Washington liaison meetings continue tradition of excellence.

• Author: Alicandri, Vincent

In my last column, I wrote at length about the liaison meetings that TEI holds each December with the Canadian Department of Finance and the Canada Revenue Agency. As a veteran of more Ottawa meetings than I would like to admit, I waxed enthusiastic about how they advance not only the Institute's advocacy mission but also our educational and networking objectives. Thus, in putting together the agendas for the annual meetings and then preparing for them, we strengthen the bonds among members on a cross-industry, continental basis, and in conducting the meetings we not only openly share information about how the tax rules work (the essence of education), but also educate ourselves and our government counterparts about the other's perspectives.

My experience with TEI's Washington liaison meetings is not as long as it is with the Canadian meetings, but my impressions are just as strong and as positive. This year, TEI held two meetings in mid-February--the first with the IRS's Large and Mid-Size Business Division and the second with IRS Commissioner Shulman and other senior IRS officials. Ordinarily, there would have been a third meeting scheduled at the same time, with officials of the Treasury Department's Office of Tax Policy, but the change in Administrations prompted us to delay that meeting until a new tax policy team is in place. The agendas for the two meetings are reprinted in this issue.

The LMSB and IRS liaison meetings resemble their Canadian counterparts in several important respects. First, the development of the agendas was a collaborative exercise. Several months in advance of the meetings, the Institute began soliciting ideas from the membership at large, and the items in the agendas came from a cross-section of members. Second, during the meeting, the TEI delegation--composed of our Executive Committee, key committee chairs, and staff--engaged in candid and constructive conversations about the issues with the government participants. To be sure, on some issues we simply agreed to disagree, but there were also some occasions where, upon learning of the challenges that certain rules or procedures posed, the IRS voiced a willingness to look at less burdensome alternatives or to hold follow-up conversations to better understand taxpayer concerns.

I was especially heartened by the discussions at both our liaison meetings of the steps the IRS has taken in response to the economic downturn. For example, the IRS has marshalled...