IRS Announces New Member for the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee

The following is a press release from the IRS:

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced the selection of seven new members and a chairman for the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC).

ETAAC provides an organized forum for discussion of electronic tax administration issues and supports the goal of increasing electronic interactions between tax professionals and the IRS.

“The IRS is pleased with the continued support of the ETAAC,” said Cecille M. Jones, deputy director, IRS Electronic Tax Administration and Refundable Credits. “ETAAC offers constructive observations and suggestions about current or proposed policies, programs and procedures.”

The new members will replace the outgoing members whose terms expired and will ensure continuity of the committee. The new members are:

Sean Brennan of Philadelphia, Pa., is president of Brennan and Associates. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) e-filing both individual and business tax returns. Brennan has been teaching accounting and taxes at the college level for the past 13 years.

Alice Burnett of Lawrenceville, Ga., is the owner of Burnett & Associates. Her consulting firm offers operational expertise regarding electronic payment options, and she worked on the implementation and operation of the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS).

Ned Drinker of Conshohocken, Pa., is the tax manager of Oberthur Technologies of America Corporation. He is responsible for preparing and e-filing corporate returns, managing federal and state audits, as well as implementing sales tax software.

Douglas Simon of Lincolnshire, Ill., is the president and founder of HS&A Payroll Services, Inc. He is responsible for a suite of payroll processing solutions. Simon works with a wide range of companies and oversees both tax filing and compliance operations.

David Sullivan of East Greenwich, R.I., is tax administrator for the Rhode Island Division of Taxation. He is responsible for creating the E-Government Unit to assist in enhancing and improving interaction with customers using new technologies.

T.J. Turner of Sarasota, Fla., is director of Income Tax Research for Vertex Inc. He is responsible for leading the software development and tax accuracy of Vertex’s corporate income tax product suite.

Harris Widmer of Fargo, N.D., is a CPA and a partner in Widmer Roel PC. He provides tax consulting, audit,, and financial planning services to a wide variety of businesses and individual clients.

Phil Poirier of San Diego, Calif., has been elected by the members to serve as Chairman of ETAAC for 2010-2011.  Poirier is vice president, Government, Consumer Division, at Intuit Inc. He is responsible for government initiatives relating to Intuit’s consumer tax and personal finance businesses (TurboTax, Quicken and Mint.com).

Each June, the ETAAC submits a report to Congress reporting on the progress of the IRS’ electronic tax initiatives.