It is just a few months away, that dreaded time of year when people stay awake all hours of the night working, fretting about their income taxes.
And although the stress and worry over taxes may never be fully abolished, there is an alternative to crying, screaming or throwing the papers out.
Why not try expressing your opinion to the Internal Revenue Service?
You can do just that by contacting Gary Lundberg, Carlsbad's own member of the Taxpayer's Advocacy Panel (TAP).
"(Taxes are) a subject that is near and dear to everyone, but it's not a topic that people talk about a lot," said Lundberg, who is a senior marketing manager at Modern Postcard in Carlsbad.
TAP was established in October 2002 under the Federal Advisory Committee Act as a way of improving IRS responsiveness to taxpayers needs. The panel lets citizens voice concerns in a participatory manner to improve the American tax system and the IRS.
Lundberg joined the panel in December 2006 after a rigorous selection process that included a paper application and multiple interviews. He joins 94 other TAP members across the nation.
"I used to work for TurboTax, and kind of got an exposure to taxpayer issues in that context," Lundberg said.
Although no longer working for TurboTax, Lundberg retained his interst in taxpayer issues.
"I still follow the industry out of curiosity; this is strictly sort of a hobby interest," Lundberg said.
Panel members volunteer from 300-500 hours a year on TAP-related activities, and serve a three-year term, Lundberg said. In addition to addressing citizens' concerns, the panelists meet once a year in Washington, D.C. and host meetings in their geographic areas.
One of the biggest issues TAP will take on in the upcoming year is decoding the taxpayer code, Lundberg said.
"The code is written by tax law experts; it tends to look a lot like legalese, its difficult for the layman," Lundberg said.
He views the main function of TAP to be empowering the citizen taxpayer to understand the tax process.
"I (would) like to see the IRS become a tax assistance entity, as well as a tax collection agency, it should be a clearly understood and easily navigable resource," Lundberg said.
And although the stress and worry over taxes may never be fully abolished, there is an alternative to crying, screaming or throwing the papers out.
Why not try expressing your opinion to the Internal Revenue Service?
You can do just that by contacting Gary Lundberg, Carlsbad's own member of the Taxpayer's Advocacy Panel (TAP).
"(Taxes are) a subject that is near and dear to everyone, but it's not a topic that people talk about a lot," said Lundberg, who is a senior marketing manager at Modern Postcard in Carlsbad.
TAP was established in October 2002 under the Federal Advisory Committee Act as a way of improving IRS responsiveness to taxpayers needs. The panel lets citizens voice concerns in a participatory manner to improve the American tax system and the IRS.
Lundberg joined the panel in December 2006 after a rigorous selection process that included a paper application and multiple interviews. He joins 94 other TAP members across the nation.
"I used to work for TurboTax, and kind of got an exposure to taxpayer issues in that context," Lundberg said.
Although no longer working for TurboTax, Lundberg retained his interst in taxpayer issues.
"I still follow the industry out of curiosity; this is strictly sort of a hobby interest," Lundberg said.
Panel members volunteer from 300-500 hours a year on TAP-related activities, and serve a three-year term, Lundberg said. In addition to addressing citizens' concerns, the panelists meet once a year in Washington, D.C. and host meetings in their geographic areas.
One of the biggest issues TAP will take on in the upcoming year is decoding the taxpayer code, Lundberg said.
"The code is written by tax law experts; it tends to look a lot like legalese, its difficult for the layman," Lundberg said.
He views the main function of TAP to be empowering the citizen taxpayer to understand the tax process.
"I (would) like to see the IRS become a tax assistance entity, as well as a tax collection agency, it should be a clearly understood and easily navigable resource," Lundberg said.