IR-2004-39, March 22, 2004 WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced two key personnel appointments in its Large and Mid-Size Business Division (LMSB). Frank Y. Ng will serve as Industry Director for Communications, Technology and Media. Kathy Petronchak will serve as Director of Pre-Filing and Technical Guidance. As Director for Communications, Technology and Media (CTM), Ng will direct the full range of LMSB service and enforcement programs designed to ensure that large and mid-size businesses in this industry sector comply with federal tax requirements. The CTM industry segment of LMSB is headquartered in Oakland, Calif., and has a workforce of 900 people. It is responsible for the administration of federal taxes affecting over 16,000 large and mid-size corporations engaged in telecommunications, software and hardware development, broadcasting, publishing, sports franchises, hotels, gaming and other entertainment and recreational services. The business taxpayers served by CTM all have assets over $10 million. “Communications, technology and media-related businesses are the fastest growing of all industries,” LMSB Commissioner Deborah M. Nolan said. “The business innovation of these industries in our increasingly global economy gives rise to constantly emerging and evolving tax issues.” Ng succeeds Tom Wilson, who is retiring in June after having served as CTM Industry Director since 2000. Ng joined IRS in 1973 as a revenue agent and has served as Revenue Service Representative in Tokyo and as chief of the IRS Tax Treaty Division. Ng was a team leader and member of the LMSB Modernization Design and Implementation Teams and participated in the IRS Executive Development Program in 2000. He received his accounting degree from Arizona State University and Master of Public Accounting degree from the University of Southern California. Prior to his new executive leadership position, Ng served as Director of LMSB Pre-Filing and Technical Guidance. Kathy Petronchak succeeds Ng as Director of Pre-Filing and Technical Guidance (PFTG). In her new executive position, Petronchak will oversee an area responsible for developing nationwide LMSB programs, such as the Pre-Filing Agreement and Industry Issue Resolution Programs, which identify and resolve complex tax issues as early as possible so that affected businesses can file their tax returns with certainty. Headquartered in Washington, PFTG also supports field offices and agents on complex business tax issues. Through its Office of Tax Shelter Analysis, PFTG provides support and analysis for IRS efforts to combat abusive tax shelters and transactions. “PFTG provides direction for IRS efforts to effectively combat abusive corporate tax shelters and to provide effective methods for resolving complex tax issues before they arise during a tax examination,” Nolan said. “Our challenge is to deal effectively with the increasing complexity of the tax law and the increasingly aggressive tax positions claimed by business taxpayers.” A major aspect of Petronchak’s executive responsibility will be coordinating LMSB programs with Chief Counsel and Treasury. Prior to this position, Petronchak served as PFTG Deputy Director and Director of Field Operations for Retail, Food, Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare. She held several Examination Division management positions in the prior IRS organization. Petronchak joined IRS in 1979 as a revenue agent and participated in the IRS Executive Development Program in 2000. She has a degree in accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University. Subscribe to IRS Newswire
