"It can't get any better than this.".

"It can't get any better than this." These were the words I used to kickoff TEI's just-completed 51st Midyear Conference in Washington. In saying them, I was referring specifically to our four scheduled keynote speakers: Senator Charles Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; Representative Bill Thomas, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee; IRS Commissioner Rossotti; and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Tax Policy Mark Weinberger. Wow, I said. What more could a tax executive ask for?

How about Congressman Charles Rangel, the ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, who rearranged his schedule at the last minute to address the conference?

How about poignant and moving, yet highly substantive remarks by the former Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Bill Archer, whom the Institute honored at our Tuesday night banquet?

How about all five Large and Mid-Size Business Division Industry Directors, who led panel discussions on procedures, initiatives, and technical issues being addressed in their organizations? And the Director of the IRS's Office of Tax Shelter Analysis, who provided a status report on OTSA's efforts to develop a strategic approach toward the issue of tax shelters? And panel after panel of top-notch practitioners and insightful, incisive members on the myriad topics of the day?

How about entertainment at the Tuesday banquet that by an improvisational comedy troupe that among other things successfully conveyed the following, rather odd images: Scoobydoo luging down a watermelon and Milli Vanilli playing tennis on chocolate pudding?

TEI members who attended the conference got all of this. (Even the last item!) And what it all proved, once again, is that dollar for dollar, minute for minute, TEI delivers the best continuing tax education in North America -- accompanied by the opportunity to let down our hair and, just perhaps, to laugh at ourselves. I wish to congratulate the Institute's Continuing Education Committee and the multitude of members who participated in the conference for making it a success.

A Revolutionary Idea?

TEI's next conference will be held in October in Boston, known for tea parties, tax resistance, and many other things linked to America's fight for independence. It's not too early to plan to attend the conference, which will be held at the Marriott Copley Place, and to see first hand the evolutionary, if not revolutionary, steps our Continuing Education Committee will be taking in response to member comments.

Make no mistake. TEI is an organization of many traditions, and we will not discard those that retain their vitality and purpose. But we must adapt to changing conditions and changing needs. For example, last year, in response to member input, we adopted a casual dress rule for our conferences. In addition, to facilitate more networking among the members and between the members and our leadership, we revised our reserved table policy and sought to minimize the pomp and circumstance that, while appropriate in some settings, can often make us seem stuffy.

Those changes have been retained. And more dramatic ones are on the horizon. Beginning next fall, you won't have to give up your Sunday to attend conference sessions. Instead, our educational sessions in Boston will begin on Monday morning and run through lunch on Wednesday. (The conference itself will begin with a welcoming reception on Sunday evening.) This shortening of the conference, which was prompted by growing sensitivity to work-life balance issues, was endorsed by TEI's Board of Directors by a vote of 60 to 8, and is in keeping with trends in many other organizations.

Please be assured that the Institute remains committed to delivering high-quality education to all its members, and we are open to your suggestions. You may send them to [e-mail] or to me personally at [e-mail].

TEI's Advocacy Remains on Target:

In mid-March, I had the honor of representing TEI at the first public hearing held by Oversight Board, which was created as part of the 1998 IRS restructuring act. The subject of the hearing was the IRS's strategic plan and budget for fiscal year 2002, and in TEI's testimony, we stressed the importance of tying the two items together. We began as we begin many TEI submissions -- with the recitation of our principles: "TEI is committed to maintaining a tax system that works -- one that builds upon the principles of voluntary compliance and taxpayer service and is fully consistent with sound tax policy; one that taxpayers can comply with; and one in which the IRS can effectively perform its audit function without unduly burdening taxpayers." Then we got to the point by saying:

   There are several keys to achieving this objective, and sufficient funding
   is indisputably one of them. It would be a mistake, however, to think that
   the answer to the challenges facing the tax system in this country lies
   simply in throwing money at the problem. To avoid false starts and
   missteps, full and stable funding must be preceded by the adoption of a
   sound framework for future action.

These were strong words, and the Institute used them advisedly, for it is critically important to link the IRS's budget to its strategic plan in order to minimize disruptive shifts in the agency's direction and priorities. I urge you to review the Institute's complete testimony and to let me know your reaction.

TEI also continues to use strong words about the need for tax simplification. The last issue of The Tax Executive reprinted the Institute's joint letter with the ABA Tax Section and AICPA Tax Division, in which we argued that tax simplification was an economic, political, and even moral imperative. We followed up that letter by meeting with the staff of the Senate Finance Committee as well as with key members of House Ways and Means Committee, and the three organizations stand poised to react to a simplification report that the Joint Committee on Taxation will reportedly release in late April. I was pleased that during the Midyear Conference both Ways and Means Chairman Thomas and Finance Committee Chairman Grassley, as well as Assistant Secretary Weinberger, voiced support for our simplification efforts. There have been reports that a hearing on simplification proposals will be held later this spring. If the reports prove true, please be assured that TEI will be there and will represent your interests.

Representing your interest is what motivates our activity on several other fronts. For example, a group of members is working with our staff to develop comprehensive comments on the research tax credit regulations that were issued in late December. We also continue to analyze the proposed amendments to Circular 230 (relating to "practice before the IRS") to ensure that they do not unreasonably and adversely affect the ability of tax executives to do their job. And after being placed on hold owing to the IRS reorganization, our initiative to revise Rev. Proc. 98-25, which governs records retention agreements, has been reactivated. Finally, our liaison meetings with the Treasury Department and Joint Committee on Taxation, which were postponed from their customary February dates, have been scheduled for mid-May. Again, I invite your suggestions of topics to be discussed.

AMS: The Promise Is Becoming Reality

I have made no secret of my number one goal as TEI President: the successful implementation of a new "association management system." An AMS implementation is, on a more modest scale, like a SAP or other ERP implementation: full of promise but also full of challenges and hiccups. Those challenges notwithstanding, we have made great progress toward our goal. The so-called back-office feature of the new AMS has already been implemented, and we are already seeing efficiencies in Institute operations. We are now in the process of designing a new website that will enable members to update your membership record, register for programs, and pay dues on line.

That's not all. The AMS's e-commerce module will be integrated with TEI On-Line and our public website, with the ultimate objective of making TEI your first stop -- your portal to tax information. I want to thank those of you who have offered suggestions on the types of information, through hyperlinks and otherwise, that TEI members should be able to access through the website and, indeed, your ideas on how the new site should "look and feel." Our goal is to be responsive to your needs, so let us know how we're doing.

Some members, by the way, have already let us know that you are concerned about being flooded with e-mails from TEI. Although we do see the new AMS as a powerful tool for keeping members informed about important developments, we will guard against "spamming" our members. The last thing any of us needs is a bunch of junk mail in our e-mail in-box.

One final comment about the AMS. I want to express my appreciation to TEI's staff for their ongoing efforts, not only on the AMS but on everything they do for us. After working with them on a day in and day out basis for nearly a year, my opinion of the TEI staff couldn't be higher. I know comparisons can be tricky, but I have worked with many organizations over my career, and without a doubt I would put our staff up against any other in Washington. I hope you agree.

Betty M. Wilson International President