Taxpayer Advocacy Panel
7/10/2019
For the last three years, William E. Mason—a shareholder and member of Kennerly Montgomery’s Employee Benefits and Tax-Exempt Organizations practice areas—has voluntarily served on the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP). This panel consists of six different committees that work with the IRS to “listen to taxpayers, identify issues, and make suggestions for improving IRS service and satisfaction.”
Specifically, Mason started as a member of the Special Projects Committee in 2016, and then he served on the Tax Forms and Publications Committee, first as a member in 2017, and then as chair in 2018. In 2018 under Mason’s leadership, this committee accounted for 72% of TAP’s recommendations to the IRS. Two of their specific focuses, per the TAP 2018 Annual Report, were:
- “reviewing and conforming selected forms and publications to changes resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”
- “improving and clarifying tax guidance to military taxpayers.”
Mason originally accepted the position in 2016 because “TAP provides an outside prospective to the IRS, emphasizing the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. TAP has triggered useful systemic change in the fair and effective administration of the Nation’s voluntary tax system. I want to make a similar contribution on the behalf of Tennessee taxpayers.”
Over the course of his three years serving on the Panel, Mason had a hand in making 405 recommendations to the IRS on the behalf of local and national taxpayers, seeing on average 41% of them accepted in full or partial capacity.
Does your business or organization have any problems with the IRS? Has ACA compliance left wrinkles in your employee benefit plan? Do you have any questions about retirement or pension plans in relation to your field of business? Are the legal issues surrounding the world of non-profits leaving you confused? Don’t hesitate to contact Mason and the team at (865) 546-7311 or wemason@kmfpc.com.