Fed up with the Fed Down? How to Advise Taxpayers During the Government Shutdown 2019 | American Bar Association (ABA) | 28 January 2019 |

Our panel will discuss the impact of the government shutdown on the 2019 filing season and will offer best practices for working with taxpayers during the lapse in appropriations.

Exactly one year after the 2017 Tax Act was enacted, the IRS closed its doors because of a government shutdown. The 2019 filing season was already expected to be one of the most complex as a result of the significant changes to the law, but what additional challenges will taxpayers and their advisors face as a result of the shutdown? On top of that, how should taxpayers with outstanding tax issues navigate a furloughed IRS? Our panel will discuss those issues and more, and will offer best practices for working with taxpayers during the lapse in appropriations. In the event that the government reopens before the broadcast, our panel will discuss impacts to taxpayers and how its work may be prioritized. Topics will include:

• How the shutdown is affecting the Service’s issuance of notices;
• The ways taxpayers and representatives should consider reacting and responding to Service correspondence;
• The impact of the shutdown on applications for discretionary relief and IRS administrative services;
• The Service’s current collection efforts; and
• The impact on filings with the United States Tax Court.

2019 Speakers

Mary Slonina
Director, PwC LLP, Washington, DC

Jennifer Breen
Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Washington, DC

Bryan Camp
Professor of Law, Texas Tech University School of Law, Lubbock, TX

Rosemary Sereti
Managing Director, Deloitte Tax LLP, Washington, DC

Shamik Trivedi
Senior Manager, Grant Thornton LLP, Washington, DC