A longstanding proposal by New Jersey State Senator Diane Allen (R- Burlington) to create an office within the Treasury Department to improve customer service for taxpayers and streamline compliance issues has been approved by the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism, and Historic Preservation Committee.
S-1187 establishes the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate, a position appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate that would bear responsibility for improving taxpayers' experience in dealing with Treasury's Division of Taxation and make recommendations to improve tax law so as to ease compliance problems for businesses and individuals.
"The Christie Administration 'gets it' when it comes to easing the burden on taxpayers and improving their interactions with state government, but previous governors have not always been so accommodating to their needs," said Allen. "I submitted this legislation when Jon Corzine was governor because the myriad of tax and fee hikes that had been instituted last decade caused not only a financial hardship on taxpayers, but a bureaucratic nightmare when problems or disputes arose."
Allen said that the Taxpayer Advocate would be an office in, but not of, the Department of Treasury that reports directly to the Governor. The Advocate would be empowered to issue orders to the Division of Taxation and the Department of Revenue to take specific action in order to assist taxpayers who face significant hardship resulting from the administration of tax law.
Significant hardship is defined by the legislation as arising from a deficiency in the law or administrative procedures, rather than personal inconvenience or economic hardship.
"Taxpayers need someone on their side when navigating the complexities of government and the law," Allen said. "This position will be empowered to help individuals and businesses cut through red tape and bureaucratic hurdles when a significant tax problem arises through no fault of his or her own."
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