As the nation's taxpayers look forward to — or anticipate with dread — this year's federal income tax filing deadline, they have a right to be troubled by disclosures from Nina Olson, the nation's taxpayer advocate.

According to Olson, during the past year the Internal Revenue Service eliminated filing services and reduced its target for the number of taxpayer calls it attempts to answer. Thanks to Congress, the agency's proposals to close 68 centers where taxpayers can get face-to-face help and to reduce the hours of toll-free telephone assistance were rejected.

With the increasing complexity of the tax laws, the IRS should be striving to improve its service to taxpayers, not erode its effectiveness.

Olson said the changes to taxpayer service were the number one problem identified in her annual report of the worst difficulties facing taxpayers. She delivered that report to Congress on Jan. 10.

Congress has instructed the IRS to work with Olson and others to review its taxpayer services and develop a five-year plan for improvement.

In the late 1990s, Congress criticized the IRS for putting too much emphasis on tax collection at the expense of basic taxpayer services, like telephone assistance and tax law help. Lawmakers ordered the IRS to revamp its organization and improve services.

Now, after years of making service improvements, the IRS appears to have taken a step backward by its stepped-up emphasis on collections, audits and criminal investigations.

While the IRS should continue to try to improve those aspects of its duties, customer service should also remain a top priority.

Hopefully, Olson will keep watching and reporting on actions or policies that go against that goal toward overall betterment of the agency.