Pittsburgh Chapter concludes successful year.

• Position: Chapter News

The Pittsburgh Chapter's first nine meetings of the 2002-2003 program year were described in the March-April issue of The Tax Executive. The following is a brief description of the last nine meetings, which included a full-day seminar, four luncheon meetings, two evening meetings, a breakfast meeting and the Chapter's Annual meeting.

On February 20, 2003, 59 members and guests attended the monthly luncheon meeting to listen to Robert P. Hanson from Ernst & Young's National Tax Department in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining Ernst & Young Mr. Hanson served as Tax legislative Counsel in the Office of Tax Policy at the Department of the Treasury. As Tax Legislative Counsel, Mr. Hanson was the chief legal adviser to the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (Tax Policy). Mr. Hanson presented a brief Washington update and also discussed issues related to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and its impact on administration within the corporate tax department.

The chapter held its annual Joint Meeting with the Pittsburgh Tax Club and Allegheny Tax Society on February 27, 2003, at the Duquesne Club in downtown Pittsburgh. The meeting was attended by 95 members and guests of all three organizations. (The Pittsburgh Tax Club and Allegheny Tax Society members consist of tax professionals engaged in public tax practice who represent many of the national, regional, and local public accounting and law firms.) The guest speaker was Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy Pamela Olson. Ms. Olson discussed the tax legislative agenda for 2003 and fielded questions on topics ranging from the Administration's dividend exclusion provision to international issues.

Corporate Tax Management was the topic for the March 5 luncheon meeting. Michael J. Johnson, Deloitte & Touche's Mid-Atlantic Practice Leader, Tax Management Advisory Services, discussed "Leading Technology and Process Trends to Support the Corporate Tax Department of the 21st Century." Mr. Johnson's presentation explored current challenges facing corporate tax departments with an emphasis on data gathering and data management issues. He presented potential solutions through the use of a leading practice case study. The presentation concluded by suggesting approaches to integrating these solutions into the corporate tax department environment.

Lynn Bacon of Alcoa Inc. moderated the chapter's annual TEI/IRS evening meeting held on March 20. John Niederst (IRS Team Manager, Heavy Manufacturing and Transportation) and Ron...