TAP 04-076

Change TAP Name

Statement of Issue:

The current name of Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) continues to cause confusion for the taxpaying public. The names and functions of both Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) and Taxpayer Advocacy Service (TAS) are perceived as synonymous by the taxpaying public

Proposal:

With a name change of Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP), it is believed that TAP will be less confusing to the public and clearly identified as independent from both IRS and TAS.

Further, TAP staff would become less burdened with the overwhelming number of misrouted telephone calls to TAS by the taxpaying public.

Finally, Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) would benefit, since the taxpaying public would be better able to associate TAP with its correct mission and goals.

Change the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) name to another name which will not confuse the taxpaying public with Taxpayer Advocacy Service (TAS).

The TAP Director would like to thank Tony DiMartino and the committee members of Area 2 for submitting this proposal. From a historical perspective this issue has been submitted via various venues and at it’s initial concept point seemed like a proposal that could be easily implemented.

After numerous phone conversations with executives in IRS and Treasury it was brought to the TAP Director’s attention that the name “Taxpayer Advocacy Panel” was assigned by Treasury. In it’s infancy stage, this Federal Advisory Committee was given the name Citizen Advocacy Panel and after the pilot it was determined that a name representative of its purpose was more appropriate, thus TAP was established. It was never intended that the TAP and TAS would be a point of confusion.

The name TAP, as stated earlier, was established by Treasury, therefore Treasury was approached about the possibility of changing the name. It was explained that members felt there was a identity problem in distinguishing TAP from TAS. It was also brought forward that people are not aware of who TAP is and what it does. The response was that the name would not be changed and the because TAP is still a new organization that it would initially have recognition issues.

The Director subsequently met with his staff and decided that if TAP couldn’t change it’s name the next step would be to get the name TAP out to the public in a more consistent way. The result of this is the formation of the TAP Communication Issue Committee. This committee has been charged with branding the TAP name, both internal to IRS and external to citizens and stakeholders. The committee has been established, elected a chair and created three subcommittees that will address major components of communications. Numerous activities are in the works to make sure that the name TAP is recognizable.

Based on the response from Treasury and the actions of the TAP Director this issue should be considered closed with no further action.