Taxpayer advocate lists priorities.(DEALING WITH THE IRS)(Internal Revenue Service's Taxpayer Advocate Service)(disclosure of tax return)

Use or disclosure of tax return information by return preparers, a new downpayment requirement for lump-sum offers in compromise, guidance on "non-hardship effective tax administration" offers, and the IRS's private debt collection initiative are among the issues that National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson will address this fiscal year.

Olson is head of the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent organization within the IRS that helps individuals and business taxpayers resolve problems with the IRS. By law, the national taxpayer advocate is required to submit a report to Congress, outlining his or her objectives for the coming fiscal year.

Although Olson's report commends the IRS for adopting a more …