A little rebellion now and again.

AuthorLucchesi, Janice
PositionTax reform legislation participation - President's page

Over two hundred years ago, Thomas Jefferson observed that "a little rebellion every now and then is a good thing." Well, there are rebellions and then there are rebellions. The recent 2016 presidential election arguably belongs in that second category, with its pushed envelopes, destroyed conventions, and overturned expectations about how campaigns are or will be conducted. The hows and whys will (or at least should) be left to the so-called experts, including pundits, academics, and conspiracy theorists.

That said, this "little rebellion" presents TEI with significant opportunities to serve its members, some obvious and others somewhat less so.

Most specifically, the prospect for some measure of tax reform has moved from remote to likely or even highly likely, if for no other reason than that all three arenas of the legislative process are party-aligned for now, and signals have been sent supporting some form of tax-focused legislation. While most of the details regarding scope and content are missing, the winds are certainly blowing in the direction of tax-specific legislation.

These developments have energized TEI's Tax Reform Task Force, which has mobilized a series of industry-specific "SWAT" teams to evaluate tax legislation proposals as they emerge. This strategy is designed to ensure that TEI's members, across all industries, have a forum through which to understand how tax proposals may affect them (and their industry group) as well as the effects those proposals might have on their peers and others. What we expect to emerge from these efforts is a detailed listing of issues that can inform member action and collective TEI action. Moreover, these analyses will likely bring to the surface important issues in tax administration, compliance, and documentation, points that we expect would serve as the basis for written submissions, direct contact, and discussion with legislators and their staffs.

Tax Reform Task Force

Sustained and broad-based member involvement in the Tax Reform Task Forces work will help define its success. The outpouring of interest has been excellent--but we always welcome more involvement. So, please reach out to John Mann, Task Force chair, or John Schoenecker, legal staff liaison, to get involved.

The prospect of tax reform has broad implications for TEI members worldwide. In particular, events in the United States will...

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