TEI holds inaugural liaison meeting with Multistate Tax Commission; April 27, 1995.

• Position: Liaison Meeting Special

On April 27, 1995, under the leadership of President Linda B. Burke, Tax Executives Institute held its first-ever liaison meeting with representatives from the Multistate Tax Commission (MTC). In connection with its regularly scheduled meeting in Perdido Beach, the Board of Trustees of the MTC invited representatives from TEI to make presentations and discuss issues of mutual concern to both organizations.

In addition to President Burke, TEI's delegation was headed by its Senior Vice President, Jack R. Skinner, and the Institute's State and Local Tax Committee Chair, Christopher W. Baldwin. Other members participating in the meeting were: Kathy M. Blankley, Charles W. Shewbridge, III, Manuel Davila, and Larry L. Ramsey. In addition, TEI's Executive Director, Michael J. Murphy, and Timothy J. McCormally and Jeffery P. Rasmussen from the Institute's legal staff also attended.

Timothy J. Leathers, Commissioner of Revenue for Arkansas, chaired the MTC delegation. Mr. Leathers was joined by numerous state tax officials, including Bob Hanson, North Dakota State Tax Commissioner; Val Oveson, Chair of the Utah State Tax Commission; John Chavez, Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Revenue; Ralph Eagerton, Alabama Commissioner of Revenue; Michael Southcombe, Chair of the Idaho State Tax Commission; Jack Harper, Assistant Secretary for Tax Administration for North Carolina; Jesse Weaver, Director of Business Taxes in Michigan; Wade Anderson, Assistant Director of Revenue for Texas; Burton Oliver, Executive Director of the California Board of Equalization; and Gerald Goldberg of the California Franchise Tax Board. In addition, Dan R. Bucks, MTC Executive Director; Alan Friedman, MTC General Counsel; Les Koenig, Director of MTC's Audit Division; and Paull Mines from the MTC legal staff also participated. The MTC delegation also included representatives from the staffs of a number of other state tax commissioners' offices.

Description of TEI's and MTC's Missions and Activities

Ms. Burke opened the meeting by describing of the Institute's activities and mission in the development of state tax policy and administrative procedures. State tax policy and administration were highly important areas for TEI members, she said--an integral part of their responsibility for administering their companies' overall tax liability. Specifically, tax executives are charged with the responsibility to manage the burden of state and local taxes and to ensure compliance with the manifold forms of income, excise, payroll, sales and use, and alternative tax systems. Ms. Burke explained that the primary objectives of the Institute included: (i) educating its members through conferences, seminars, and meetings; (ii) educating legislators and tax administrators through targeted advocacy on administrative matters; (iii) providing opportunities for networking among members at the Institute's 47 local chapters; and (iv) promoting high ethical standards and principles in interpreting the tax law, complying faithfully with its requirements, and dealing fairly with tax administrators.

Mr. Murphy stated that TEI members accept the duty to comply with the tax laws and continually strive to balance that burden with the counterpart obligation of minimizing their companies' tax liabilities. Mr. Baldwin next summarized the Institute's recent efforts in...