IRS Forms Local Advocacy Group

June 1999 Issue

Society Member on Panel to Respond to
Taxpayers' Needs

The IRS recently unveiled an 11-member citizen advocacy panel (CAP) for the Brooklyn District. The independent panel's goal is to respond to taxpayers' needs by identifying problems and making recommendations for improvement of local IRS systems and procedures.

Introduced by IRS National Taxpayer Advocate W. Val Oveson and local District Director Ellen Murphy, the panel covers the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, and Nassau and Suffolk counties.

The Trusted Professional spoke to Laura Greenberg, a panel member and retired CPA, to find out more about the panel. Greenberg explained that she heard about it via a public service announcement. After an automated phone interview, she and other candidates answered essay questions and interviewed for a chance to become a panelist. U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin then made the final selection.

Greenberg explained her interest in participating in this group.

"Being a practitioner for twenty years, I became aware of many problem areas," she said. "This is an exciting opportunity to have my voice heard and to serve as the voice of the practitioner and taxpayer."

The IRS set up a special toll-free number, (888) 912-1227, to provide the public direct contact with the panel.

"We can't resolve any problems if we don't know they exist," Greenberg said. "Finally, somebody is listening. We're not really in a position to resolve individual problems, but we want to know about taxpayers' experiences so the underlying issue can be addressed."

President Bill Clinton announced the concept of locally based CAPs in 1997 as part of an overall IRS "reinvention" effort. The Treasury Department initiated the CAPs as an outgrowth of Vice President Al Gore's National Partnership for Reinvention task force, which sought ways to improve customer service at the IRS.

The U.S. Treasury secretary chose the following members from 70 applicants:

Horace Aiken of Springfield Gardens, Queens, is chief financial officer of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.

Anthony Fandozzi of Commack in Suffolk County has a consulting firm for gas and electric utility companies, architects, and engineers.

Laura Greenberg is a retired tax manager, formerly of Hertz, Herson & Co. LLP.

Burton Kahn of Hewlett in Nassau County is a retired business owner.

Marjorie Louer of Brooklyn is a retired high school principal.

Edward Maher of Lake Ronkonkoma in Suffolk County owns a bakery.

Matthew Mihovich of Brooklyn owns a food distribution company.

Jimmy Montes of Setauket in Suffolk County is a vice president and team leader for Banco Popular on Long Island.

Marie Nahikian of Brooklyn is executive director of Queens County Economic Development Corp.

Ethel Richards of East Elmhurst, Queens, is an elementary school teacher.

John Rotondi of Garden City in Nassau County is an assistant vice president and compliance officer at Merrill Lynch.

"We come from diverse backgrounds, but we share the same agenda," Greenberg said. "We will be making recommendations to improve customer service in terms of interaction between the IRS and the taxpayer community."

Panel members serve two-year terms without compensation. All are private citizens with no IRS or federal government affiliation. The only IRS member is the district's taxpayer advocate, Kristen Bailey, who will serve as the panel's link with the tax agency.

"We have the complete cooperation of the Treasury Department," Greenberg said. "They have really expended a lot of energy on this project."

Brooklyn's CAP is the fourth pilot district formed in the nation. The four districts will meet in June to compare experiences and plan for the future.

CAP meetings are open to the public. For information on upcoming meetings or to present suggestions to the panel, Society members within the 516 or 718 area codes can call the toll-free number listed above; all other members can call (718) 488-3555 or (718) 488-2059. CAP accepts written suggestions at the following address: Citizen Advocacy Panel, P.O. Box R, Brooklyn, NY 11202. CAP members also are available to speak at meetings of local organizations.

Watch future issues of The Trusted Professional for updates on the Citizen Advocacy Panel's recommendations.