Almost Complete, Never Done.

• Author: Lucchesi, Janice
• Position: Tax Executives Institute - President's page

When TEI's 2016-2017 year started and work began on our goals assembled under the theme "Staying Nimble With Change," few could have envisioned the profound political shifts that would result from the 2016 national election cycle. Would the new political alignment create an environment conducive to enacting comprehensive tax reform or addressing the country's longstanding infrastructure, healthcare, and structural deficit challenges? What might these shifts mean for TEI and its membership? As I look back on my presidential term, I am immensely proud of the progress we have made across a broad range of projects and initiatives, adapting to and perhaps even benefiting from the changing political landscape. AU in all, I think, we at TEI very much stayed nimble with change.

For starters, the changing political landscape energized TEI's tax reform taskforce. Under the steady leadership of John Mann and staff counsel John Schoenecker, members from multiple industry segments engaged in regular dialogue about the impacts that legislative proposals, once drafted, might have. And, of course, while the pace of tax reform activity has sputtered somewhat, TEI's foundation for future engagement has been firmly established. In addition, TEI, through its ongoing liaison meetings with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, has continued to demonstrate its deep awareness of the potential administrative and financial statement impacts some of the reform proposals might have. Should legislative activity accelerate, TEI is prepared to participate constructively in discussions in those areas where we can meaningfully contribute.

Our efforts to broaden and expand TEI's membership base are progressing well. In the first year of TEI's Access Granted recruitment campaign, new member applications are approaching 900 members, nearly a 50 percent increase over the previous year. The combination of a professionally developed campaign, the heightened importance of tax professionals being connected to their in-house peers (and to the goings-on in Washington, D.C.), and the TEI Board's strong support for an important economic incentive (i.e., the initiation fee waiver) has yielded excellent results. These results bode well for the future of the campaign.

Asian Trip

The privilege of leading a delegation of members and staff on an extended visit to TEI's Asia Chapter was a highlight of my service as Institute president. The two-week journey was intended to advance three broad...