IR-2016-26, Feb. 17, 2016 WASHINGTON — National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson will convene the first in a series of public forums on taxpayer service on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 10:00 AM at the IRS Headquarters Building in Washington, D.C. Members of the public and the media may attend by following the procedures described below. During the last two years, the IRS has been developing a “future state” plan that envisions how it will operate in five years and beyond. It is continuing to develop a path for how it gets from the “current state” to the “future state,” including refinements to the vision along the way. A central component of the plan is the creation of online taxpayer accounts as a convenient but non-exclusive channel through which taxpayers will be able to obtain information from and interact with the IRS. In the National Taxpayer Advocate’s 2015 Annual Report to Congress, Ms. Olson recommended the IRS solicit comments from taxpayers and tax professionals, including their thoughts on the extent to which taxpayers will continue to need telephone and in-person assistance, so the future state plan will better reflect taxpayers’ needs and preferences as they seek to comply with the tax code. The purpose of the public forums is to obtain public comments. The first hearing, scheduled for Feb. 23, will consist of three panels: Panel 1 Pamela F. Olson Washington National Tax Services Practices Leader, PwC Former Assistant Secretary (Tax Policy), Department of the Treasury. Leslie Book Professor of Law Villanova University School of Law Panel 2 Jennifer MacMillan Enrolled Agent Chair, Internal Revenue Service Advisory Committee (IRSAC) Timothy J. McCormally Director, Washington National Tax, KPMG Vice Chair, Internal Revenue Service Advisory Committee (IRSAC) Michael Gangwer Tax Advisor, The Vanguard Group, Inc. Chair, Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee (IRPAC) Jim Buttonow HR Block Chair, Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC) Gina Jones Enrolled Agent Chair, Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) Panel 3 Michael Best Senior Policy Advocate, Consumer Federation of America Aaron W. Smith Associate Director (Research), Pew Research Center’s Internet Project Representative of Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, Federal Reserve (invited) Ms. Olson will conduct the hearing, and IRS Commissioner John Koskinen will deliver welcoming remarks. The public forum will take place in the IRS Auditorium, Internal Revenue Service Building, 1111 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20224. Due to building security procedures, visitors must enter at the Constitution Avenue entrance. In addition, all visitors must present photo identification to enter the building. Because of access restrictions, the IRS will not admit visitors beyond the immediate entrance area more than 30 minutes before the public forum begins. For information about having your name placed on the building access list to attend the public forum, contact Deborah Powell or Brenda Jones at (202) 317-6100. Follow the IRS on New Media Subscribe to IRS Newswire
