FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: Cory Fong, Tax Commissioner 701.328.2770
Wednesday, April 21, 2006

NORTH DAKOTANS ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE IN IRS TOWN HALL MEETING

BISMARCK, N.D. – Tax Commissioner Cory Fong today encouraged North Dakotans to participate in an upcoming Town Hall Meeting hosted by the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP) and the National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 25th in Fargo at the Ramada Plaza Suites and Convention Center from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm CST.

“This is a unique opportunity for taxpayers to share their ideas and concerns about the IRS customer service,” said Fong. Fong added that Fargo is one of only eight Town Hall meetings scheduled nationwide. The open-forum style meetings are being held in eight locations across the country, including Philadelphia; San Diego; Cincinnati; Cranston, Rhode Island; Jackson, Mississippi; Davenport, Iowa; Kansas City, Missouri; and Fargo.

The events are open to the public and admission is free. The meeting will allow taxpayers a forum to talk about suggestions and concerns regarding IRS customer service practices.

Jack Morrell, North Dakota’s sole representative on the national Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, said, “These Town Hall meetings are a grassroots effort for the IRS to hear directly from the public on how to make the IRS a better agency for taxpayers to work with.”

Fong added, “Taxpayers will have a chance to offer comments and feedback directly to the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, and have a hand in driving change in the way the IRS delivers services to the public.”

The events will feature opening remarks from Taxpayer Advocacy Panel representatives and provide opportunities for taxpayers to offer ideas on future services as well as feedback and concerns about IRS customer service.

“This will also be a good opportunity for the Tax Department to gather information on how we might improve our service to North Dakota taxpayers,” said Fong.

For more information, Fong encourages individuals to visit the Tax Department web site at http://www.nd.gov/tax or the IRS web site at http://irs.gov.

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