MEMBERS APPROVED FOR TAXPAYER ADVOCACY PANEL

FROM:  INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE 
Taxpayer Advocacy Panel Members Selected

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service recommended and the Department of Treasury approved the selection of 27 new members to serve on the nationwide Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP). The TAP is a federal advisory committee charged with providing taxpayer suggestions to improve IRS customer service.

The new TAP members will join 46 returning members to round out the panel of 73 volunteers for 2014. The new members were selected from more than 400 interested individuals from across the country who applied during an open recruitment period last spring or the pool of alternate members who applied in prior years.

"TAP member volunteers are counted on to recognize important taxpayer issues and bring them to our attention,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “Their work and advice help the IRS serve the nation’s taxpayers.”

The TAP listens to taxpayers, identifies issues and makes suggestions for improving IRS service and customer satisfaction. Oversight and program support for the TAP are provided by the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent organization within the IRS that helps resolve taxpayer problems and makes recommendations to avoid future problems.

“To meet the needs of the taxpaying public, it is critical that the IRS listen to taxpayers to hear what their needs and preferences are,” said Nina E. Olson, National Taxpayer Advocate. “The citizen volunteers who serve on the TAP are, first and foremost, taxpayers who bring a taxpayer perspective to bear in advising on the IRS’s taxpayer service activities.”

TAP members work with IRS executives on priority topics, primarily those involving the Wage & Investment and Small Business/Self-Employed operating divisions. Members also serve as a conduit for bringing grassroots concerns raised by the taxpaying public to the attention of the IRS.

TAP members are U.S. citizens who volunteer to serve a three-year appointment and are expected to devote 200 to 300 hours per year to panel activities. TAP members are demographically and geographically diverse, providing balanced representation from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.