September 1999

Panel Responds to Taxpayer Concerns

By John Rotondi

The Internal Revenue Service's Brooklyn District's Citizen Advocacy Panel (CAP), formed to identify taxpayer problems and propose recommendations, discussed the earned income tax credit, language barriers, and social security, among other issues, at its fifth meeting on August 5.

Brooklyn's CAP, one of four pilots in the nation, covers the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, and Nassau and Suffolk counties. At the August meeting, the Earned Income Tax Credit subcommittee reported that it had recently completed its review of the draft 1999 1040 EITC instructions and will send its comments to the IRS director of forms and publications. The subcommittee also will review EITC inequities to recommend steps to remedy some of these problems on the local level.

Language Barriers

The panel also addressed language barrier problems and Brooklyn District Taxpayer Advocate Kristen Bailey said the district is interested in CAP's input in developing solutions. She also stated that the office of community programs is reaching out to the public for assistance. In addition, the district wants to work with outside organizations that can represent the taxpayers who have received IRS notices concerning unpaid taxes but may lack the language skills necessary to understand the process.

Social Security Mismatches

CAP member Marjorie Louer brought an example of a social security mismatch to the panel's attention that she said was not resolved in a timely fashion. She believes this may be a systemic problem. Advocate Bailey responded that the best course of action for taxpayers is to contact CAP's hotline (888) 912-1227 to resolve problems through caseworkers who periodically keep taxpayers informed about their cases' status.

IRS Brooklyn District Director Ellen Murphy also explained that the current IRS computer systems can make social security mismatches difficult to resolve. A new computer system, however, which the IRS expects to have in place in the next two to three years, should greatly reduce this problem.

Oveson at November Town Meeting

CAP will hold a town hall meeting on November 17 in Suffolk County, at which national Taxpayer Advocate W. Val Oveson will speak.

CAP meetings are open to the public. For more information, see the organization's website, www.improveirs.org. Society members within the 516 or 718 area codes also 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. *