GFOA-IRS 1099 information reporting videoconference.

• Author: Dotson, Betsy
• Position: Government Finance Officers Association

On November 5, 1993, almost 300 state and local government officials filled 10 sites across the nation to participate in the first-ever GFOA videoconference. The two-hour program, a joint presentation by the GFOA and the Information Reporting Program (IRP) of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), examined IRS Form 1099 information reporting for state and local governments. The videoconference was held in response to a growing demand from state and local governments for more guidance from GFOA on compliance with federal information reporting requirements and as part of the IRS's "Compliance 2000" initiative, a taxpayer outreach undertaking.

The cosponsored event grew out of an ongoing relationship that the GFOA's Federal Liaison Center has established with IRP. This cooperation has resulted in the establishment of a state and local government position on the Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee (IRPAC), as well as a 1992 GFOA publication on 1099 reporting. The videoconference provided GFOA with a unique forum for informing state and local governments about their compliance responsibilities and provided the IRS with a way to educate jurisdictions that have specific information reporting problems.

Videoconference Sites

Sites were selected by the IRS from its locations outfitted with the best videoconferencing equipment available for compressed video sent over telephone land lines. The videoconference was broadcast to 10 sites located in IRS offices around the nation: Andover, Massachusetts; Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Los Angeles and San Francisco, California; Memphis, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and Washington, D.C.

The rooms used at each site, equipped with two television screens so that participants could view the panelists' site in Washington, D.C., and other audience sites, ranged from small conference rooms with a seating capacity of 10 to large meeting rooms with a seating capacity of 50. The slots filled quickly after announcement of the videoconference, and the registration of approximately 100 people had to be refused because of the limited seating capacity at the sites. Each site was staffed by both an IRS representative and a GFOA representative to handle administrative and technical duties associated with the videoconference.

Logistical Concerns

Among the many considerations involved in arranging the program were the division of responsibilities between the two sponsoring organizations and a myriad of administrative items. Costs for the transmission of the broadcast, locations and technical support were underwritten by IRS. The organizations agreed that the GFOA would handle marketing and registration, while the IRS would supply most of the panelists. A videotaping of the conference also was planned. To address the difficulties encountered in admitting participants to IRS sites, particularly in certain secured processing facilities, arrangements were made in advance to grant participants clearance. It also was determined that participants would be eligible...