Area 1 Committee Meeting Minutes

September 19, 2006
Teleconference

Designated Federal Official

• Fallacaro, Betsy — Boston, MA — LTA

Committee Members Present

• Barry, Shaun — Franklin Square, NY — Panel Member
• Epstein, Harvey — Lee, NH — Vice Chair
• Gadon, Harold — Cranston, RI — Panel Member
• Havey, Dorothy — Lincolnville, ME — Chair
• Hom, Gim — Acton, MA — Panel Member
• Margulies, Howard — North Easton, MA — Panel Member
• Searleman, Sanford — Glens Falls, NY — Panel Member

Committee Members Absent

• Parra, Luis — Bronx, NY — Panel Member
• Zgoda, Bruce — Clarence, NY — Panel Member

TAP Staff

• Jenkins, Audrey — Brooklyn, NY — Analyst
• Knispel, Marisa — Brooklyn, NY — Analyst
• Odom, Meredith — Brooklyn, NY — Secretary

Other Attendees
None

Welcome
Havey opened the meeting at 9:05 AM welcoming all members and staff.
 
Roll Call (quorum has been met)

Face to Face Recap
Epstein – Members were introduced to the Brooklyn, NY Local Taxpayer Advocate Anita Kitson who spoke at length about the top taxpayer issues her office faces. The members also were re-introduced to Betsy Fallacaro, the new Designated Federal Official assigned to Area 1.  Members reviewed and discussed all of the issues that were in the parking lot to determine whether or not they should continue to keep them or not and assigned some issues from there to each subcommittee. The subcommittees broke out and continued work on previously assigned issues as well as began discussions on issues assigned to them from the parking lot. For example, the Form 1127 issue was refocused to address the fact that the form should be updated. The ITIN issue was separated and each subcommittee will address a component of it. Also, Parra was reassigned to Subcommittee 1 to rebalance it after it shrunk to two members after Michael Guthman’s recent resignation.

JC Report Out
Epstein – Area issues were not voted on or discussed during this meeting. Issues have been deferred until the upcoming October Face to Face Meeting in Dallas. There was a discussion on the voting for the positions of Chair and Vice Chair. There will be further discussion at the October meeting.

Subcommittee Report-Out:
Subcommittee 1
Epstein – Subcommittee 1 met on September 8, 2006 and discussed searching for forms by title at the IRS website. This issue arose in the course of researching the Form 1127 issue. Barry noted that a search for this form or any form by its name only would be difficult and unsuccessful for the average taxpayer. A search by form number, however, returned hundreds of possibilities none of the top returns included the Form 1127. The subcommittee will suggest the IRS improve the search functionality for forms and pubs at the website to allow a search by keyword.  

Subcommittee 2
Hom – The committee met on September 12, 2006 and discussed the 1040V-ES and Online Payment of estimated taxes. The proposal is to enhance the 1040V (and rename it 1040V-ES) by adding a line that allows taxpayers to put their first quarter estimated income tax payment on the form and thereby mail it along with the tax return. Gadon suggested Jenkins use a version or a revision date on the proposals since the flurry of emails back and forth of proposals with small changes make it hard to know which is the latest revision. Searleman provided the committee with some changes to the referral. Knispel will make the changes and forward to everyone. Havey agrees with Hom’s idea and the committee voted to move the issue forward to the JC with corrections. Hom briefly mentioned the online payment issue the subcommittee will now begin to examine and thanked Fallacaro for her input.

Hom noted that the Ad Hoc committee was informed that the Form 1040 will be undergoing major changes. In 2008, a new 1040 form will be released. The IRS is aware of the problems with web searches on the site. Epstein suggested the Ad Hoc committee become involved with changing the 1040 form early in the process.

Ramirez suggested that e-mail be used to distribute and approve the agreed upon modifications to the Form 1127 issue allowing us to forward it to the Joint committee before their face to face meeting. Jenkins will provide the members with the updated version for review and approval.

Outreach Report-out by Members
Havey had an opportunity to speak with a group about the TAP and she will provide Jenkins with information about the organization. Next week, Havey will speak at a conference which is being held by a small business organization.

Gadon as a member of AARP and TAP went with a taxpayer to a tax assistance center. Gadon was invited to a meeting of Area 1 Northeast Tax Practitioners on September 28, 2006.

Issue Committee Update
Gadon informed the committee that he discussed the Form 8453 issue with the chair of the VITA TAP committee.

Other Comments/Questions
None

TAP Office Report
Margulies will represent Area 1 at the upcoming October face to face Joint Committee Meeting in Dallas. Ramirez will communicate with Margulies so that he is prepared for that meeting. Robb will arrange his travel.

Recap New Action Items
Knispel

• make suggested edits to the 1040V-ES

Jenkins

•  distribute Form 1127 proposal for committee approval

Public Participation
None