Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP)
Want to improve the IRS? SPEAK UP
Andrea Price, TAP member representing Ohio
Guest Column
The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel is comprised of civic-minded citizen volunteers from all walks of life representing each state, D.C., Puerto Rico and an international member (citizens living, working or doing business abroad). TAP is a Federal Advisory Committee whose mission is to listen to taxpayers, identify taxpayers’ issues and make suggestions for improving the IRS service and customer satisfaction.
Everyone has something to say about taxes and the IRS. Please take a moment to give us your suggestions for TAP to consider by contacting one of the following:
TAP Ohio member: tapohioandreaprice@gmail.com
Call Toll-free at:1-888-912-1227
Website: www.improveirs.org
The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is your voice at the IRS. TAS provides oversight and support for the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP), a federal advisory committee.
The panel, established in 2002, consists up to 75 volunteers. To be a member of TAP, a person must be a U.S. citizen, be current with federal tax obligations, and pass a Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal background check. Members cannot be federally registered lobbyists. In addition, current Department of the Treasury and IRS employees cannot serve on the panel, and former Department of the Treasury or IRS employees and former TAP members must have a three-year separation from their service to be eligible for appointment. Tax practitioner applicants must be in good standing with the IRS (meaning not currently under suspension or disbarment).
The TAP will begin accepting applications in February for new members or alternates. New TAP members will serve a three-year term beginning December 2021. Applicants chosen as alternate members will be considered to fill any vacancies that open in their areas during the next three years.
If the TAP’s mission interests you, we invite you to apply to serve on the panel and help the IRS understand how it can better assist taxpayers. As the IRS works to understand how to do a better job of meeting taxpayer needs, it needs to hear directly from taxpayers – and that’s why the TAP is so important.
TAP members generally spend 200 to 300 hours per year identifying major taxpayer concerns and making recommendations to address them. The TAP’s six core Project Committees submitted 224 recommendations to the IRS in 2019.
Members of the TAP have a wide variety of backgrounds, such as health care, real estate, higher education, military service, and local government. You don’t need any knowledge of tax administration to serve – just a desire to improve the services and operations of the IRS. You can learn more about the TAP in by visiting www.improveirs.org for more information, including details about the application process.