Severe Weather Won't Stall US Taxpayer Services, IRS Says

With the serious snowstorms crippling Washington and most of the Northeast over the past week, the IRS is reassuring taxpayers by asserting their ability to process tax returns and pay refunds in a timely manner will not be stopped by the weather. According to reports, dozens of Federal agencies including the IRS have been closed for three days this week as blizzard like conditions swept through Washington.

But with all individual return processing now performed outside of the northeast at centers in places like Fresno, Calif., Atlanta, and Kansas City, taxpayers need not fear that refund checks or answers to questions through IRS toll-free services will be delayed, said IRS spokeswoman Michelle Eldridge. "Now is a time when we are getting a high volume of calls and a lot of returns filed, especially from people who are owed refunds, and we're continuing to do that work," said Eldridge.

She said that due to weather-related closures this week, some calls to the IRS taxpayer hotline have been re-routed to call centers unaffected by storms. She said it isn't unusual for such calls to be re-routed when there are closures or staffing shortages.

The IRS might see a spike in telephone inquiries and returns filed because "people who are stuck home might decide they want to go ahead and do their taxes," said Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union. "But there are so many call centers around the country, those adjustments should be invisible to the taxpayer," she said.

Tropical Storm Flossie Brushes Hawaii

After much hype over the past week about "Hurricane Flossie," it was downgraded to a tropical storm earlier this morning. The National Weather Service downgraded the hurricane warning after it’s wind speeds dropped to 8 mph and the storm took a slightly more northern course than expected. The tropical storm brushed the coast of Hawaii’s Big Island last night, however no injuries were reported. Officials are still tracking the storm to ensure it does not cause any further damage. "It still has very large potential to come in," said Troy Kindred, administrator for the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency. "For whatever reason it has not done so so far. We'll monitor it until it is not a threat." For more information on the storm, check out Seattle Times.com.