTEU leader said, “comes at a time when employees and managers alike are working to get comfortable with a new agency structure.”

Through NTEU, IRS employees have played key roles in designing and implementing far-reaching changes in agency operations, designed principally to improve customer service.

In light of that continuing effort, President Kelley said, employees are severely disappointed with the failure last week of the House of Representatives to approve legislation that would modify Section 1203(b) of the 1998 IRS Restructuring and Reform Act (RRA) to remove “the fear of unjust loss of their employment.”

Legislation containing modification to Section 1203(b), which is supported not only by NTEU but by the IRS, the Treasury Department and the administration, was defeated for reasons related to campaign financing provisions contained in the bill, rather than on the merits of the RRA aspect, Kelley said.

“There is not only finally widespread support for changes in Section 1203(b),” she said, “there continues to be a pressing need for positive changes in it.” The current law calls for mandatory termination of employment for certain violations committed in the course of an employee’s official duties.

President Kelley, emphasizing that NTEU does not condone violation of law or rules by any federal employee, noted that the House legislation would have provided for discretion in the application of discipline, holding out the prospect of “other penalties, if appropriate,” rather than only mandatory termination.

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing some 150,000 employees in 25 agencies and departments.