|
SB/SE E-Filing Issue Committee Meeting Minutes
March 13, 2003
Present:
- Aimee Brace
- Mario Burgos, Chair
- Frank Claudman
- Helen Curol
- John Hollingsworth
- Tim Jarrell
- Pat McCombie
- Howard Perkins
- Mary Ann Delzer, DFO
Absent:
- Dick Bobb
- Darlene Bramon
- David Cain
- Maria Hermann-Pariente
- Michelle Nelson
- George Pruchniewski
- Doreen Scott
- Karen Taylor, Program Owner
Guests:
- Dorothy Winchell
- Bob Morris
Staff:
- Sandy McQuin, Program Manager
- Patti Robb, Note Taker
Welcome/Announcements/Review Agenda
Roll Call
Review/Approve Minutes
Minutes were approved.
Public Input
Dorothy Winchell, FEMA/TSA - has a couple suggestions:
- Tried to e-file online using IRS website. You cannot file online if you donate more than $500 in non-cash items. You must mail the return. The parameters should be set up front before you spend an hour of your time trying to e-file.
- Purchased Tax Cut software to prepare taxes. Unless you purchase the deluxe package, you have to pay a separate fee to e-file. Why can't this be included in the purchase price?
Curol - Said that she read In the Philadelphia Inquirer that the IRS will offer free e-file for at least three years.
McCombie - There needs to be a letter up-front to identify what you can do before you spend time trying to e-file on line.
Hollingsworth - The problem is that each alliance member can set, or even change, their own criteria to e-file.
Jarrell - The issue is the IRS web site needs to show the criteria up-front for e-filing for each alliance member. Do we want to review and discuss?
Hollingsworth - This is out of our issue field. I suggest we send the information to Area 5.
ACTION: Delzer will forward information to Area 5 committee.
Agenda Items
Subcommittee Report Out
- E-File Marketing to Tax Professionals
Brace - Wants to review the e-file marketing materials. Nothing new to report this meeting. There is so much material out there. How to distribute this information to tax professionals? Would these materials motivate a tax professional to file electronically?
Jarrell - The materials are great.
Brace - Very professional.
Curol - Great. Using something like the TAP self-mailer would be a good way to get comments back.
Brace - How could the IRS improve this even more?
McQuin - The IRS sponsored Tax Forums are a mecca for e-file for practitioners. (What kind of practitioners attend?) Individual and small business practitioners. The committee could concentrate their efforts to get more small business practitioners to attend.
Jarrell discussed the sub-committee report which he had emailed to all members. See the report below:
March 12, 2003
Status Update
E-filing Issues Committee
"E-filing for Dummies" Sub-Committee
The "E-filing for Dummies" sub-committee met on March 6th to discuss next steps and current information available to begin developing the product. The consensus was to have 7 major areas, but have those areas broken down into smaller topics. Each member of the committee agreed to take specific areas and begin researching. Also, the consensus was to have one person be the point of contact for the data to keep it organized and formatted consistently. The 7 major areas to work from are:
- Application to Participate (Form 8633) and Electronic Return Originator (ERO)
- Software Programs and which ones best meet the needs of E-filing
- What help/support is available at IRS
- Costs in e-filing and watch for hidden fees
- Security for Electronically filed returns
- Electronic Filing Exclusions. (Restricted returns)
- Provider Registration form for electronically filing
A preliminary proposed outline is as follows:
Section 1
- Trademarks
- E-filing User Comments
- Credits
- Acknowledgements
Section 2
- Table of Contents and Chapters
- Chapter 1: E-filing Introduction
- What is E-filing?
- Brief Overview with Flowchart
- Benefits of E-filing?
- Faster Refunds
- Faster and More efficient Processing
- What taxpayers can E-file?
- Exclusions
- Income
- Filing Status
- Other
- What type returns can be e-filed?
- Chapter 2: Where can I E-file?
- IRS Locations
- Local Tax Offices
- Other Local Assistance Centers
- Organizations
- Tax Practitioner Locations
- Corporate Names with their websites to search for local practitioner location
- Web Locations
- List of websites where returns can be completed on-line
- List of websites where returns can be filed on-line
- Chapter 3: How do I E-file?
- What information do I need?
- All information needed to complete tax return
- What forms do I use?
- IRS form for e-filing
- Tax return
- What software do I need?
- If filing at Practitioner-None
- If filing at home-Computer requirements
- If filing at home-Software requirements
- If filing at IRS office-None
- Chapter 4: Is E-filing Secure?
- Is E-filing safe?
- Security measures in place
- Security software in place
- Firewalls in place
- Where does my e-filed return go?
- Process flow of e-filing
- Nice Color Page with international flowchart symbols depicting path of data and security objects in place
- Chapter 5: What assistance is available?
- Local Taxpayer Offices
- By Phone
- Local Number
- National Number
- Tax Practitioner Help
- Free File Alliance Numbers
- Websites
- Other
- Who can I call?
- Local Tax Preparer
- IRS local number
- IRS national number
- Chapter 6: What does E-filing Costs?
- Tax Practitioners outside Free File Alliance
- How are the fees Paid?
- Deducted from Refund
- Added to Amount Due
- Paid with Filing
- Chapter 7: How do I know if my tax preparer can e-file?
- Marketing Materials displayed
- Number to call?
- Ask?
The committee will schedule another sub-committee meeting for discussion of the outline.
ACTION: All members to please send comments to Jarrell. Subcommittee will discuss.
Taylor not on call to discuss.
Brace - Did an interview with the University of Buffalo. They included an article on TAP. She has gotten some very positive feedback.
ACTION: Brace will send copy of article to Delzer or Knispel.
Burgos - Attended a Congressional liaison meeting with the LTA. He used the power point presentation.
Curol - Gave E-file materials to the alcohol review board. Needs more e-file publications.
Hollingsworth - Attended the stakeholders meeting in South Dakota. Will also attend the May meeting.
Jarrell - Spoke to about 45 people at a Rotary Club meeting.
ACTION: Delzer will send Jarrell about 100 TAP magnets.
McCombie - Attended a meeting with local business people. Most of them file through a tax preparation service.
Perkins - Went to a convention and handed out TAP educational materials.
Hollingsworth - Feels the conference calls are too short now that more issues are coming in. Do we want to increase the length of the calls?
Brace - The calls are fine as they are. We need to be more efficient with our time. People need to be prompt when calling in.
Burgos - The Joint Committee increased their call to an hour and a half. He could go either way.
Claudman - One hour is good. If subcommittees do their work ahead of time, the reports could be more concise.
Curol - We need to take care of business before the calls.
Hollingsworth - Part of the problem is we have not had a face-to-face meeting since Orientation in October.
Jarrell - Should stick with one hour. We need to do the behind the scenes work before the calls.
McCombie - One hour is good, but we do need to be flexible sometimes.
Perkins - One hour is good.
Delzer - We need a quorum to discuss issues on the calls, so we can only meet as long as there are enough panel members on the call. We need to know as people sign off the call.
We will try to stick with one hour and if the call needs to go longer, we will try to let everyone know ahead of time. If an issue is running long, it may have to be tabled to another time.
ACTION: Delzer will send out instructions to make conference calls using the Sprint
calling card.
Brace - Area 1 does not do a survey after meetings. Suggests that all committees do one. It provides great feedback.
ACTION: Burgos will bring this up at the next Joint Committee meeting. He will suggest that all committees do a survey after each meeting.
Delzer - Forwarded a message encouraging a face-to-face meeting in conjunction with the Tax Forum in Atlanta (August 5-7, 2003). IRS e-file is a presence at the forums. The meeting could be tacked onto the beginning or the end of the forum. We could invite tax professionals to the TAP meeting.
Jarrell - Has already volunteered to work the TAP booth at the forum for two days.
ACTION: Discuss on email and decide by consensus on dates of meeting.
McQuin - Is very impressed with committees outreach efforts. Please be sure to submit a speakers report.
McQuin shared that there will be a change in the TAP program. Deryle Temple, TAP Director, feels the DFOs duties mirror the program manager's duties, so beginning April 1, 2003, the managers will be the DFO for all issue committees. Also, four new managers will be hired and they will take over four area committees. Delzer is doing a great job. Sandy is going to be taking over as DFO and Delzer will continue as the analyst.
ACTION: McQuin will speak more with Burgos. Brace should feel free to contact
area managers.
Closing/Assessment
Burgos - Has been reflecting on the past six months, and everyone is doing a fantastic job. Remember the issue committee's focus is not to raise issues. Individual e-file and free e-file - IRS already has done research on these issues. Is this committee focused in the correct direction? We don't want to duplicate efforts. If IRS has e-file for dummies, we can provide them input, but don't rewrite it.
ACTION: Burgos will put this in writing.
Jarrell - Agrees with Burgos.
Meeting adjourned.
|
Text Version
