ATLANTA — U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff continues his quest to demand answers amid "disturbing" mail delays impacting Georgians.
On Wednesday, Ossoff announced he is opening an inquiry with the Internal Revenue Service about the mail service's delays and whether Georgians are being charged late penalties or fees related to tax filings that might have been unduly delayed by mail service.
He wrote a letter to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel asking if penalties will be waived and adjustments will be made.
According to the senator's office, some Georgians have contacted Ossoff to say they're facing unfair tax penalties due to the mail issues.
“These tax filings are not arriving by statutory deadlines due to ongoing USPS performance issues and some filings even remain unaccounted for. Additionally, many of my constituents continue to experience financial hardship as a result of tax refund processing delays arising from ongoing problems with USPS management in Georgia," Ossoff said.
It comes after the senator launched several inquiries into the mail service's missing mail and delays, including a delay in Fulton County court notices where recipients never received their mail.
In his letter, Ossoff stated that recent data showed from the Postal Regulatory Commission that Georgia was the "worst of any state" during the second quarter of the year, with 63.7% on-time delivery for first-class mail.
11Alive previously reported residents' issues with their tax documents shortly after the tax season.
During that time, the IRS confirmed that if taxpayers address documents correctly, include enough postage, and postmark them by the due date, the agency will process returns and payments as “timely.
Ossoff gave Werfel a deadline of Sept. 16 to respond to the inquiry.
We reached out to the IRS for a statement, but have not yet received a response.
To read the full letter, click here.
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