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IRS Appeals Is Keeping Videoconference Option

By: Caitlyn Mullaney

 

Taxpayers will continue to have the ability to resolve their disputes through videoconferences with IRS Appeals, an option that was initially necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

“A video conference allows taxpayers to be both seen and heard, and to visually share documents without going to an Appeals office,” the IRS said in an August 18 release.

 

The agency explained that as the IRS Independent Office of Appeals resumes in-person conferences, it will continue to offer videoconferences as an option to taxpayers and tax professionals. Appeals is working on permanent guidelines for conducting the videoconferences and is seeking public input by November 16. 

 

“We're still seeing a wide variance in the virtual meeting participants and optimizing the experience. That's why I think what Appeals is doing with this announcement and soliciting comments and input . . . [is] a really huge step forward,” William Colgin of Holland & Hart LLP told Tax Notes. Colgin said he thinks virtual meetings are “here to stay . . . at least in some respects.”

 

“I just think it’s great. It has made me and my team remarkably much more efficient, much more able to better serve taxpayers, and much more in a position to help Appeals officers get these files most efficiently closed,” John R. Dundon II of Taxpayer Advocacy Services Inc. told Tax Notes. “I think it's been a game changer.” 

 

Dundon noted that the videoconference option has also provided his firm with the benefit of an expanded client service area.

 

“Most important is our team’s ability now to serve U.S. taxpayers pretty much all over the planet without having to get the file moved to a different jurisdiction. So that to me has been instrumental in our practice,” he said.

 

A common theme among taxpayers and tax professionals is the need to keep technical requirements for videoconferences to a minimum to avoid excluding taxpayers who face challenges with technology.

 

Colgin also brought up a concern about the internet connectivity required for the videoconferences.

 

“I've noticed, with a lot of government folks working at home, the internet access has been a significant issue,” Colgin said. “That’s something that Appeals is going to have to grapple with as they roll this out going forward.”

Company Tax Notes
Category FREE CONTENT;ARTICLE / WHITEPAPER
Intended Audience CPA - small firm
CPA - medium firm
CPA - large firm
Published Date 08/19/2022

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Tax Notes is the first source of essential daily news, analysis, and commentary for tax professionals whose success depends on being trusted for their expertise.

Tax Notes is a portfolio of publications offered by Tax Analysts, a nonprofit tax publisher. It provides comprehensive and impartial coverage of tax news, while its commentary contributes important voices to the discussion and understanding of tax policy.

Founded in 1970, Tax Analysts was created to foster free, open, and informed discussion about taxation. In 1972 Tax Analysts published Tax Notes Federal, its first weekly journal, featuring news, commentary, and analysis on federal taxation. In 1989 Tax Analysts added Tax Notes International, a weekly magazine focused on international taxation. Tax Notes State rounded out the weekly portfolio in 1991. Each magazine offers best-in-class tax commentary and analysis on the latest changes in tax law and policy, as well as on court opinions, legislative action, and revenue rulings.

Tax Notes has continued to innovate through the years, adding the online daily news services Tax Notes Today FederalTax Notes Today International, and Tax Notes Today State between 1987 and 1991. Tax Notes also provides several research and reference tools, as well as specialized services focusing on exempt organizations, state tax audit guidance, and international tax treaties.