E-services continue to be a popular tool for tax practitioners, and the recent reduction in the filing requirement for access to e-services -- now reduced to only five returns filed per year -- has given more tax professionals the opportunity to use this suite of self-assisted applications. Future plans for additional e-services capabilities include a self-administered password reset and a natural language search. IRS officials also encouraged practitioners to make suggestions for other improvements.

"Keep asking," said Bert W. DuMars, director, Electronic Tax Administration, IRS. "Your feedback is valuable to us, if you keep asking, eServices and IRS.gov will continually improve."

"Undoubtedly, e-services provide us with a smarter way to do our business," said Beanna J. Whitlock, EA, CSA, executive director, National Society of Tax Professionals.

Issue resolution systems available from the IRS are administered by the Taxpayer Advocate Service, which operates independently of the IRS. There are two distinct options for issue resolution with the Taxpayer Advocate Service:

• Case advocacy, in which local taxpayer advocates work with the tax practitioner to resolve individual cases, usually involves cases with an economic burden (limited income under levy, for example) or a systemic burden (such as unusual processing delays).
• Systemic advocacy, which addresses larger problems reported to the IRS from multiple sources, has an Internet-based system in place for reporting systemic problems.

"When in doubt, you can always contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service and interact with the case advocates," said Matthew A. Weir, director of advocacy projects, Systemic Advocacy, National Taxpayer Service, IRS.

Panelists noted that the IRS has ramped up its small business outreach to include more partnerships with industry organizations, outreach events, new interaction options for small businesses on the IRS Web site, workshops, and local and nationwide phone forums.

"We know that we have to work to meet the different interaction needs, not only of our practitioners and stakeholders, but also of the small business community," said Beth Tucker, director, Communications, Liaison and Disclosure, Small Business/Self-Employed Division, IRS.

Tax practitioners on the panel agreed the different interaction options available from the IRS work very well for the tax professional community by addressing the three things tax professionals look for: access, service, and knowledge.

"This is really the unsung hero -- outreach and education," said Benson S. Goldstein, technical manager -- taxation, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. "These are really great products and services for tax professionals."

In a special segment of the Webcast, Cynthia Vanderpool, senior manager, Chief of Stakeholder Relations, Office of National Public Liaison, IRS, provided information on the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council (IRSAC) and the Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee (IRPAC), which are both currently accepting applications for new appointees.

IRSAC focuses on tax administration and includes individuals from the practitioner community such as certified public accountants, enrolled agents, attorneys, and accountants. IRPAC focuses on issues related to information reporting, and the committee includes tax professionals from payroll companies, banks, and other organizations that have information reporting responsibilities.

Once an application is filed, the IRS conducts tax and background checks before recommending candidates for either group, what Vanderpool called "a very lengthy process."

A full transcript of this month's Webcast, "We're Working for You!" can be accessed at: http://www.taxtalktoday.tv/index.cfm?page=5.71.

Tax Talk Today is sponsored by the IRS. The next Webcast, "IRS Efforts to Enhance Compliance," will be Tuesday, June 12, at 2:00 ET.