State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick has launched a performance audit of the Missouri Department of Revenue’s customer service operations, citing ongoing complaints from taxpayers and drivers.
The audit will examine how the department serves Missourians who file taxes, register vehicles and renew driver’s licenses. It will also review the department’s oversight of contractors that operate most of Missouri’s license offices.
Fitzpatrick told Missourinet that his office regularly hears from residents who struggle to resolve issues involving tax refunds, tax payments and other Department of Revenue services.
“It’s a running kind of joke, I think, across the country that people loathe dealing with the DMV and having to go to the license office,” Fitzpatrick said.
The auditor said the goal is to determine whether the department is providing effective service to the public and to identify areas for improvement.
“It really needs to be a situation where when you go through the front door or call the Department of Revenue to try to get your problem fixed, that it is an experience that doesn’t make you want to rip your hair out,” he said.
Fitzpatrick said his office has received complaints from Missourians about delayed tax refunds, problems applying tax payments and difficulty reaching department employees for assistance.
“Whether it’s getting their income tax refund or getting letters from the department because they didn’t apply their tax payment correctly, they need help getting in touch with somebody because they’ve tried over and over to get somebody at the department to help them get their problem solved and have just not been able to get that done,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick is encouraging Missourians who have experienced problems with the Department of Revenue to contact his office. He said information can be submitted confidentially through the State Auditor’s Whistleblower Hotline.
He said the audit’s goal is to find ways to make the Department of Revenue easier for Missourians to navigate and work with.
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