The Internal Revenue Service will open the doors to dozens of its Taxpayer Assistance Centers across the country this coming Saturday, July 16, 2011, to answer taxpayer questions and provide help with tax filing issues.
The Milwaukee IRS office at 211 W. Wisconsin Avenue will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of the Open House.
This special event is particularly intended for people who want to make a “fresh start” by taking steps to have liens withdrawn. It also provides an opportunity to those who cannot visit an IRS walk-in office during regular weekday hours to speak with IRS personnel about their tax issues.
“We’ve made changes to our collection processes and federal tax lien system to help taxpayers who may be facing tough times and federal tax problems get a ‘fresh start’ with the IRS,” said Christopher Miller, IRS spokesman for Wisconsin.
A total of 74 Taxpayer Assistance Centers will be open in 34 states, Washington , D.C. and Puerto Rico from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. Taxpayers can find participating offices by visiting the Saturday Service Locations page on IRS. gov.
“Sometimes taxpayers need one-on-one assistance with their tax issues,” IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said. “Our goal at these open houses is to provide that and help taxpayers move their issues toward resolution.”
At the last two open houses, IRS personnel helped more than 16,000 taxpayers.
Services Available
The IRS recently adjusted its policies concerning liens by allowing for the withdrawal of a lien when a taxpayer enters into a direct debit installment agreement, which is essentially a special type of electronic payment agreement with the IRS.
In addition to helping taxpayers with liens, the Taxpayer Assistance Centers will offer the same range of services at the open house that they do during regular weekday hours. For example, taxpayers will be able to arrange or make account payments, inquire about letters, notices or levies on wages or bank accounts, request copies of tax returns or transcripts and find answers to tax law questions. Multilingual assistance will be available.
No appointments are available for the Saturday open house. Service will be provided on a first come, first served basis.
