Dateline: April 8, 2015 

Do you have an unresolved income tax problem or ideas for improving the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in general, but don’t know where to turn? The Taxpayer Advocate Service or the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel may be able to help.

Help With Your Specific Tax Problems

If you have a tax problem that is causing financial difficulties for you, your family or your business, and you have been unable to work it out with the IRS, you can turn to the National Taxpayer Advocate Service.

The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS), “your voice at the IRS,” is an independent organization actually operating within the IRS to ensure that all taxpayers are treated fairly and in accordance with IRS’ newly adopted Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

The TAS offers free assistance with often-confusing tax problems that taxpayers have been unable to resolve on their own.

As the Taxpayer Advocate Service reminds us, “the worst thing you can do” about tax audits or tax debts, “is nothing at all.”

TAS can help you if you have been unable to resolve your tax problem working directly with the IRS and;

• Your problem is causing financial difficulties for you, your family, or your business.
   
• You or your business is facing an immediate threat of adverse action on the part of the IRS.
   
• You have tried repeatedly to contact the IRS but no one has responded to you, or the IRS has not responded by the date it promised.

Each state has at least one Local Taxpayer Advocate who is independent of the local IRS office and reports directly to the National Taxpayer Advocate Service.

You can visit a TAS office near you or call TAS toll-free at 1-877-777-4778.

Help With Problems Affecting Many Taxpayers

The more “big picture,” systemic tax problems that haunt multiple taxpayers, like over-complicated tax forms, can be reported online using the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s provides Systemic Advocacy Management System (SAMS).

Problems reported to the IRS through SAMS should:

• Always affect multiple taxpayers, rather than individuals;
• Involve IRS systems, policies, and procedures; or
• Involve protecting taxpayer rights, reducing burden, ensuring fair treatment, or providing essential taxpayer services.

The TAS suggests reading the SAMS FAQ before submitting issues.

In submitting issues through SAMS, you’ll be asked to briefly (2,000 characters) describe the problem, provide your email address, and optionally your name and telephone number. But DO NOT include any personal taxpayer information like your Social Security number.

“The input of your name and contact information is strictly voluntary and will not be stored, shared, sold or used for any purpose except as may be required by law,” notes the IRS. “We require your email address in order to reply to your submission or clarify the issue.”

According to the IRS, all problems reported through SAMS will be “reviewed, researched and shared for appropriate advocacy actions.”

This Panel Wants to TAP Your Tax Ideas

Finally, if you have an idea for improving the IRS and the income tax system in general, the IRS’ Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) wants to hear from you.

Made up of 75 citizen volunteers, the TAP is an official Federal Advisory Committee assigned to help identify income tax issues “of importance to taxpayers and to provide a taxpayer perspective to the IRS on key programs, products, and services.”

According to the IRS, TAP members “listen to taxpayers, identify taxpayers’ issues, and make suggestions for improving IRS service and customer satisfaction.”

TAP members – who are, of course, taxpayers themselves – represent all walks of life and come from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, as well at least one member living abroad to represent international taxpayers.

Using suggestions and comments collected from taxpayers, TAP members work directly with IRS management on topics of importance to taxpayers and the IRS.

Suggestions can be submitted to the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel either online or by calling toll-free 1-888-912-1227.