Tax Appeals Assistance Program update August 2019 Tax News

As previously mentioned in our January issue of Tax News, the Taxpayers’ Rights Advocate Office at the FTB began administering the franchise and income tax portion of the Tax Appeals Assistance Program (TAAP). 

TAAP offers free legal assistance to eligible taxpayers of limited means who have filed an appeal with the Office of Tax Appeals (OTA) on an action taken by the FTB, where the amount in dispute or the refund being claimed is less than $30,000.

We are able to provide this valuable service by partnering with several California law schools throughout the state. Law students, supervised by an experienced TAAP tax attorney, help taxpayers during the appeals process by researching issues, drafting briefs, providing advice and guidance, and representing appellants at pre-hearing conferences and oral hearings before the OTA.

We have detailed information about TAAP on our website and how to contact us, if you feel this may be a viable option for your client.

The FTB has administered TAAP for over six months now and we wanted to give you a brief update on what we have done so far in this important program. As of June 30, 2019, TAAP has had 35 law students participate in the program, helped resolve 60 appeals cases, and represented two taxpayers at oral hearings in front of the OTA in Los Angeles and in Sacramento. We are also available to represent clients who reside outside of California as well.