Truly taxing task: An interview with Melanie Kish

1. So when you were a little girl, you dreamed of growing up to be an IRS agent? I dreamed of being a history teacher. I went to college, got married and answered an ad in the newspaper. Then I was off on a roaring career.2. The job has a sort of rough reputation, so do you have to have a thick skin to do it? There are days when a thick skin does help, but generally we don’t get many complaints. It’s nice when we can assist beyond what they expect. That helps balance out the barbs from the other side. 3. What’s the most typical situation you deal with? They want forms… or they’ve got a letter they don’t understand. We service quite a few people with semis, farmers and other drivers, who have to pay (taxes) here. It’s a little bit of everything. 4. What’s the most extraordinary? (Long, pained pause, followed by a defeated groan.) Sometimes people just leap before they look. They get themselves into situations where they’ve shared information with other individuals that have caused them great problems. While we try to fix what we can, we can’t fix everything. 5. What one, top piece of advice would you give to people dealing with the IRS? Only one piece? That’s really hard. I guess it’s make sure that they’re using the correct social security number and file timely. I guess that’s two. 6. The rebates are being run through your office. Does that make for a lot more work for your office? Right now we are doing what we call “prepay stimulus rebate returns” hourly through this office. That’s taking a lot of time. We will continue to file them after April 15.(The IRS) published that we could have 50,000 extra calls a day. They’ve pulled 1,500 people off their regular jobs to take the calls. 7. So after 28 years with the IRS, you have no doubt heard a few tax collector jokes. What’s the best? (Another pained groan.) I’m with the IRS, and I’m here to help you.