WASHINGTON --
Budget cuts and a hiring freeze are taking a toll at the Internal Revenue Service this tax season. The cuts are preventing the agency from replacing workers who've retired or left for other jobs. The result is long lines for the poor and elderly seeking free tax preparation advice. Hold times for IRS help-line telephone calls are longer as well.
The IRS lost 10,000 employees to attrition in the past two years -- 9 percent of its total workforce.