Joint Committee Minutes

June 7, 2006

Members Present

• George Bates, Vice-chair, Ad Hoc
• Paul Brubaker, TAP Vice Chair
• Larry Combs, TAP Chair
• Paul Duquette, Chair, VITA Committee
• Dorothy Havey, Chair, Area 1
• Allena Kaplan, Chair, Area 7
• Paul McElroy, Chair, Area 2
• Maryann Motza, Chair, Area 6
• Ralph Rivera, Chair, Area 5
• Ferd Schneider, Chair, Area 4
• Lillian (Beadsie) Woo, Chair, EITC
• James J.T. Wright, Chair, Area 3

Members Absent

• Jerald Fireman, Chair, TAC Committee
• Sonny Kasturi, Chair, Burden Reduction
• Patrice Marker, Chair, Ad Hoc Committee
• Robert Meyers, Chair, Communication
• Allen Scioli, Chair, Notices Committee

Staff Present

• Bernie Coston, DFO
• Sandy McQuin, TAP Manager
• Barbara Toy, Program Analyst
• LaVerne Walker, Secretary
• Steve Berkey, Program Analyst
• Sally Chavez, Program Analyst
• Inez DeJesus, Program Analyst
• Nancy Ferree, TAP Manager
• Audrey Jenkins, Program Analyst
• Judi Nicholas, TAP Manager
• Sandra Ramirez, TAP Manager

Guests

• Alicia Deville, Congressman Dennis Moore Staffer
• Gim Hom, Area 1

Welcome / Announcements / Review Agenda

Roll Call
Quorum met.

National Office Report
Bernie Coston announced that the Annual Meeting is scheduled for December 11 – 14, 2006 at the Capital Hyatt. This year the meeting will start on Monday instead of Tuesday as done in previous years. The Annual Meeting will be discussed further at the face-to-face meeting in Denver.

A Taxpayer Assistance Board (TAB) representative would like to come to Denver on June 29th for a thirty minute presentation on the accomplishments of the TAB Phase 1 and plans for Phase II.

Coston would like to thank everyone who helped with the town hall meetings. Last night TAP completed the last town hall meeting in Cincinnati. There were 47 people in attendance; 25 were non-Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Nina Olson, the National Taxpayer Advocate, was very pleased with all of the Town Hall Meetings and may use the information gathered from the town halls in her Annual Report to Congress. One interesting issue raised in the town halls is the disparity of the service provided between call sites on the east and west coasts.

TAP staff is now in the interview process of recruitment. TAP is filling 26 member slots and has received over 700 applications, double the applications over last year. Recruitment was very successful thanks to TAP members efforts during recruitment. TAP members will be involved in the interviewing process.

Success Stories
Dorothy Havey gave a quick update on the Cranston Town Hall meeting in Rhode Island. The event went very well and Area 1 walked away with six or eight issues. Larry Combs from Area 7 did a radio interview as an outreach. After the interview, an accountant called to express interest in joining the panel. Combs let him know recruitment period had just ended but to apply next year. Area 3 had a demonstration at their face to face meeting on the effective use of TAPSpeak. Area 7 had the training as well. It was suggested that TAPSpeak training be given during the annual meeting.

Communication Committee Report
Maryann Motza reported that the Communication Committee held it’s face to face in Omaha in the middle of May. The Committee covered many topics and one key things to report is the in-depth analysis of TAPSpeak. The Committee has proposed a redesign of TAPSpeak and will be working with Steve Berkey, TAP National Office Program Analyst, on a statement of work for both the improveirs site and TAPSpeak. The Committee is also working on immediate fixes to improve TAPSpeak.

The committee developed a new member survey that should be given six months into the TAP year. The survey was previously approved by Joint Committee and director. The method of survey has changed. Committee members will now survey the new members by telephone rather than a written survey. TAP has a low return rate on the written surveys. There are about seven questions. Asking the questions in interview style will provide an opportunity to expand on any brief responses. Motza asked if the survey had to be brought back to the Joint Committee or if the Communication Committee could go forward with the survey. Combs asked for thoughts. The Joint Committee agreed that the Communication Committee could go forward with the survey. The Communication Committee will report back no later than August on the survey results.

There were not a lot of significant changes to the TAP Member handbook, one main thing is to include information from Barbara Toy’s PowerPoint showing the flow of issue process. The Communication Strategy will be a separate document and not part of the TAP Member Handbook. The Committee wants opportunity to talk to Joint Committee about the strategy at the face-to-face and receive approval to complete. Steve Berkey reported that the Committee made some suggestions concerning the Annual Report and had decided to develop a form and having a template for the TAP Annual Report. As the report is now, it can not easily be used as an outreach tool. TAP needs a consensus on preparation of annual report, conversation on what is annual report used for, should it be chair’s report or panel report, and the Committee’s concern that staff was not named as contributors to TAP success. This will also be on the agenda for the face to face for further discussion. Judi Nicholas stated that the Communication Strategy is a document that includes recommended strategies and recommended processes and will be presented for approval at the Joint Committee face-to-face.

ACTION: Coston will add discussion of communication strategy and annual report to the Joint Committee face-to-face agenda.

Commissioner Issues
Allena Kaplan reported that Areas 6 and 7 were planning a conference call to discuss the 7216 issue and asked when the task should be completed. Combs replied that the target is 60 days after conference call. Combs asked that chairs with issues assigned should send a copy of the position paper to all Joint Committee members by email.

George Bates reported that the AdHoc Committee is working on the return preparer regulations/licensing issue. J.T. Wright reported that Area 3 has a lot of work to do on the private collection agencies issue but it will be ready within the 60 days.

Ferd Schneider said that Area 4 had worked VITA issues last year but the area now has some new members. The subcommittee started with information from last year’s Committee and their intent is to discuss the response to the Commissioner at their July face-to-face meeting. Combs said the reason for the short time frame on the Commissioner issues is he wants the issue fresh in his mind and wants the Commissioner to feel comfortable about asking TAP for more information. J.T. Wright said that Area 3 would be addressing the issue shortly at their upcoming face to face and ideally it will be complete by the Joint Committee face to face.

Ralph Rivera stated that he is hoping to have the Free File response by mid-July and will forward to the Joint Committee when complete. Area 5 discussed at their face to face meeting a couple weeks ago and identified a subcommittee to prepare draft by the end of this week for the full committee to review.

Combs asked committees to forward their committee’s comments and perspective. They do not have to be in referral form format can be a memo to Joint Committee.

ACTION: Chairs of committees which have a Joint Committee assignment on the commissioner issues should have a draft response available for the Joint Committee face-to-face meeting (does not need to be in the referral format, the Joint Committee will format). If the draft response is not available by the Joint Committee meeting at the end of June, please inform Combs of the expected date of completion. Chairs should send copies of the position paper to all Joint Committee members by email.

IRS Responses

• Area 2–TAP 05-033 SS-4 & LLC Issue
  Paul McElroy reported that the IRS did not agree to combine the instructions for the SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number, but did give good reason for not doing so. The new on-line program will be an interactive application so there is no longer a need to combine the instructions. IRS did concur that on-line instructions regarding the Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) were not adequate and did agree that the additional LLC instructions would be included on-line. Area 2 agreed to close the issue as IRS partially accepted. Toy added that the Area 2 subcommittee had the opportunity to work with the on-line application team and did provide the IRS with additonal suggestions for improving the application. The subcommittee reviewed the instructions and felt that the changes were exactly what were recommended.

• Area 2 TAP 05-032 Pub 554–Older Americans Tax Guide
  Area 2 recommended that the IRS re-word the document to make it easier for people to understand and change the font size to better accommodate older Americans. IRS did excellent job at responding. IRS addressed each TAP recommendation separately, adopting most of them and giving very clear explanations of why IRS could not adopt the others. Area 2 will monitor this issue and follow-up in six months to review the newly published version of the publication. Paul Brubaker asked how TAP gets in the link to know when IRS plans the implementation; it should somehow happen automatically. It is now up to the committee staff or members to check for implementation. TAP should be included when the e-link to review the draft is sent.

  Action: Coston will follow-up on TAP involvement in review of draft forms with Sue Sottile and report out at July face-to-face.

• Area 2 TAP 05-056 W-7 &1040NR
  McElroy stated that the problem is that the Forms 1040NR, U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return, and W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, get separated when they arrive at IRS and there is no good way to get them back together. TAP recommended adding a note to line G; IRS accepted but wanted the note on line E. Area 2 accepted IRS response. Kaplan asked the timeframe for IRS adopting the recommendations. McElroy said that he is not sure but maybe next tax season.

July Meeting
Combs asked if there were any issues that should be added to the agenda for the upcoming Joint Committee face-to-face meeting. Havey suggested continuing to discuss town hall meetings. Coston replied that it will be an agenda item and asked that committee discuss best practices used at various venues and come up with some general standards for future town halls. Beadsie Woo proposed a discussion on when the TAP year ends. Coston proposed that TAP members continue meetings up to next Annual Meeting but would like to continue the discussion at the face-to-face meeting. Maryann Motza wants to discuss annual report preparation. Woo would like to discuss the role of alternates vs. new applicants. Motza wanted to know if TAP Speak will be discussed. The Communication Committee has a preliminary proposal she wants to discuss; it is not concerning TAPSpeak training. Havey stated that she knows that several areas are working on issues. Will there be time to discuss issues on the agenda?

Combs asked Toy how many issues the Joint Committee presently has. Toy stated that there are six that have come in this month, but only three or four will be ready for the meeting.

Motza asked if there would be a slot for Commissioner issues.

Action: All Joint Committee members should send any additional agenda topics for the Joint Committee face-to-face to Coston, Combs, and Brubaker.

Office Report
Paul McElroy asked if the two issues approved at the April Joint Committee meeting were sent to the IRS. Brubaker stated that they were submitted on May 31st.

The face-to-face meeting will be at the Warwick Hotel. There will be three substitutes: Lee Stieger for Ralph Rivera, Tom Karwin for Allena Kaplan and Maureen Amos for Bob Meyers.

Hard copies of the pre-read materials will be handed out at the meeting. All materials will be posted to TAPSpeak for reading before the meeting.

Toy said the purpose of having the Issue Committee chairs complete the summary table on the Issue Committee Monthly Report is so she is able to quickly enter the information into the database for use in preparing the monthly Recommendation Status Summary report and the TAP Annual Report. Chairs do not have to complete the summary table if their committee uses a format similar to that used for the Joint Committee Issue Referral form. If the referral format is used just attach the report to the committee report. If that format (Issue Statement, Date Sent, To Whom Sent, and Proposed Solution) is not used, the summary table must be completed.

Closing
No July teleconference.

Coston complimented Joint Committee on efficiency of operating on conference calls. Joint Committee accomplished a lot in this hour and he thanked everyone for their efforts.

Meeting Adjourned

Next Meeting June 29 1:30 pm to 5:30 p.m., June 30, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., July 1, 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. at the Warwick Hotel in Denver, Colorado.