Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TAC) Committee
Teleconference Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Program Owners

• Toni Horton Program Analyst

Committee Members Present

• Capehart, Craig Dallas, TX Member
• Child-Tomie, Audrey Brick, NJ 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 Chair

Committee Members Absent

• Bohrer, Herbert Springfield, ID Member
• Conder, Dean Lakewood, CO Vice Chair
• Davis, Patricia Mitchellville, MD Member

TAP Staff

• Block, Roy Milwaukee, WI Program Analyst
• Smiley, Ellen Milwaukee, WI Program Analyst
• Gabriel, Lisa Milwaukee, WI Program Analyst

Guest

• Fett, Bob Burlington, VT Local Taxpayer Advocate

Welcome/Announcements/Review Agenda (Tommy Thompson)
Beth Braddock is on a detail for the next 60 days. Toni Horton, who is a Field Assistance Program Analyst, will be acting for Braddock during this time. Horton has been with the service for 18 years. She was a Revenue Agent for 11 years then worked in the Taxpayer Education Department before working in Field Assistance.

Roll Call (Lisa Gabriel)
Quorum met

Approval of Minutes (Tommy Thompson)
Minutes Approved

TAC Visits

Observation Review

New York City, NY
Capehart stated this TAC office is in a mid-rise building and there is airport like security to enter the building. The TAC is located on the 7th floor and a folding table outside the TAC had various literature on it. The first room you go in has shelves with publications and forms for self service. The TAC office is down a hallway and through another set of double doors. You wait in line until you are served. No one in line was reading the signs. The TAC had a seating area for about 150 people. Capehart noted the receptionist was very helpful and he had the opportunity to provide an outreach about TAP to the receptionist and the guard. The signs are the same signs we’ve seen everywhere, such as no food and no cell phone use. One cannot see the signs while waiting in line, only when sitting down in the waiting room. The manager commented the clients do not read the signs and was not enthusiastic about the idea of a talking poster. There is no television at this TAC, but one will be available in the near future. The thought of having IRS messages embedded in the program when commercials come on would be good. This particular TAC was downtown, but there is one in Harlem and one in Manhattan.

Lafayette, IN
Dave Monnier and Capehart visited this TAC together. You enter the TAC from the back of the building but signs in the front are clear and direct you to the back of the building. Monnier provided his observation and stated it was difficult to schedule a time to meet with the manager, as the manager is only there once a week. They had a chance to speak to the lead employee who said they are basically happy with the signs they have. The Q-Matic “now serving” sign was not working at the time. The sign stating “take no more than five copies” in the self service forms area was falling down.

• Identify common observations and concerns (Thompson)

It is apparent the signs are not being read and this committee needs to be creative on how to catch the attention of the taxpayers. Most taxpayers don’t care to read the signs as they are visiting the TAC to accomplish something else and are not interested in reading the signs.

Tommy Thompson inquired about homemade signs. One comment made was the only homemade sign read was one stating no public facilities were available.

Per Capehart the sign he observed the most was the “Catch a Break” sign. Audrey Child-Tomie agreed, and added about half the signs displayed are the no food or cell phone use signs. Capehart commented these are rules you need to know prior to your visit.

Thompson asked for comments about signs in another language. Child-Tomie indicated during her visit she spoke with a customer, and with the little English he knew and the little Spanish she knew, noted he didn’t understand the sign in Spanish. Perhaps it is a literacy issue and we need to keep in mind customers who cannot read. Roy Block added the high school drop out rate is about 25%, so it is very possible these customers cannot read.

Thompson advised the manager of a TAC he visited noted taxpayers who do not speak English generally have an interpreter with them even though the TACs do offer interpreters over the phone.

Bob Fett stated when he was a TAC manager they used the interpreter phone line at least once a month. Customers do bring translators with them, but the line was a useful tool.

Leggett stated the TAC he visited used Spanish the most of all the languages offered.

Ellen Smiley noted taxpayers may bring in their own interpreters because it’s a trust issue.

Smiley commented on Capehart’s report on the Poughkeepsie TAC requesting a sign asking customers to come back if they are not in line by 4:15 p.m. The Chicago TAC has such a sign and wondered if smaller TACs weren’t allowed to use this type of sign.

Next Steps (Thompson)

• Observation review for May
• Patricia Davis
• Louise McAulay
• Herb Bohrer

Program Owner Comments (Toni Horton)

• Over the Phone (OPI) Statistics

Toni Horton reviewed the OPI statistics emailed to the committee, which gives the top 25 languages used in 2008. Spanish is used 91% of the time. Horton noted Field Assistance and the IRS have expanded their language services to 175 different languages to help taxpayers meet their responsibilities. Field Assistance hopes to have more face to face accessibilities with taxpayers to help deal with literacy issues.

Bob Fett noted there is brochure which allows a taxpayer to point to the language they speak and also let’s the taxpayer know the interpreter service is free.

Child-Tomie inquired if these interpreter services have the conversations recorded to be able to go back and listen to the conversation for clarity.

Horton advised she will find out and let the committee know.

Office Updates
The Milwaukee office has been preparing for their Area 4 face-to-face meeting which took place last week in Chicago. Last year the TAC Committee was looking at the payment process in general and for truck drivers. Mary Jo Werner gave the TAC report to her local congressman who was interested in the Form 8109B, FTD Deposit Form process for all taxpayers. He recommended a proposal, which has been approved and is working its way through the senate.

The recruitment process ends this week and ranking the applications will take place the week of May 11, 2010. Thompson suggested to the panel members to embrace the opportunity to volunteer to interview these applicants when it comes to this step in the recruitment process.

Meeting Adjourned