NTA Archives - TAX CONTROVERSY 360

New Tax Appointments

by Kevin Spencer and McDermott Will & Emery | Feb 28, 2020 | Trial Courts, Uncategorized

This has been a busy week in the tax appointments world, with the appointment of the new National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA), the reappointment of Chief Judge Foley as Chief Judge of the United States Tax Court (Tax Court), and the confirmation of Travis Greaves to the Tax Court.

On February 27, 2020, the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced the appointment of Erin M. Collins as the new NTA. Ms. Collins fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Nina Olson last summer. Ms. Collins spent 20 years as a Managing Director for KPMG’s Tax Controversy Practices for the Western Area and was an IRS Chief Counsel attorney for 15 years.

On February 24, 2020, the Tax Court announced the re-election of Chief Judge Foley to a 2-year term starting June 1, 2020. Chief Judge Foley was originally elected as Chief Judge effective June 1, 2018.

Finally, the Senate confirmed Travis Greaves to be a Judge of the Tax Court for a 15-year term. For our prior post on Mr. Greaves’ nomination by the White House, see here. Two other nominees, Alina Ionescu and Christian Weiler, are currently awaiting action by the Senate Finance Committee.

Taxpayer Advocate Service: Not Just for Low-Income Taxpayers

by Editorial Team | Jun 27, 2019 | IRS Guidance, Uncategorized

We recently wrote an article for the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, ABA Tax Times, on the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS), explaining what TAS does and how it can be utilized by all types of taxpayers. The article can be reviewed here.

NTA Announces Date and Location for 4th International Conference on Taxpayer Rights

by McDermott Will & Emery | Oct 26, 2018 | Uncategorized

The National Taxpayer Advocate recently announced that the 4th International Conference on Taxpayer Rights will be held May 23 – 24, 2019, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The purpose of conference is to connect government officials, scholars and practitioners from around the world to explore how taxpayer rights globally serve as the foundation for effective tax administration. The theme for the 2019 conference will be the role of taxpayer rights in the digital age and the implications of the expanding digital environment for transparency, certainty and privacy in tax administration. Presentations and paper proposals on range of topics are being sought, and the deadline to submit a proposal is December 1, 2018.

Prior conferences have been held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Vienna, Austria and Washington, DC Conference. Archived materials for the prior conferences can be found here.

We previously attended and participated in the Amsterdam and Vienna conferences. For our posts on these conferences, see below:

Taxpayer Rights Around the World (July 19, 2018)
Taxpayer Bill of Rights: Another Tool for Taxpayers (March 13, 2018)
Taxpayer Rights Around the World (Follow-Up) (May 4, 2017)
Taxpayer Rights Around the World (Part 2) (March 23, 2017)
Taxpayer Rights Around the World (Part 1) (March 22, 2017)

National Taxpayer Advocate Releases 2017 Annual Report to Congress

by McDermott Will & Emery | Jan 12, 2018 | IRS Guidance, Uncategorized

On January 10, 2018, the National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) Nina E. Olson released her 2017 Annual Report to Congress. (For our coverage of the 2016 Annual Report, see here). The NTA also released the inaugural “Purple Book,” which “is a compendium of 50 legislative recommendations for strengthening taxpayer rights and improving tax administration that we and others have made over the years.” We will be reviewing the 2017 Annual Report and the Purple Book in the coming days for items of interest.

Practice Point: The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS), an independent organization within the IRS, is an excellent (and often underutilized) resource for individual and corporate taxpayers who may be at a standstill with the Internal Revenue Service—especially on a technical, administrative or “red-tape” issue. Taxpayers of all shapes and sizes should consider, where appropriate, utilizing the TAS in appropriate circumstances where they are encountering delays in the administration of their tax disputes