Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TAC) Committee
Teleconference Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Program Owners

• Beth Braddock - Program Analyst

Committee Members Present

• Bohrer, Herbert - Springfield, ID - Member
• Capehart, Craig - Dallas, TX - Member
• Child-Tomie, Audrey - Brick, NJ - Member
• Conder, Dean - Lakewood, CO - Member
• Davis, Patricia - Mitchellville, MD - Member
• Eik, Nancy - Missoula, MT - Member
• Fretheim, Daniel - Decorah, IA - Member
• Leggett, John - Canterbury, NH - Member
• McAulay, Louise - Florence, SC - Member
• Monnier, David - Indianapolis, IN - Member
• O’Neill, Patricia - San Jose, CA - Member
• Spiotto, Ann - Lincolnwood, IL - Member
• Thompson, Tommy - Southaven, MS - Member

TAP Staff

• Block, Roy - Milwaukee, WI - Manager
• Smiley, Ellen - Milwaukee, WI - Program Analyst
• Robb, Patti - Milwaukee, WI - Program Analyst
• Gabriel, Lisa - Milwaukee, WI - Secretary

Welcome/Announcements/Review Agenda (Tommy Thompson)

Roll Call (Lisa Gabriel)
Quorum met

Approval of Minutes (Tommy Thompson)
Minutes approved

Tommy Thompson verified with Beth Braddock the larger Taxpayer Assistant Centers (TAC) have the ability to show a video. However they are not attached to a computer. Monitors are hooked up to a DVD player or to cable.

Patricia Davis stated she was unable to find the electronic signs that were emailed.
ACTION ITEM: Smiley will resend the files to Davis.

Thompson noted some of the documents sent via email have been going to his spam folder. Davis and McAulay both expressed having trouble opening some of the documents which are sent.

TAC Visits

• Observation Review (Monnier/Capehart)
• Identify common observations and concerns (Thompson)

Dave Monnier advised he and Craig Capehart went to visit the Fort Wayne, Indiana TAC. Monnier stated everyone should have had the chance to read the report of the TAC visit and asked if there were any questions. Some of the highlights of the report were brought up by the panel members. Specifically, there were no signs directing you to the TAC. For future observations, view signage on the exterior of the facility as well as inside the TAC. Monnier noted sometimes signs are painted on parking lot pavement and at the Fort Wayne TAC, it would be good to have a sign painted on the pavement saying IRS is in the back. There isn’t even a sign on the door indicating this is the TAC. Capehart added unless you have been to this TAC before it was not easy to locate. Thompson noted that on page two of the report the TAC Manager stated the fewer the signs the better, and fewer words on the signs. John Leggett brought up the fact we are saturated with signs in the employment world and no one reads them as there are too many. Thompson also noted it is too late to have the sign posted in the TAC which reads “exact change required”, as the taxpayer is already there with their money and not necessarily with exact change. A good observation brought up by Capehart was all signs are bilingual except the Q-Matic. Further discussion took place about the operation of the Fort Wayne office outside of the direct signage observations. Dean Conder noted that our project includes communication overall and not just signage.

Capehart and Monnier both visited the Indianapolis, Indiana TAC as well as the Fort Wayne TAC. Capehart explained this TAC is a secured federal building and everyone goes through a security checkpoint process. The only way to gain entrance is to have valid photo identification. If you don’t have and ID, then you don’t get access. Capehart stated the office sign identifying the TAC was very professional looking. The other mandated posters are posted on two different walls, and unfortunately the way the waiting area is set up, those signs are behind the taxpayers. The Manager noted they don’t get questions about the signs. The Indianapolis TAC is a very professional looking office but some of the posters look cheap and out of character with the rest of the building. Capehart stated he thinks the gun and knife sign is worthless since you go through security to get into the building. He also stated that since the visit took place shortly before Valentine’s Day the office was nicely decorated for the occasion.
ACTION ITEM: Panel Members please send your completed TAC Visit Reports to Smiley, who will ensure they are provided to the committee as pre-reads.

Next Steps (Thompson)

• Observation review for March and April

If you have not made your TAC Visit appointment yet, please schedule it and let Smiley know the appointment date.

Video Ideas (Thompson)

• Script 1 original video
• Script 2 short follow up video

We will be working on the scripts and modifying them as needed to provide the best communication to taxpayers who come to the TACs in order to relay the information they need to know.

Talking Poster/ Poster Ideas

• Ideas

A discussion took place about the article on BBC News regarding talking posters which was sent with pre-reads for the meeting. The article is about a video screen attached to a computer and instead of seeing a solid poster; you see a poster that talks to you. We may want to look at talking posters for the TACs. Louise McAulay noted a talking poster may be good for those with literacy issues. Davis stated this is a good way to also reach the young taxpayers. Thompson feels a talking poster would be good as they could have someone doing sign language for those taxpayers who are hearing impaired. Herb Bohrer inquired if this in an opportunity for us to work with the Communications Committee and find out what message(s) IRS needs to be communicating. Block noted this isn’t really the scope or purpose of the TAP Communication Committee. Thompson said our purpose is to suggest what to do with the signage, and also work with the communication methods in the TACs. Braddock is trying to find out the budget and how much of the printing budget is for signs. This discussion will continue for next month and Smiley will include it on the agenda.

Program Owner Comments (Beth Braddock)
Braddock noted the information on the posters is the same information provided on the IRS website, however not everyone will look at the site and not everyone has access to a computer. If a taxpayer is not able to get into a TAC office, they can call the 1040 toll free line to get an answer.

Office Updates (Roy Block)
Smiley had emailed information about a pilot program in larger TACs allowing taxpayers to schedule appointments for tax preparation online. This is a result of the 2008 TAC Committee Report.

The Milwaukee office will be interviewing for a new secretary soon.

We are also trying to draw conclusion about last years report to get truckers to electronically file Form 2290, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return. There are ten websites that allow e-filing of Form 2290 and one of the pre-reads was a draft poster addressing this fact.

Meeting Adjourned

Next Teleconference is Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 1:00 pm CST