Top officials to address TEI's 55th midyear conference.

• Position: Tax Executives Institute

U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow and several other high-level government representatives will address Tax Executives Institute's 55th Midyear Conference in Washington, D.C. The conference begins Sunday evening, April 3, 2005, and runs through Wednesday, April 6. In addition to Secretary Snow, IRS Commissioner Mark Everson and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley are scheduled to deliver keynote addresses. Invitations to key participants in the tax reform process are pending.

"2005 will prove a momentous year of change and challenge for tax executives," TEI President Judy Zelisko observed. "The ink on the President's signature on the American Jobs Creation Act was barely dry before the Treasury Department and IRS began issuing a steady stream of guidance to fill in gaps in the legislative scheme. Each day's tax news since has brought developments--as well as more questions--about the most significant bundle of corporate tax changes since 1986. The Midyear Conference is well timed to provide registrants with up-to-the-minute details on those developments."

The conference's technical sessions begin Monday morning, April 4, with a plenary session addressing pending legislative developments, ranging from important technical amendments to the 2004 Act to permanent enactment of President Bush's tax cuts and the timetable and prospects for tax reform. TEI President Zelisko added that, "Although attendance is not yet confirmed, a fourth keynote spot has been reserved for a representative of the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform. We hope to hear directly from a member of panel or a staff executive about its scope and charter in order to better position tax executives and TEI for participation in the coming debate."

Another plenary session will address the pending FASB project to update FAS 109 for uncertain tax positions. The FASB's Staff Project Director, Donald Thomas, will be joined by two leading practitioners on accounting for income taxes. "Mr. Thomas addressed TEI at its FAS 109 seminar in November 2004," Ms Zelisko said, "and provided participants with a number of useful insights on the FASB's deliberations." Coming on the heels of FASB's expected release of an exposure draft relating to "uncertain tax positions," the session promises to be at once informative and stimulating.

In addition to the plenary sessions, a cadre of...