Recent Government Submissions The Tax Section routinely sends technical comments to federal agencies considering changes in tax regulations, revenue rulings, etc. Recent technical comment submissions include: Government Submissions RSS News Feed | Public policy home Project on Tax Reform and Simplification Comprehensive tax reform has recently jumped to the forefront of the political agenda. The reports issued by the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibly and the National Taxpayer Advocate both called for a comprehensive tax reform. The House Ways & Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee have begun hearings on tax reform. Though it is not certain that a major reform will occur, the Tax Section believes that it occupies a unique position to offer insights into both substantive and procedural areas of taxation that are most in need of reform as well as to suggest practical options for achieving these reforms. At the Midyear Meeting of the Tax Section this past January in Boca Raton, Florida, the Section issued a request to each of the 30 Section committees whose jurisdiction includes either substantive or procedural areas of the Code to submit comments to Congress outlining options for tax reform in their respective areas. The committees were asked to identify those Code sections within their jurisdiction that are most problematic then asked to answer the following questions: - Are there ways to simplify these provisions, reduce ambiguities and still accomplish the legislative purpose?
- Can we reduce or eliminate redundancies?
- Are there provisions that no longer serve a significant purpose and that should be eliminated?
- Are there provisions that are patently unfair in their application or largely inadministrable?
- Are there reasonable options to address each of these concerns?
Twenty Seven committees have responded to the Section’s request and are now working to develop answers to the above questions that would make the tax law simpler, fairer and easier to administer. The final comments are due July 31, 2011 to the Tax Reform Steering Committee. Please check the July E-news or the Section website for a progress update. Public Service Fellowship The Tax Section is now accepting applications for its Public Service Fellowship program for 2011-2013; applications must be received no later than November, 1 2011. Applications must be received by November 1, 2011 to be considered. Finalists will be invited to interview at the Section’s Midyear meeting in San Diego from February 16-18, 2012. Click here for information and to access the application. 2011 Joint Fall CLE Meeting / October 20-22 / Denver, CO Save the date! Registration opens soon for the 2011 Joint Fall CLE Meeting, October 20-22, at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO. The Tax Section and the Trust & Estate Division of the Real Property Trust and Estate Law Section brings you high-level CLE and ethics programming presented by over 45 different committees and groups. Take advantage of numerous networking opportunities and hear about the latest developments on tax policies, regulations and procedures from government officials and industry experts. | 
