TAP citizen advocate report

As the federally appointed citizen advocate from Wyoming on the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, TAP, I feel a desire to report to Wyoming on my initial training held in Washington D.C. the first week of December, 2008.

Monday was orientation from 1-5pm. All the new TAP members were welcomed. We introduced ourselves and told something brief about our state. I noted we were 44th largest in size and 50th smallest in population. This was a good chance to visit with other new members. I shared a table with members from California, Arizona, Washington D.C., and New York, I believe.

That night, all new members in geographic areas (Wyoming is area 6), went to dinner together.

Tuesday was a full day, starting at 8am and lasting until 5:30pm. The schedule was packed with everyone from the TAP newly elected chair for the year, to the National Taxpayer Advocate, and a lot of what someone called "IRS Brass". We even had "Abraham Lincoln" as a guest speaker. The conference room was very cold and I left my seat for part of the morning session, of which I later had to repent of to a TAP staff member (but only AFTER I was asked about my absence). Although I strongly believe in full attendance of meetings, this room was so cold I went to get a jacket and just didn't make it back to my seat before lunch. However, that was the only part I missed from Monday until 5:30 pm Thursday. And, I attended all extra events provided.

I have to tell you, this is an amazing process. EVERY SINGLE comment from taxpayers ends up somewhere. We deal with non-statutory comments, citizens running into time-delays, lost information, unclear wording on forms etc., and sort them into different categories. Some issues (that's what the comments can eventually become) may be elevated to a whole committee and then to the IRS, based on group consensus. My mind was spinning as I wondered, after a 30 minute discussion on one issue, if the person that had made the comment really understood how serious the TAP panel takes their charge as an internal advisory committee for the IRS.

We have two additional face-to-face meetings a year. One for the geographic area, again, Wyoming is in Area 6. The other is for our "Issue Committee." This issue committee works different than the geographic committee, it is top down, meaning issues are sent down from the IRS. I am on the Multi-Lingual Initiative Committee. This will be very interesting. Right now we are charged with reviewing a DVD in Spanish, Korean, and Chinese, of which I speak none of the three languages. That may sound really funny, it did to me and my husband at first, but after the training I realize there is a lot I can do. Because I don't speak those languages, if there are taxpayers who are fluent in any of those languages, I welcome them to contact me.

This is an exciting opportunity and I am grateful to know that I will get to speak with many, many Wyoming taxpayers during my three year term.

I want to express a big thank you to Edward Uhrig, I believe of the Cheyenne area, for his past efforts on the panel. I feel like I have big shoes to fill as many people have mentioned working with Edward. I haven't met you, Mr. Uhrig, but appreciate the Wyoming legacy you have left with TAP.