CAPE IRS OFFICE OPEN TWO DAYS A WEEK

The Internal Revenue Service is undergoing an intense audit of its own as lawmakers scrutinize how it does business. Agency administrators promise reform.

But if you want to sit down and talk to a real, live person about your tax return, that still is only possible two days a week in Cape Girardeau.

A taxpayer service representative is available to offer assistance two days a week: Mondays and Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the IRS office, 137 S. Broadview. During the rest of the week the office is closed to the public, although IRS staff are working.

Once tax filing season ends, the service representative will only be in the office on Mondays, said Paul Kipper, who manages the Cape Girardeau office.

Kipper said he doesn't expect the schedule to change. Taxpayer assistance services were cut starting in 1996 as part of agency-wide budget cuts.

"As far as we know, at this point it's going to stay the same," Kipper said. "But government is always fluid. At one time we were open five days a week. We would like to be able to increase it."

Rollie Woods, a spokesman for the IRS, said customer service is "always under study from year to year."

Woods said the IRS studies customer demand "and that, coupled with what we have available in terms of staffing in an area" determine the hours the service representatives are available.

"For the foreseeable future, I don't see any changes to the level of service available there at Cape Girardeau," he said.

In recent years the IRS has been shifting its customer service focus to electronic media, rather than in-person assistance.

Taxpayers are taking advantage of the opportunity to use the Internet, the telephone and other resources to file their tax returns and get assistance with their returns, Woods said.

Electronic filing offers several advantages, he said. It's more convenient for some people, it's quicker and it's more accurate.

Taxpayers who electronically file their tax returns can expect to get their refunds within two to three weeks, Woods said. With a paper return, the refund usually takes anywhere from four to 10 weeks.

"And the error rate is less than 1 percent with the electronic filing, compared to 20 percent for the paper returns," he said.

There are three avenues for electronic filing, Woods said.

Taxpayers can go to an IRS-approved tax preparation service and the service can electronically file the return.

Or taxpayers can use the IRS' "telefile" service, which uses a touch-tone telephone to enter the information on their tax returns.

The IRS has pre-identified taxpayers eligible to use the "telefile" option, Woods said, and they have been sent a special booklet.

Taxpayers can also opt to file their returns through their online service, and the online service wil then translate the form and forward it to the IRS, he said.

"Last year nationwide we had about 19 million folks who used one of those options to file their federal tax returns," Woods said.

This year, 123 million Americans will file tax returns.

Taxpayers looking for the proper tax forms can find them on the Internet through the IRS' web site, www.irs.ustreas.gov, or using a modem by dialing FedWorld at (703) 321-8020.

There's also a toll-free number for tax forms and publications, 1-800-829-3676. Tax forms can also be ordered on CD-ROM from the Government Printing Office, (202) 512-1800, or on the IRS web page.

For assistance filling out tax forms, call the IRS help line, 1-800-829-1040. The help line is available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Tax forms can also be picked up at the Cape Girardeau IRS office, where they are available five days a week in the office lobby.

Tax forms are not available this year at the Cape Girardeau Post Office, said Postmaster Mike Keefe. There is no room for the forms in the inner lobby because of all the U.S. Postal Service merchandise displays, said Keefe. When the forms are kept in the outer lobby, they get vandalized, Keefe said.

A TAXING TIME

According to the IRS, 123 million Americans will be filing income tax returns this year. Here are a few places to head for help:

IRS office, 137 S. Broadview, Cape Girardeau. Taxpayer assistance is available from 8 to 4 Monday and Tuesday only. Tax forms are available in the IRS lobby. Tax forms are not available at the Cape Girardeau post office this year.

Taxfax, a hotline for tax forms, (703) 368-9694, or if you don't have a fax, call 1-800-829-3676 and the forms will be mailed to you.

IRS home page, www.irs.ustreas.gov/ for tax forms and information.

IRS help line, available Monday through Friday at 1-800-829-1040.

To track your tax refund, call TeleTax at 1-800-829-4477. TeleTax also offers information on more than 140 tax-related topics.