Notice 2007-41

The Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service invite public comment on recommendations for items that should be included on the 2007-2008 Guidance Priority List.

Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy and the Service use the Guidance Priority List each year to identify and prioritize the tax issues that should be addressed through regulations, revenue rulings, revenue procedures, notices, and other published administrative guidance. The 2007-2008 Guidance Priority List will establish the guidance that the Treasury Department and the Service intend to issue from July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008. The Treasury Department and the Service recognize the importance of public input to formulate a Guidance Priority List that focuses resources on guidance items that are most important to taxpayers and tax administration. Published guidance plays an important role in increasing voluntary compliance by helping to clarify ambiguous areas of the tax law.

As is the case whenever significant legislation is enacted, the Treasury Department and the Service have continued to dedicate substantial resources during the current plan year to published guidance projects necessary to implement the provisions of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-357, 118 Stat. 1418, which was enacted on October 22, 2004; the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-58, 119 Stat. 594, which was enacted on August 8, 2005; the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-135, 119 Stat. 2577, which was enacted on December 21, 2005; and the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005, Pub. L. No. 109-222, 120 Stat. 345, which was enacted on May 17, 2006. Similarly, the Treasury Department and the Service have devoted substantial resources to published guidance projects necessary to implement the provisions of additional tax legislation that was enacted during the current plan year, such as the Pension Protection Act of 2006, Pub. L. No. 109-280, 120 Stat. 780, which was enacted on August 17, 2006; and the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, Pub. L. No. 109-432, 120 Stat. 2922, which was enacted on December 20, 2006. The Treasury Department and the Service will continue to evaluate the priority of each guidance project in light of the above-mentioned tax legislation and other developments occurring during the 2007-2008 plan year.

In reviewing recommendations and selecting projects for inclusion on the 2007-2008 Guidance Priority List, the Treasury Department and the Service will consider the following:

Taxpayers may submit recommendations for guidance at any time during the year. Please submit recommendations by May 31, 2007, for possible inclusion on the original 2007-2008 Guidance Priority List. The Service plans to update the 2007-2008 Guidance Priority List periodically to reflect additional guidance that the Treasury Department and the Service intend to publish during the plan year. The periodic updates allow the Treasury Department and the Service to respond to the need for additional guidance that may arise during the plan year. Recommendations for guidance received after May 31, 2007, will be reviewed for inclusion in the next periodic update.

Taxpayers are not required to submit recommendations for guidance in any particular format. Taxpayers should, however, briefly describe the recommended guidance and explain the need for the guidance. In addition, taxpayers may include an analysis of how the issue should be resolved. It would be helpful if taxpayers suggesting more than one guidance project would prioritize the projects by order of importance. If a large number of projects are being suggested, it also would be helpful if the projects were grouped in terms of high, medium or low priority.

Taxpayers should send written comments to:

or hand deliver comments Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to:

Alternatively, taxpayers may submit comments electronically via e-mail to the following address: Notice.Comments@irscounsel.treas.gov. Taxpayers should include “Notice 2007-41” in the subject line. All comments will be available for public inspection and copying in their entirety.

For further information regarding this notice, contact Henry Schneiderman of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Procedure and Administration) at (202) 622-3400 (not a toll-free call).