A recent news dispatch from Washington said the Internal Revenue Service is moving to a “do it yourself” policy, requiring that “all but the blind, illiterate and members of Congress” complete their tax forms without IRS help other than conventional counseling. The eyebrow-raising word in the announcement is “Congress.” A lot of folks may wonder why senators and congressmen should have special treatment, if that’s what the report is implying. A Pennsylvania Republican congressman apparently has the same qualms. Rep. James K. Coyne questioned the change in IRS tax preparation services in a brief House speech – and bluntly deplored the exception for Capitol Hill. “Congress already receives too many perquisites, from reducedprice haircuts to tax breaks which in effect, exclude many of us from almost any tax liability,” Coyne asserted. “We have earned a reputation for excluding ourselves from painful laws…and this is one more example of Congress putting itself above the citizens we serve.” The UPI dispatch said the IRS had intended to dismantle two IRS offices on Capitol Hill but was forced to back off because of complaints from legislators of both parties. “Although the official IRS policy is to treat members of Congress and their staffs just like other taxpayers. in fact they can expect special treatment whenever they ask for it through the Capitol Hill offices,” the news account quoted “authoritative sources” as saying. Actually, while Intemal Revenue Service is shifting emphasis in its services. the taxpayers are not being denied help, according to an IRS regional office spokesman. “We are trying to get away from one-on-one help in filling out tax forms, which we have given to some extent in the past,” the spokesman said. “The belief is that we can assist more people by telephone. Toll-free lines are available in many cases.” For taxpayers who come to the IRS offices, group help will be given, short of actually preparing the forms. In addition, two special programs are available: (1) Tax Counseling for Elderly (TCE); and (2) Volunteer Income Assistance Program (VITA) for low income people who cannot afford to pay a practitioner, the aged, disadvantaged, or folks in dual language situations. Thus, IRS is not abandoning the concept that it exists to serve as well as to collect taxes. Special help continues for those who need it. But we’d agree with Rep. Coyne that Congress shouldn’t be included in that category.