{"id":575,"date":"2021-09-08T16:36:49","date_gmt":"2021-09-08T20:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communicator.stage.pef.org\/?p=575"},"modified":"2021-09-09T09:12:14","modified_gmt":"2021-09-09T13:12:14","slug":"pef-members-resolve-tax-issues-protect-taxpayers-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-39-no-7\/pef-members-resolve-tax-issues-protect-taxpayers-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"PEF members resolve tax issues, protect taxpayers\u2019 rights"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"For most New Yorkers, tax time is a part of life that comes and goes without a hitch \u2013 they get their wage statements and assorted paperwork, file their returns and get on with their lives until next year.<\/p>\n

For some people, however, problems arise beyond run-of-the-mill return issues and when these taxpayers exhaust all the usual administrative resources looking for a solution, the Office of the Taxpayers Rights Advocate comes in and shines.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here to answer peoples\u2019 complaints or work with them on their issues,\u201d said 15-year PEF member Chris Meislahn, director of the Office of the Taxpayers Rights Advocate. \u201cWe try to explain the situation in a manner that they can understand. We also work within the department to ensure that taxpayers\u2019 rights are always followed and that everyone adheres to policies and procedures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Established in 2009, the Office of the Taxpayers Rights Advocate is \u201ca place for taxpayers to receive an independent review of their tax situation while promoting and upholding the department\u2019s mission of fair and equitable application of the tax laws.\u201d<\/p>\n

The PEF members who make up Meislahn\u2019s five-person team have to be well versed in all aspects of tax law, especially the four main categories \u2013 personal income tax, corporate tax, withholding tax and sales tax.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are numerous other taxes out there that we do handle,\u201d Meislahn said. \u201cWe have to know them all or know where to get the answer. We have contacts in the department with people who know every tax type and we can go to them with questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

On an average day, PEF members respond to clients who filed a Request for Assistance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe get about 1,200 a year,\u201d Meislahn said. \u201cStaff reviews the situation, looks at the taxpayer\u2019s history and considers what help they are requesting. We have had every type of taxpayer request assistance, from a taxpayer who makes very little money, to people who make tens of millions, all the way to Fortune 500 companies. We try to keep them on the same page and make sure everyone is treated equally and fairly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sometimes the problems the office fields affect more than just an individual and are a systemic problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we see it\u2019s not just one taxpayer, we can work with the unit on how we can help all these taxpayers with the same issue,\u201d Meislahn said. \u201cIs it something in the language of our letters? Is there something that we\u2019re missing? There are 26 million returns a year, of course there will be problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

With systemic issues, the staff participates on department policy committees, lobbies legislators on taxpayer issues, and proposes legislation to improve the process. They also educate the public on department policies, processes and procedures.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very rewarding being able to see someone come in with a problem, not know what the issue is, and being able to work to identify the problem and help resolve it,\u201d Meislahn said. \u201cTaxes are not something people like talking about. People get antsy at tax time. It\u2019s something you have to do and there is a big benefit. Governments run on taxes. We need to ensure we\u2019re collecting but we don\u2019t want anyone to overpay either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meislahn said the stigma attached to \u201ctax time\u201d is understandable, but the department is dedicated to making the process understandable and fair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think as a whole the tax department is there to try and do the right thing,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes people just need a little bit of extra help. That is what we\u2019re trying to do, be an avenue for people to come with odd situations, who don\u2019t fall into the structured world that we have. We are a very automated department with millions of returns and refunds. Sometimes there\u2019s a curveball.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For most New Yorkers, tax time is a part of life that comes and goes without a hitch \u2013 they get their wage statements and assorted paperwork, file their returns…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"division":[],"allowed_regions":[],"allowed_divisions":[],"class_list":["post-575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","issue-volume-39-no-7"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPEF members resolve tax issues, protect taxpayers\u2019 rights - PEF Communicator<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-39-no-7\/pef-members-resolve-tax-issues-protect-taxpayers-rights\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PEF members resolve tax issues, protect taxpayers\u2019 rights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For most New Yorkers, tax time is a part of life that comes and goes without a hitch \u2013 they get their wage statements and assorted paperwork, file their returns...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-39-no-7\/pef-members-resolve-tax-issues-protect-taxpayers-rights\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PEF Communicator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-08T20:36:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-09-09T13:12:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/09\/Tax.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ccanham\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ccanham\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-39-no-7\\\/pef-members-resolve-tax-issues-protect-taxpayers-rights\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-39-no-7\\\/pef-members-resolve-tax-issues-protect-taxpayers-rights\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ccanham\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0677b03b1fcdadfe00f4e905b97b90e4\"},\"headline\":\"PEF members resolve tax issues, protect taxpayers\u2019 rights\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-08T20:36:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-09T13:12:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-39-no-7\\\/pef-members-resolve-tax-issues-protect-taxpayers-rights\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":641,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-39-no-7\\\/pef-members-resolve-tax-issues-protect-taxpayers-rights\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/Tax.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-39-no-7\\\/pef-members-resolve-tax-issues-protect-taxpayers-rights\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-39-no-7\\\/pef-members-resolve-tax-issues-protect-taxpayers-rights\\\/\",\"name\":\"PEF members resolve tax issues, protect taxpayers\u2019 rights - 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