Return Preparer Forum

IRS News Release IR-2009-74 , August 17, 2009.

[ Code Sec. 7701]


Tax return preparers: Standards. --

The IRS will hold its second in a series of public forums to discuss standards for paid tax return preparers on September 2 at the IRS headquarters in Washington, D.C. The forum focuses on government agencies, and will feature a panel that includes representatives from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) the U.S. Governmental Accountability Office (GAO), and the states of California, Maryland, Oregon and New York. Persons who are interested in attending should confirm attendance by sending an e-mail message to CL.NPL.Communications@irs.gov.




The Internal Revenue Service announced the second in a series of public forums will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 2, in Washington, D.C., and feature a panel of federal and state officials, moderated by IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman.

The panel will include representatives from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and the U.S. Governmental Accountability Office (GAO). Representatives from the states of California, Maryland, Oregon and New York will also participate on the panel.

Shulman announced a far-reaching review of paid preparers on June 4 to produce a comprehensive set of recommendations by the end of this year to boost taxpayer compliance and strengthen industry standards.

"This is the next important step in our open dialogue with interested parties in this effort," Shulman said. "I'm very pleased with the quality of the feedback we've received so far. I'm confident these forums will ensure that all ideas are on the table when it's time to form our recommendations."

The forum will convene at 9 a.m. ET in the IRS Headquarters at 1111 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20224. Anyone interested in attending should confirm attendance by sending an e-mail message to CL.NPL.Communications@irs.gov.

The first public forum was held on July 30 in Washington, D.C., and featured a panel of consumer groups and another panel of tax professional organizations. A third forum will be held in Chicago on Sept. 30 featuring independent return preparers and software industry representatives.

The IRS issued Notice 2009-60 on July 24 as an added call for public comments to ensure that all interested individuals and entities have the opportunity to contribute ideas.

Written comments must be received by Aug. 31, 2009. They should be submitted to CCPA:LPD:PR ( Notice 2009-60), Room 5203, Internal Revenue Service, P.O. Box 7604, Ben Franklin Station, Washington, D.C. 20044.

Comments may also be e-mailed to Notice.Comments@irscounsel.treas.gov. Please include "Notice 2009-60" in the subject line of any e-mail messages. More details can be found in the notice.



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COMMENT:

I believe the standards under consideration are those requiring registration, CLE but not anything tecyhnical.

Any strong opinions on that subject can be uploaded here.