alliantgroup Strategic Advisory Board member Mark Everson recently had the opportunity to talk with Politico about how the IRS will handle this year’s filing season in the aftermath of the 35-day government shutdown.

Politico quoted Everson, a former IRS Commissioner, in its Jan. 28 edition of Morning Tax. Everson told Politico that the view from the outside of the agency was not optimistic, and that although the IRS felt ready to handle the filing season after changes from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, this recent government shutdown might change things.

According to Everson, a “very real possibility” exists that technical issues could hamstring the IRS’s ability to effectively handle filing season. Everson said that “would-be identity thieves” might take advantage of potential tech issues, and that the government shutdown would impact the agency’s ability to handle the issues.

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