Tight hiring market could affect tax season as IRS looks for help
CBSN
Between unprocessed returns, unanswered correspondence and other actions, the IRS has millions of items stacked up on its to-do list — and when the agency tried to hire 5,000 more people for the tax season now underway, fewer than than 200 people applied. Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins illustrated the depth of the agency's challenge Tuesday before a House committee, just weeks after she submitted a report telling lawmakers the IRS is in crisis.
Americans could have a frustrating filing season with long wait times and being unable to reach the IRS to answer their questions as millions of people look forward to receiving refunds.
Collins said some of the problems seen last year have only grown worse.
A cybercriminal group claims it stole personal data belonging to more than 500 million Ticketmaster customers. Although the event ticketing service, owned by Live Nation Entertainment, hasn't confirmed the attack, security experts warn that it could put users of the platform at risk for a range of scams.
Two climbers were waiting to be rescued near the peak of Denali, a colossal mountain that towers over miles of vast tundra in southern Alaska, officials said Wednesday. Originally part of a three-person team that became stranded near the top of the mountain, the climbers put out a distress call more than 30 hours earlier suggesting they were hypothermic and unable to descend on their own, according to the National Park Service.