Idaho tax offices to focus on collection
Lobby phones will connect visitors to a call center
BOISE – Idaho plans to shut down face-to-face customer service at its five Tax Commission field offices on Aug. 2 to free workers in those offices to focus on audits and collections.
That means customer service that’s been offered for more than 35 years in Coeur d’Alene, Lewiston, Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Twin Falls will go away.
Instead, people who come to those offices will find a lobby phone that’ll connect them to a customer service center in Boise, and a drop box for payments.
“It’s a big change,” said the commission’s tax policy supervisor, Dan John. “But, you know, we haven’t experienced the kind of strain on resources that we’ve had in the last couple of years, so you have to look at everything we do. Are we doing it the best way possible? And technology has changed.”
Once the change comes, customers with questions may be better off calling or e-mailing from home, instead of visiting their local state tax offices, officials said. The Idaho Tax Commission’s toll-free information number is (800) 972-7660, the e-mail address for general tax questions is taxrep@tax.idaho.gov.
John said customer service at the offices has been provided by people who are “really collectors and auditors” and who were being distracted from their assigned duties. He estimated the offices provide 25,000 hours of staffing per year handling drop-in inquiries. Only the Boise office has a dedicated customer-service staff, he said.
The field offices will reopen for customer service during the week preceding each year’s April 15 and Oct. 15 income tax filing deadlines, and on the 20th of each month for withholding filings.
Initially, the change won’t be accompanied by any staffing changes.
Idaho’s state Tax Commission, a full-time, four-member board appointed by the governor, made the decision.
Tax Commission Chairman Royce Chigbrow told lawmakers this year that the state is losing $255 million a year in taxes that are due, but simply aren’t paid, and that the commission estimates it could collect $67 million of that by adding audit and collections staff. Lawmakers allocated $3.3 million this year toward that end, estimating that would be enough to bring in $16.4 million more in tax collections, though some would go to make up recent budget cuts.