National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson and Rep. Mark Meadows, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations, have announced the next in a series of public forums designed to allow taxpayers to voice what they want and need from the IRS in order to comply with their tax obligations. The next public forum will be held on Monday, April 4, at 5:30 pm at the Henderson County King Street Meeting Room in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Members of the public and the media are invited to attend.
The public forum will feature an invited panel of representatives from the local area, including Rollin J. Groseclose, CPA, CGMA, Shareholder (Johnson Price Sprinkle PA); Bob Smith, Volunteer Coordinator (AARP Tax Aide – Henderson County); and Arthur Bartlett, Program Director/ Attorney (LITC Legal Services of Southern Piedmont).
Local Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) staff will also be available at the forum to discuss unresolved tax issues and help taxpayers determine if their situation qualifies for TAS assistance. TAS does not generally answer tax return preparation questions but can provide assistance to taxpayers who have already filed their returns with the IRS for the current or past years and are experiencing problems that meet certain criteria (more on TAS here).
The hearing will be held by Olson in collaboration with Rep. Meadows, who represents North Carolina’s 11th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been developing a “Future State” that outlines its plans for relatively short-term operations and growth (a five-year plan). In the National Taxpayer Advocate’s 2015 Annual Report to Congress, Olson recommended that IRS solicit comments from taxpayers and tax professionals regarding the plan, including determining the extent to which taxpayers will continue to need telephone and/or in-person assistance. As part of those efforts, Olson announced plans to hold a series of public forums around the country. Past forums have already been held in Washington, DC (February 23, 2016); Chicago, IL (March 9, 2016); and Bronx, NY (March 18, 2016).
For information about the forums, click here.
