Taxpayer Advocacy Panel

Review Agenda
Rousseau indicated that Knispel had just received a list of the previous years ad hoc Vita items from Analyst Barbara Foley that he would like to review and share with the three subcommittees for further review.

Electronic Tax Software
Rousseau was invite to work with Analyst Cindy Jones and her team in Atlanta on the Electronic Tax Software Project. The IRS is considering bids for the next tax software (line Tax Wise) that will be used in the VITA and TCE programs The IRS plans to award the contract by January 2009 for the software of tax year 2010. The team is currently working on the business requirements for the software. Rousseau sent a questionnaire to the Committee members to solicit input and suggestions on the software. He reminded all present to provide feedback and requested they email it to him within the next two days.

Stimulus Package
Rousseau has been sharing information on the Stimulus with all the Committee members and indicated that the IRS updates its website daily with information related to this event.

Subcommittee Report-Out

Training VITA Volunteers
Bryant reported that the subcommittee’s assignment was to review Publication 4491, Student Training Guide, and Publication 678W. Bryant made some good comments on the test. She also indicated that their next meeting will be on March 20th.

Nan Ellen Fuller will provide more information on the VITA project in the months to come and thanked the members who participated in the project last year. She also answered Rousseau’s question about this year’s project and the TAP’s participation in it saying that a small group might be invited to Atlanta again this year to cooperate with the IRS in this project.

Taxpayer Assistance Blueprint (TAB) – Collaboration Strategy
Rousseau indicated that at the moment this subcommittee is brainstorming ideas to increase collaboration between the IRS and community organizations.

Coonradt continued by reporting that they have reviewed the list of SPEC’s national coalitions which is subdivided into different categories such as educational organizations, governmental, etc and that each subcommittee member was assigned a category to contact the organizations therein in order to get information that could help this subcommittee. Coonradt also believes that this Subcommittee’s work should go hand in hand with the Broader Offering of Services Subcommittee’s to expand services to the community. The members of Collaboration are also providing ideas on how to best recognize the volunteers for example, CPE credits to the professionals and school credits to students and a recognition ceremony.

Gavaghan mentioned that in the past some sites have had these recognition ceremonies and Bryant added that her opinion is that the IRS should not be involved in providing rewards to the volunteers to avoid the cost. She feels this should be done by the local organizations.

Rousseau, as chair of the VITA Committee, suggested that the SPEC subject matter experts participate in the subcommittee teleconferences to provide more guidance and focus.

Taxpayer Assistance Blueprint (TAB) – Broader Offering of Services
Criel reported that Beverly Thomas joined the subcommittee’s discussion on March 7th and indicated the IRS needs to narrow the tax gap by offering of broader services in the volunteer program. This will be done by looking at the non-filers, the non-payers and the under-reporters. Since the IRS already has a program established to address the non-filers, the subcommittee should concentrate on the non-payers and those who under-report by expanding the services at the VITA sites. The subcommittee will be looking into who these people are, what their needs might be, and determine if the solution is a matter of education or enforcement. The subcommittee also has a concern for the small business sole-proprietor filer. Furthermore, the members already have started to identify the target groups but they are waiting for more input.

Hollingsworth suggests looking at the issue from the perspective of all taxpayers and the general tax services they might need. In most VITA/TCE sites the main service provided is tax preparation assistance, she added. She also suggested that the members think of what types of outreach could be provided to taxpayers before they file their tax returns.

Public Participation
Schwartz asked about e-filing returns with zero AGI. Tax Wise has not provided the users with proper guidance for this situation which will a common one for taxpayers who want to take advantage of the Stimulus Package.

Closing
Due to technical difficulties on the phone line, the call ended prematurely.