April 28, 2005 (Washington, DC) - The Internal Revenue Service today announced the selection of seven new members for the Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT). The ACT is a formal body of external stakeholders in the specialized areas of tax-exempt organizations, employee retirement plans, tax-exempt bonds and federal, state, local and Indian tribal governments. The appointees, who will assume their duties in June, will join 11 returning committee members.

Appointees are listed below by area of expertise:

Employee Plans

• Michael S. Sirkin, of New York, N.Y., is a senior partner in the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Group in his firm, Proskauer Rose LLP. He has practiced in the employee benefits area since 1972 and has been heavily involved with all aspects of employee benefits, including extensive experience in qualified plans, 403(b) plans and nonqualified plans. Sirkin is a former chairman of the Employee Benefits Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.