IR-2021-39, February 18, 2021 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service recommended, and the Department of the Treasury has approved, the selection of 24 new members to serve on the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel for 2021. The new TAP members will join returning members to round out the panel of 67 volunteers for 2021. The new members were selected from a pool of approximately 300 interested individuals who applied during an open recruitment period last spring and from alternate members who applied in prior years. National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins recently shared her appreciation for all TAP volunteers: "I am grateful for these citizens volunteering their time and talent to the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel. I am very proud of the accomplishments of the TAP last year, and I look forward to the TAP bringing its valuable taxpayer perspective in recommending changes to tax administration to achieve the quality service that taxpayers expect and deserve." The TAP is a federal advisory committee charged with listening to taxpayers, identifying issues, and making suggestions to improve 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 account problems and makes administrative and legislative recommendations to mitigate systemic problems. Members of the TAP work on a variety of issues that impact taxpayers in the key areas where the IRS and the public interact the most. 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. To the extent possible, TAP members are demographically and geographically diverse, providing balanced representation from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In addition, there is one TAP member from abroad who represents the interests of taxpayers working, living, or doing business abroad or in a U.S. territory. The new TAP members by location: Name City State Tor Daley Anchorage AK April Smith Birmingham AL Kristin White Gilbert AZ Matthew Kinley Long Beach CA Tracey Maria Randall York Corona CA John Yoon Carlsbad CA Rene Tiongquico Washington DC DC Joanne Thurston Marietta GA Christine Scott Kapaa HI Daniel Mistick Hailey ID Jamila Akil Hazel Crest IL Pamela Memmer Princeton IN Jon Ramirez Wichita KS Daniel Leatham Shrewsbury MA Brandon Smith Bowie MD James Usseglio Hollis NH Eugene Lillie West Deptford NJ Richard Metzler Las Vegas NV Cynthia Mills Glenside PA Rita Green Memphis TN Philip George Saint George UT Lucinda Weigel Vienna VA Donna Patterson Bothell WA Charles Simineo Cheyenne WY Taxpayers can contact the TAP representative for their geographic area by calling 888-912-1227 (a toll-free call) or online at www.improveirs.org. Those interested in serving on the 2022-2024 panel may apply during TAP's next open recruitment period beginning in March 2021. Taxpayers can also send written correspondence to the TAP at the following address: Taxpayer Advocacy Panel TA:TAP, Room 1509 1111 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20224
