MAC instructor appointed to nationwide Taxpayer Advocacy Panel

The Treasury Department and IRS recently announced 26 new members to serve on the nationwide Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP), one of whom is Stephanie Campbell, Mineral Area College associate professor of economics.

The Treasury Department and IRS selected 26 new TAP members to join 51 returning members, for a total of 77 volunteers serving on the 2013 Panel. These new members were selected from almost 400 applicants, or a pool of previously approved alternates, on Nov. 26, 2012.

TAP members help the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) identify ways to improve customer service and satisfaction. Members focus on specific taxpayer issues through project and joint committee work and provide direct input to the IRS on new and existing IRS programs and initiatives. They represent diverse experiences, training, backgrounds and interests.

Campbell lives in Farmington and will represent the state of Missouri, will work with new volunteers from places all over the U.S., such as Keaau, Hawaii; Las Cruces, NM; Austin, Texas; Rochester, NY; Huntington, WVa. She is available to speak at community groups’ meetings and said she is looking forward to hearing ideas from Missourians on ways to improve the IRS. She can be reached via email, TAP_Missouri@live.com.

Campbell became aware of the advocacy panel and applied to join after working with the free tax programs offered each year at East Missouri Action Agency in St. Francois County.

“VITA and TCE, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs, helped make me aware of how difficult tax preparation can be for taxpayers,” she said.

As a TAP member, she serves on the Communications Committee, which is dedicated to improving all types of communications between the IRS and the taxpayer and is on a subcommittee that is examining the viability of adding a chat feature to the IRS website.

TAP members selected Richard Bilancia of Loveland, Colo., as 2013 national chair of the Panel. Bilancia was the 2012 chair of the SB/SE Decreasing Non-Filers Project Committee and is entering his third and final year on the panel. Members also selected Colleen Hitchcock, from Lacey, Wa., as 2013 national vice-chair. Hitchcock, also a third-year member, served as the 2012 chair of the Toll-Free Project Committee.

Key Words: Mineral Area College  Treasury Department  IRS  Stephanie Campbell  Taxpayer Advocacy Panel