IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center

Obviously, it is important to pay taxes… after all, that is what pays for the crumbling infrastructure we have in this country. It also helps fund a broken system known as the IRS. This place is very poorly managed from top to bottom, and I am convinced it is done on purpose in order to frustrate taxpayers and prevent them from addressing their concerns in a timely manner. Why else would a small business get a bill for 35 cents that cost the American People 49 cents to mail?
After spending 2 hours on the phone last week, I apparently asked the wrong question and the IRS rep disconnected the call. They sure love their tiny of bit of power they wield, don’t they? So, we decide to head to the local office to get a document. Arrived around 9:15, was practically stripped searched (see theory here), and then got a number to wait, and wait, and wait until 2pm, when finally, we had to go to work and couldn’t wait any longer. Oddly, the numbers aren’t called in order. No, they appear to be random (another way for them to mess with you).
I’m convinced that the IRS operates strictly to poke at the psyche of the American tax payer. They are hell bent on creating a wall of frustration to the point that a regular person just gives up. Seriously. What do they have to lose? They can make your life miserable. A living hell where they will send you demand letters, they can pillage your bank accounts, they make you navigate a nightmare of phone prompts, then hang up on you if they want… all just to drive you nuts. This of course leads to the ridiculous amount of security they feel is necessary to protect the institution which I just described. If they acted more professional and respected people’s time, they might make progress. Seriously, a more efficient system means people can get the answers they need and pay their bills quicker. It’s a novel idea… too bad nobody there has figured it out.

Guys, if you’re unlucky like me (I’m guessing if you live in America and you have a tax issue or question and can’t get a hold of a soul on the 800 number) and opted to go to the physical office to chat with somebody… then, don’t. Just don’t. Let the IRS come to you.
You can expect the sequence of number/​tickets to go something like this:
235
745
874
*crickets*
*hour passes*
The boast privacy by having sliding doors on cubicals when you can hear every. single. thing. the IRS rep talks to the people about.
Anyway, the moral of the story is pay your shit and you won’t have to be here like me! :)

The American tax code is complex.
There are good reasons for that, such as encouraging good behavior. There are bad reasons such as benefiting special interests who lobby for special treatment. There is no disputing that the two overlap depending on your political or economic identity.
I had to answer an estate question I did not want to do wrong. It was question because they use one form for multiple purposes. Efficient? Not necessarily.
I don’t think my visit was useful.
The Center is in the remodeled Federal Building on the level below the main entrance on 3^rd. It’s a cool building.
As a federal facility, it is subject to full security. Photo ID, metal detector, x-​ray. Airport-​style.
The IRS center has a side room with some forms and instructions. The IRS center has an automated dispenser of tickets by question. Within each question the number sequence in unique. The staff selects from the question categories in a mysterious sequence. So they might call number 102, then number 908. There is no way to know your wait, so plan your stay and if parking, that, accordingly.
They could improve the system with text messages on estimated wait. Maybe they could get some help on that from no such agency.
Because the IRS budget is reduced the people working here are reduced. They are polite and want to be helpful. But they are following pre-​established support trees you can find yourself online. I would say they might be useful for taxpayers completely confused by the confusing system.
So have to say, despite good intentions and a good customer service attitude by staff, thanks for the wait.