IRTA
Board Member Selected For IRS Advisory Group
The International Reciprocal Trade Association is proud to announce
that board member and secretary, Ron Whitney of Barter Network Inc.
in Chadds Ford (PA), was recently appointed to serve on the
Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee. IRPAC is a group
appointed by the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
that advises the IRS on information reporting issues of mutual
concern to the private sector and the federal government.
Whitney has been a long time advocate of addressing the
applicability of IRS�s current back-up withholding requirements for
missing or incorrect SSNs/TINS and B-Notice letters that are placed
on the commercial barter industry.
He achieved a personal business triumph when he received an
abatement letter in March of 2005 from a tax specialist with the IRS
which agreed with his assertion that it is impossible for a barter
exchange to comply with Publication 1281 backup withholding
requirements.
Whitney was named the liaison for IRTA�s involvement in the IRS
Partnership Outreach Program in 2006. In January that year he
attended the IRS Stakeholders Reception in Washington (DC),
presenting a position paper on the back-up withholding/B-Notice
issue and its negative effect on the barter industry.
The position paper asserted that trade exchanges should be excluded
from having to send Publication 1281 B-Notice back-up withholding
letters to barter clients as a matter of fact and law. The
Stakeholder Reception allowed Ron to meet and talk with IRS
Commissioner Mark Everson, Small Business Commissioner Kevin Brown,
Chief �E� Officer Phyllis Grimes, and key members of IRPAC.
In April of 2006, IRTA received an invitation to nominate an
individual to serve on the 2007 IRPAC, and chose to nominate Ron
Whitney. Krista Vardabash, IRTA Executive Director enthused, �I was
pleased that Ron agreed to go through the rigorous selection process
that the IRS demands of IRPAC candidates.
�IRTA is fortunate to have such a committed member, and certainly
the industry stands to benefit from having a knowledgeable exchange
owner working side-by-side with the IRS and other professionals from
various sectors.�
About his appointment as member of IRPAC, Whitney reflected �I�m
honored to be selected to serve on IRPAC. I hope I can make a
difference for small businesses in general, and the barter industry
in specific.�
About IRPAC:
The Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee is composed of
twenty-three members who represent various segments of the IRP
community, from major national professional and trade associations
to state tax agencies.
The Committee, divided into four subcommittees that align with the
IRS Operating Divisions, works with IRS executives and the
commissioner to provide recommendations on a wide range of
information-reporting administration issues.
Membership is balanced to include representation from the taxpaying
public, the tax professional community, and small and large
businesses, state tax administration, and the payroll community.
Contact Krista Vardabash at (585) 424-2940 for more information.
