Burden Reduction Committee Meeting Minutes
December 13, 2006 - 1:15 PM
Face to Face - Washington, DC

Program Owner

• Bayder, Helene

Designated Federal Official

• Ramirez, Sandra

Committee Members Present (These attendees count for quorum)

• Barry, Shaun - Franklin Square, NY - Panel Member
• Behnkendorf, Larry - Waterford, MI - Panel Member
• Bensen, Melissa - Hermiston, OR - Panel Member
• Bly, Bill - Wayne, PA - Chair
• Cordeiro, Daryll - Mobile, AL - Panel Member
• Davidson, Charles - Redding, CA - Panel Member
• Edwards, James - Roswell, GA - Panel Member
• Gursey, Gregory - Anchorage, AK - Panel Member
• Guthmann, Howard - St. Paul, MN - Vice Chair
• Havey, Dorothy - Lincolnville, ME - Panel Member
• Jason, Julie - Greenwich, CT - Panel Member
• Kasturi, Srinivasan - West Orange, NJ - Panel Member
• Maisch, Steven - Arlington, WA - Panel Member
• Margulies, Howard - North Easton, MA - Panel Member
• O’Donnell, Marie - Riverwoods, IL - Panel Member
• Richardson, Lovella - Knoxville, TN - Panel Member
• Shah, Rajiv - Columbia, MO - Panel Member
• List title if appropriate, chair, vice chair after state

Committee Members Absent
N/A

TAP Staff

• Knispel, Marisa - Brooklyn, NY - Panel Member
• Odom, Meredith - Brooklyn, NY - Panel Member

Other Attendees

• Tucker, Beth, Acting Director Office of Taxpayer Burden Reduction

Welcome/Introduction
Ramirez welcomed the new and returning members

Roles, Committee Structure & Expectations
Subcommittees will work independently on the issue(s) assigned and report to the Chair and full Committee. They will schedule their own meetings and would appreciate staff’s participation.

Roles of the Committee Chair and Vice Chair
Role of Chair

• Serve as the representative for the Area on the Joint Committee (JC)
• Present the final Area committee’s recommendations to JC
• Lead committee Meetings
• Partner in the development of meeting agendas
• Ensure decision are made by consensus within the committee
• Prepare an annual self-assessment
• Prepare a monthly committee report
• Ensure everyone on the Committee is heard
• Keep TAP Staff informed of all needs
• Ensure committee receives all research and documentation needed to make recommendations
• Delegate chair responsibility to the vice-chair or other committee member when unable to attend a meeting or perform a Chair duty
• Respond timely to all staff and Joint Committee requests and inquiries

Role of Vice-Chair

• Serve as a back-up for Chair
• Perform other duties on a regular basis as agreed upon with Chair and TAP Staff

Committee Accomplishments in Fiscal Year 2006
In 2006, the Committee worked on the Office-In-Home (OIH) deductions to reduce taxpayer and IRS burden by proposing an optional flat dollar amount deduction as an alternate to the current method. The Committee also worked in reducing the burden involved in completing the S-election process and the request for the innocent spouse relief by simplifying the application process for both and simplifying the forms involved. Lastly, the Committee worked on ways to minimize the potentials for misclassification of employees as independent contractors and to improve the education of employees on this issue.

Election Process
Ramirez explained the election process for Chair and Vice Chair when the candidates would make a brief presentation to explain why they should be elected. 

Election of Chair and Vice Chair
Bill Bly was elected as Chair and Howard Guthmann as Vice-chair of the Taxpayer Burden Reduction Issue Committee.

Establishing Structure:
Teleconference Date – The fourth Tuesday of every other month

Face to Face Meeting Date – June 7 - 10th, 2007

Formation of Subcommittees – subcommittees will vary in size and members according to issue assignment.

Program Owner Presentation & Q&A: