PO-3515: Treasury Secretary O'Neill Announces New Members of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel



	FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS October 8, 2002 PO-3515 Treasury Secretary O'Neill Announces New Members of the Taypayer Advocacy Panel Treasury Expanded Program to All 50 States The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service today announced the selection of 102 members who will serve on the new nationwide Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP). This program has been significantly expanded to all 50 states. The TAP members will represent the concerns of taxpayers and identify issues that should be addressed and provide critical input to the IRS. “The new panel members have an important job to make sure that the IRS provides world-class service to taxpayers. Now that we have expanded the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel to all 50 states, we can ensure that taxpayers from every corner of the country will have their voices heard,” stated Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill. Treasury Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy, Pam Olson, met with the new members of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel. (The full text of the remarks are available at www.treas.gov) “On behalf of the President Bush, Secretary O’Neill, and the Treasury Department, I thank you for volunteering your time, your energy, your talent, and your experience to this effort,” stated Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Tax Policy Pam Olson. “The President has spoken of the value of volunteerism in America, and he has urged Americans to volunteer to help their neighbors, their communities, and their government. Never has this been more important. You have all volunteered to serve and your work is essential to ensuring a more taxpayer-friendly IRS.” The TAP program will work directly with the National Taxpayer Advocate’s Office on issues identified by the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel. The National Taxpayer Advocate is the taxpayers’ representative within the IRS and reports directly to the Commissioner of Internal Revenue and to Congress through an annual report. Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) members will: • Get direct input from taxpayers about their experiences with the IRS. • Identify and prioritize issues of greatest concern to taxpayers. • Make recommendations to the IRS and Treasury on customer-service issues. • Work with the IRS to help taxpayers address key issues and concerns. • Report annually to Treasury and the National Taxpayer Advocate. Membership slots were determined based on the taxpaying population per state. Each state has at least one member. TAP members are U.S. citizens who devote about 300 hours during the year to the panel. Professions represented in the membership include tax professionals (tax attorneys and accountants), professors, retired military, small business owners, and one former state legislature member. Attached is a list of the new Taxpayer Advocacy Panel members. Taxpayer Advocacy Panel Members ALABAMA Francis (Buck) J. Paolone Hoover ALASKA Bruce Twomley Juneau Sherry Whah Anchorage ARIZONA Gregory J. Maciulla Tucson ARKANSAS Steven Wood Little Rock CALIFORNIA Norma Bishop Santa Barbara Yvonne Gallegos-Bodle Oxnard Curtis Feese Covina Cheyanna L. Jaffke Placentia Christopher Lowe Placentia Michelle Nelson Mission Viejo Howard Perkins Suisun City Charles Taylor San Diego COLORADO Richard A. Cormier Alamosa DELAWARE Patrick McCombie Wilmington DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Theodore Perros FLORIDA Mary Lou Beyreis Jacksonville Gwen Handelman Ft. Lauderdale Edward Hanna Temple Terrace Keith Johnson Jacksonville Sharon Lassar Miami Owen Oatley’ Holly Hill George Sullivan N Fort Myers GEORGIA Charlotte Cassady Talbotton Tim D. Jarrell Kennesaw HAWAII Clayton Agena Honolulu ILLINOIS Robert M. Burke Chicago Robin Gausebeck Rockford Richard Greenberg Hinsdale Lawrence Lexow Edwardsville INDIANA Carl Hansen Indianapolis Teresa Smedley Salem IOWA Denise Bigger Albia KANSAS Nan Wilson Overland Park LOUISIANA Helen Curol Lake Charles MAINE Catherine J. Kelly Corinth MARYLAND George Pruchniewski Baltimore Faith Vinikoor Baltimore MASSACHUSETTS Charles W. Silva Orleans MICHIGAN Leslie R. Malcolmson Detroit Nancy Quarles Southfield MINNESOTA Laura De Marais Minneapolis Thomas P. Seuntjens Wayzata MISSISSIPPI Phil Bryant Brandon MISSOURI Linda Bader Chesterfield Kenneth Logan Blue Springs NEVADA Justin Doucette Las Vegas NEW HAMPSHIRE Abigail Alicea Nashua NEW JERSEY Anthony DiMartino Toms River Robert Maziarz Hainesport David Meyer Voorhees Leonard Steinberg West Windsor NEW MEXICO Mario Burgos Cedar Crest NEW YORK Aimee Gomlak Brace Buffalo Walter Fish Bellmore James Grimaldo Brooklyn Paul Nagel Glen Cove Shamsey Oloko Staten Island NORTH CAROLINA Mary Balmer Chapel Hill C. Morgan Edwards Charlotte NORTH DAKOTA Paul W. Smathers Edgeley OHIO Brig Gen. (ret) James Abraham, P.E. Gahanna Frank Claudman Warrensville Heights Thad Davis Van Wert OKLAHOMA Patrick Castleberry Oklahoma City OREGON Virginia Symonds Portland PENNSYLVANIA Gerald G. Gensiejewski, Jr. Newtown Manning Mosley, III Wayne Doreen Scott Pittsburgh RHODE ISLAND Diane Mignano North Kingstown SOUTH DAKOTA John Hollingsworth Aberdeen TENNESSEE Larry Barnard Morristown Linda Miller Memphis TEXAS Maria J. Hermann-Pariente El Paso Roejeana Warren Dallas Lillian Woo Bryan UTAH Sharon Stetz Salt Lake City VERMONT Ekileen Shuman Brattleboro VIRGINIA Karen Kerrigan Vienna Calvin K. Johnson Norfolk WASHINGTON Christopher Forzano Vancouver Joseph Reder Richland WISCONSIN Daniel Drumel Wind Lake Glenn Hall Madison Robert Meldman Milwaukee