Taxpayer Advocacy Panel

Welcome and Review of Agenda
Rousseau welcomed everyone and informed them that the staff and he are currently working on the agenda for the face-to-face meeting in Atlanta. Knispel will share this agenda with all for their comments before it becomes finalized.

Rousseau mentioned that the Area 2 is considering the inclusion of the preparation of Form K-1 in the VITA Program and wanted to share this issue (Issue 4515) with our Committee. As Committee Chair, he believes that this Issue would fit within the scope of the Broader Offering of Services Subcommittee. If the Subcommittee decides not to include the preparation of the K-1 as part of their recommendation, Rousseau will advise the Area 2 to propose their recommendation through regular TAP channels.

Roll Call
Quorum Met

Program Owner Presentation
Gavaghan informed the members that she and other SPEC representatives, the TAP staff and the subcommittee chairs held a private teleconference aimed to clarify the focus of the subcommittees. Rousseau indicated that this phone call proved to be very helpful and thanked Gavaghan and the others for taking their time in this call.

Subcommittee Report-Out:

Training VITA Volunteers
Criel informed the members that the Program has not set up a schedule for their revision of VITA’s training materials for the next season. They will, however, invite the TAP’s participation in this revision. Rousseau added that Link and Learn will be updated in the next months to come and the software will be distributed in November instead of December as it was done in the past.

Taxpayer Assistance Blueprint (TAB)-Collaboration Strategy
Davidson reiterated that the subcommittee chairs met with Rousseau, TAP staff and Program Owners to define the focus of their groups and their guidance has proven valuable by providing the baseline for the subcommittees’ strategies. Currently this Subcommittee’s members are contacting the community-based organizations that are involved with the Program such as the military to find what these organizations are currently doing and how their relationship could work better. Thereafter, the Subcommittee can generate new ideas to recruit volunteers and brainstorm on ways to form more partnerships. Davidson expects the Subcommittee to have a list of strategies presented to the IRS when we meet at the face-to-face meeting.

Coonradt reported that he contacted the AICPA and has received a response from the president of this organization. The AICPA president informed Coonradt that the AICPA’s strategic plan calls for more pro-bono opportunities for their new CPAs. To accomplish this, they have established an Annual Tax Public Service Award. The AICPA president also provided Coonradt with the organization’s strategy on their work with the Hurricane Katrina victims.

Rousseau added that the Subcommittee’s aim is first to fact-find what is being done by the current IRS partners/coalitions so that they can suggest additional opportunities that the IRS could implement.

Taxpayer Assistance Blueprint (TAB) – Broader Offering of Services
Criel informed that she too participated in the call with the Program Owners and that the members are looking to increase the number and type of services done at VITA sites. Like the other TAB subcommittee, they too are conducting an informal fact-gathering survey from VITA site coordinators to find our what services they currently offer and what other services they think should be offered. By services, Criel means the preparation of forms and schedules and also educational opportunities and advice. Once the questions for this survey are compiled, she will share them with the rest of the VITA Committee for comments.

Rousseau reminded the participants that he had recently shared with them a questionnaire on the Software Project that he participated in and explained that the Subcommittee’s survey – like the one used in this Project- will also be an informal one. That is one that will not require the concurrence of IRS executives and other channels. Rousseau does hope to share this survey with the rest of the TAP for input pending Bernie Coston’s approval..

Public Participation
Yanuck said he is pleased to hear that the Committee wants to expand the training to include Schedule E’s and K1’s.

Closing
Rousseau thanked everyone for their participation and thanked everyone for their hard work.