WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service today announced the selection of six new members of the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC). The Treasury Department and the IRS Commissioner have approved the new members to serve a three-year term beginning November 2007 and ending in November 2010.

ETAAC serves as a public forum for discussion of electronic tax administration issues and supports the goal of increasing electronic interactions between tax professionals and the IRS.

“The IRS is pleased with the continued support of the ETAAC group,” said David R. Williams, director, IRS Electronic Tax Administration and Refundable Credits. “ETAAC supports the goal of electronic tax administration by encouraging taxpayers to transact and communicate electronically with the IRS.”

The new members are:

• Grant DeMeritte, Silver Spring, Md. DeMeritte is a certified public accountant and the tax compliance manager for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. DeMeritte e-files state employment tax returns, exempt organization returns and transmits information returns using the IRS Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE) System.
  
  
• Brian Digman, Albany, N.Y. Digman is the chief information officer at the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Digman is responsible for operating technology systems, overseeing applications development, establishing technology policies and leading strategic planning.
  
  
• Susan Gaston, Kansas City, Mo. Gaston is a CPA and is currently the Director of Industry Operations for H&R Block. Gaston is the liaison between H&R Block and the IRS/states electronic tax administration departments. She is also engaged in operational and compliance issues with regard to the IRS, e-file and tax preparation.
  
  
• Roberto Jimenez-Ortiz, Woodbridge, Va. Jimenez-Ortiz is an advisor to the World Bank in Washington, D.C., and a seasonal tax professional with H&R Block. Jimenez-Ortiz has more than 20 years of professional experience with international financial issues and has designed strategic plans for the Hispanic community.
  
  
• William B. Marshall, III, Shreveport, La. Marshall is an enrolled agent and a member manager of Marshall and Associates, LLC. Marshall has more than 10 years of experience in electronic filing. He is responsible for preparing more than 600 individual and business returns yearly.
  
  
• Ryan Snow, Roosevelt, Utah. Snow is a certified public accountant and the chief financial officer for Burdick Paving. Snow has a Masters of Business Administration. He is responsible for e-filing corporate tax returns and managing all financial aspects of the company.

Tim Hubbs, Franklin, N.C. Hubbs has agreed to serve as the chairman of ETAAC for 2007. Hubbs is president and CEO of Drake Software, a software provider to tax firms for preparing and e-filing tax returns. In 2007, Drake customers transmitted more than 7.2 million federally accepted income tax returns and more than 6.2 million state returns.

The ETAAC group provides input into the development and implementation of IRS strategy for electronic tax administration. Each June, the ETAAC submits an annual report to Congress reporting on the progress of IRS electronic tax initiatives.

ETAAC was created in 1998 by the IRS Electronic Tax Administration as required by the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998.