The NTA leads the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS), an independent organization inside the IRS that helps taxpayers resolve problems. The NTA is recognized for her ongoing quest to make the IRS work better for all taxpayers, including her keen focus on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

Throughout her career, NTA Nina Olson has advocated for the rights of taxpayers – and for greater fairness and less complexity in the tax system. When she was appointed National Taxpayer Advocate in 2001, she began to use her Annual Report to Congress  as a vehicle for change. The  Annual Report to Congress, one of two reports the NTA is required by statute to deliver each year, outlines the most serious problems facing U.S. taxpayers. Dozens of Ms. Olson’s recommendations for change have been introduced as legislation since 2001 and 15 have been enacted into law.

The NTA’s long list of achievements began well before she joined TAS. Prior to her appointment Ms. Olson founded and served as executive director of The Community Tax Law Project, the first independent § 501(c)(3) low income taxpayer clinic in the United States. From 1975 until 1991, she owned a tax planning and preparation firm in Chapel Hill, N.C.

To learn more about the NTA’s background and work, read the Accounting Today excerpt (free subscription required) or vist Our Leadership page.