You don’t usually see “Internal Revenue Service” and “cutting edge” in the same sentence. But the agency is definitely going high-tech.

A 2001 U.S. Department of Education study said that nearly three million Americans are enrolled in distance education courses, and the number is growing. Even the IRS is using it to teach.

Three years ago, the agency launched a monthly live Internet broadcast called Tax Talk Today®. The debut program, in January 2001, was titled, “Working with the IRS – Who to Call for What.” Fresh out of the gates, the program drew in 4,400 viewers. Today, the broadcast draws in about 1,500 new “fans” every month.

Tax Talk Today provides an outlet for IRS executives and tax practitioners to exchange information and experiences. The agency educates; in return, it learns by gaining feedback from tax professionals on practices within the tax community and the comprehension of IRS forms. Viewers benefit by being among the first to learn about IRS changes and how to avoid common practitioner mistakes.

What’s more, explanations of new rules and other changes come directly from the IRS executives who created the changes. After an open discussion, panelists answer e-mailed, faxed or phoned-in viewer questions about the show’s topic. If a viewer’s question is not answered on the air, an answer is posted on the Tax Talk Today site shortly after the program.

CPAs make up the largest percentage of Tax Talk Today viewers, with Enrolled Agents close behind. Other viewers include tax attorneys, payroll professionals, return preparers, electronic returns officers and IRS employees.

While an average of 4,000 people watch live broadcasts, an average of 7,800 viewers watch archived broadcasts of Tax Talk Today. And, to simplify the learning process even further, written material discussed on the show can be found on the site’s “Resource” page.

A popular feature of the monthly broadcast is a poll of viewer opinions. The poll question, based on the show’s topic, is posted on the Tax Talk Today homepage prior to the broadcast and remains open until shortly after the program begins. Results are reported to the audience at the end of each show.

Tax Talk Today has covered a wide spectrum of tax issues. In the last three years, some of the most popular topics have included: Preview of 2004 Tax Filing Season (drawing nearly 19,000 viewings in two weeks), Executive Compensation, What Business Entity Are You? Oh, The Difference It Makes!, The Wonderful World of Withholding, The Earned Income Tax Credit: Do's and Don'ts, Advising Clients on Retirement Plans, Your e-future Made EASY, and New Research Credit Regs: DON'T MISS OUT.

For more information about Tax Talk Today, visit www.TaxTalkToday.TV.

About the Author

Ellen Murphy is the Internal Revenue Service’s area director of the Small Business Self-Employed Division. Ellen Murphy is responsible for helping small business taxpayers and the tax professionals who represent them stay up to date with the changes in Federal tax and IRS procedures. Her area covers the eleven states from Maine to Maryland representing 40,000 tax practitioners and more than seven million business returns.

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