FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin and IRS Commissioner Charles O. Rossotti today announced the members of the nation's first IRS citizen advocacy panel, to be based in the IRS South Florida district. The panel stems from recommendations of Vice President Al Gore's National Partnership for Reinvention task force which looked for ways to improve customer service at the IRS. The panel, which represents a cross-section of south Florida taxpayers, will provide area citizens with an independent monitoring of the quality of IRS customer service and make recommendations to improve that service.

"In May 1997, the National Partnership for Reinvention Task Force began examining the IRS customer service operation," Vice President Gore said today. "Thanks to the efforts of the NPR panel and thousands of dedicated IRS employees, tens of thousands of American taxpayers have already received better service including extended phone and walk-in hours and special Problem Solving Days. We have more work to do, but today we take another step in the right direction."

Secretary Rubin said, "The naming of the first citizen panel is an important step in our efforts to reform the IRS. We look forward to input from all of our citizen panels to help us build the IRS that the American people deserve."

The eleven private citizens on the Florida panel are: Christopher Bermejo and Ana Cruz of Hialeah; Clarke Dahlgren of Ft. Myers; Yanick Douyon, Alvin Malley and James Wright of Miami; Edward Gargiulo of Bradenton; Thomas Luken and William Norkunas of Ft. Lauderdale; Mary Sciortino of Cape Coral; and Barbara Willard of Alva. The South Florida district's taxpayer advocate, Maryellen Ledger, will also serve as a member of the panel.

The South Florida citizen panel's first public meeting will be in September. Area citizens interested in contacting the panel can reach it through a special toll-free number: 1-888-912-1CAP (1-888-912-1227).

"The IRS will benefit greatly from the fresh perspective of our service as seen through our customers' eyes," Commissioner Rossotti said. "The citizen panel will help us continue to make customer service a top priority at the IRS."

President Clinton announced last October the concept of the new, locally-based citizen panels whose mission is to provide citizen input into enhancing IRS customer service by identifying problems and making recommendations for improvement of IRS systems and procedures, and monitoring the progress toward improvement. The panel will also refer individual taxpayers to the appropriate IRS office for assistance in resolving their problems.

Four citizen panels nationwide are being established this year. In addition to the panel in Ft. Lauderdale, panels will be set up in Brooklyn, Milwaukee, and Seattle later in 1998.

The panel members were identified through an independent, structured application process, aimed at a balanced membership and representation of a cross-section of the taxpaying public within the South Florida district. Panel members will serve two-year terms; they will not be paid, but will be reimbursed for their travel expenses.