BUsiness briefcase
Washington, D.C.
IRS seeks volunteers for TAP
The Internal Revenue Service seeks civic-minded volunteers to serve on the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP), a federal advisory committee that listens to taxpayers, identifies key issues, and makes recommendations for improving IRS service.
“TAP members give the IRS insights from every corner of our nation, helping the agency in its continuous effort to improve tax administration,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman.
The TAP provides a forum for taxpayers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to raise concerns about IRS service and offer suggestions for improvement. The TAP reports annually to the Secretary of the Treasury, the IRS Commissioner and the National Taxpayer Advocate. The Office of the Taxpayer Advocate, an independent organization within the IRS, provides oversight of the TAP.
“In trying to comply with an increasingly complex tax system, taxpayers may find they need different services than the IRS is currently providing,” said Nina E. Olson, National Taxpayer Advocate. “The TAP is vital because it provides the IRS with the taxpayers’ perspective as well as recommendations for improvement. This will help the IRS deliver the best possible service to assist taxpayers in meeting their tax obligations.”
To be a member of the TAP you must be a U.S. citizen, current with your federal tax obligations, able to commit 300 to 500 hours during the year and able to pass an FBI criminal background check. New TAP members will serve a three-year term starting in December. If you’re chosen as an alternate member, you’ll be considered to fill any vacancies that open in your area during the next three years.
The TAP is seeking members in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Applications for the TAP will be accepted through April 27, 2012. Applications are available online at www.improveirs.org.
For additional information about the TAP or the application process, please call toll-free 888-912-1227.
Latrobe
College hosts personal finance program
“Game Changer: Behavioral Finance Changed the Way We Look at Investing,” will be the topic of Dr. Frank Murtha, managing director of Market Psych LLC, in the second presentation of the fourth annual Personal Financial Planning Lecture Series presented by the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government, at 7:30 p.m. April 12 in the Fred M. Rogers Center on the campus of St. Vincent College.
Moderator will be Dr. Nicholas Racculia, assistant professor of finance and fellow in economics and capitalism at Saint Vincent College.
Murtha is a managing director, consultant and frequent speaker about investor psychology and behavioral finance. He has consulted for the New York-based consulting firm RHR International Company where he performed corporate and executive evaluations and coaching. His clients there included investment banks, financial services companies and day trading firms where he has coached portfolio managers in reaching peak performance.
Murtha received his doctorate in counseling psychology from the State University of New York. His dissertation explored the effect of cognitive errors on gambling behavior. He holds a professorship at New York University and previously lectured at the Smeal College of Business Administration at Penn State.
Currently, Murtha is focusing on helping brokers cope with the fallout from recent market volatility – ranging from “analysis paralysis” to panic selling – and to build behaviors that will bring their performance and client relationships into the optimized zone. He has appeared numerous times on CNBC.
The series is a special public education series on current personal financial issues and concerns sponsored by the St. Vincent College Finance Club, a student organization dedicated to matters relating to personal financial planning, investment planning, investment theory and careers in finance.
Admission is free but pre-registration is requested by calling St. Vincent Event and Conference Services at 724-805-2177.
Clarksburg, W.Va.
SBA offers training workshop
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will provide training during the Dynamic Networking for Small Business (DyNet) conference in Fairmont April 4. The free day-long event begins at 9 a.m. at the Robert H. Mollohan Research Park, 1000 Galliher Drive in Fairmont.
SBA will offer workshops designed for small businesses in various stages of development: the new Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) contracting program; Government Contracting 101; Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Certification; obtaining contract bonding; speed networking/matchmaking; federal contractor certification processes; and more.
DyNet, sponsored by the I-79 Development Council, will provide opportunities for small businesses to receive the training needed to succeed in the government contracting arena and speak directly to federal agencies and prime contractors. The matchmaking event offers training from the basics of government contracting to specialized SBA certification programs.
In addition to the SBA, supporting organizations include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Pittsburgh and Huntington Districts), Northern WV Chapter of the National Contract Management Association, Regional Contracting Assistance Center, SCORE, and California University GACO/PTAC.
There will be no charge to attend the conference. For registration information, go online to www.charleston.score.org or call 304-680-7932.