What a Year; Where Did the Time Go?

• Author: Howren, Robert L.
• Position: Tax Executives Institute - President's page

At the start of my presidential year, I had a few core objectives for the upcoming twelve months. I wanted to make a difference personally, positively impact our members, and, above all, contribute to the betterment of the tax community. Those objectives were reflected in my overall theme of "Getting Connected, Staying Engaged, & Having Fun." Now, as I look back, permit me to reflect on the year just concluded and to take a measure of where we are as an organization.

Above all else, God has blessed me with the great honor of leading TEI, a truly awesome organization, and working with an outstanding group of dedicated leaders on the Executive Committee, committees, and task forces, as well as in our regions and chapters. A finer group of individuals does not exist. I am deeply grateful to you all.

In an odd kind of way, my tax career has been haunted or at the very least hounded by tax reform. Let me explain. Back in 1986, two months before my scheduled graduation from the Master of Accounting program at the University of Georgia (go 'Dawgs), the Tax Reform Act of 1986 was enacted. So, rather than coast through the last few days ahead of graduation, I spent the time cramming as much tax-reform-related information into my head before starting work. Now fast forward to 2017. At first, prospects for tax legislation of any sort were iffy at best. But then, almost in the blink of an eye, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was enacted, arguably the most complex tax legislation in more than a generation. So, yet again, I repeated my own cramming exercise, as many companies (including mine) had fewer than two months to process the impact the legislation might have on their tax provisions. More about the TCJA later on.

Getting Connected

Creating opportunities for members to connect is vital for TEI. I am pleased that our investments in upgrading our web connectivity have begun to bear fruit. In particular, our enhanced web capabilities have enabled members to connect with their peers and, as important, for TEI to connect with them in targeted ways. TEI Connect and our web-based communities are slowly becoming part of a TEI members daily routine to check on TEI meetings and events, share advocacy ideas, or download materials. While we have made solid progress, we still have a good bit to go.

TEI's 72nd Annual Conference brought us to Toronto which, depending on the time of day (and perhaps whom you ask), represents either our largest or second-largest chapter...