TEI, ABA, and AICPA joint project on simplification of the Tax Code.

On December 3, 1999, TEI's President Charles W. Shewbridge, III sent the following letter to Senator William V. Roth, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Congressman Bill Archer, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, voicing the Institute's support for simplification of the Internal Revenue Code. The letter is the first step of a joint project the Institute is undertaking with the Section of Taxation of the American Bar Association and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

As president of Tax Executives Institute, I am writing to express support for the efforts of two other professional organizations -- the Section on Taxation of the American Bar Association and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants -- to simplify the tax laws. Recently, the ABA Tax Section and the AICPA have written you to express concern about the complexity of the tax law, specifically addressing proposals set forth in H.R. 2488, which was passed by Congress this summer but was subsequently vetoed by the President. Because many of the provisions in that vetoed bill may be considered in the future, the ABA and AICPA believe that their views will be helpful to Congress in crafting future legislation. For the reasons set forth below, TEI supports the thrust of their comments.

Tax Executives Institute is the preeminent association of corporate tax executives in North America. We represent a cross-section of the business community, and are dedicated to the development and effective implementation of sound tax policy, to promoting the uniform and equitable enforcement of the tax laws, and to reducing the cost and burden of administration and compliance to the benefit of taxpayers and government alike. Although our constituency and internal procedures prompt us to concern ourselves primarily with the provisions affecting business, we agree with the ABA and AICPA that the individual provisions of the Code need attention. TEI also agrees with the ABA and AICPA that complexity of the law -- including constant changes and amendments -- remains the primary impediment to the effective operation of the tax system and the...