newjerseynewsroom.com

Sheri Silverstein named advocate

State Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff announced Tuesday that he has created the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate within the Treasury Department’s Division of Taxation.

Sidamon-Eristoff said the role of the taxpayer advocate will be to simplify New Jersey‘s tax regulations for the public and provide help in navigating the tax code.

“More predictable treatment under tax law is vital to restoring New Jersey’s image as a home for business growth and investment,” Gov. Chris Christie said in a statement. “Now, with the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate, we can both bring in revenue and improve New Jersey’s economic climate if we make it less difficult and stressful for taxpayers to navigate the tax system.”

Sidamon-Eristoff said the advocate will recommend changes in regulations in an attempt to eliminate problems that cause unnecessary expense and aggravation. The advocate also will attempt to help individuals and small businesses deal with difficult tax dilemmas.

Sheri Silverstein, a tax professional with 24 years of experience in the Division of Taxation, was named the advocate.

“The No. 1 mission of this experienced team is to resolve tax problems before they cause lasting economic harm,” Sidamon-Eristoff said. “Simplifying tax compliance is a proven way to increase revenue and fairness.”

Taxation Division Director Michael Bryan said Silverstein’s role won’t be limited to providing suggestions on how to improve laws and regulations. He said he will assign Silverstein to directly help in cases where average people and small businesses have exhausted all other methods for resolving complex tax dilemmas.

“Taxpayers whose cases are handed to the advocate will get the benefit of the experience and attention of some of the most seasoned tax professionals in the division,” Bryan said.

“When taxpayers reach out to us about lingering problems, we will listen,” Silverstein said. “We want to give every taxpayer a voice.”

Andrew Pratt, a Treasury Department spokesman, said no additional money is needed to finance the new office because existing staff is being used. He said there will be no new hires.

As he confronted a $10 billion 2010-11 budget deficit, Christie last year saved $4 million by eliminating the state Office of the Public Advocate, an agency also designed to help New Jerseyans.

Additional information about the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate can be found at: www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/ota/otainfo.shtml.

— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM