Top government and Congressional officials to speak at TEI's 53rd Midyear Conference. (Continuing Education).

High-level representatives from the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of Treasury, Congress, Canada Customs and revenue Agency, the Canadian Department of finance, and the SEC's Public Company Accounting Oversight Board are slated to address Tax Executives Institute's 53rd Midyear Conference in Washington, D.C.; the three-day conference begins Sunday evening, March 23, at the Grand Hyatt Washington.

"2003 will be an extremely busy year for tax executives," TEI President Drew Glennie stated. "Even before President Bush proposed the unexpectedly large tax cut, we were facing a blizzard of tax developments from Washington. These developments--the capitalization regulations, tax shelter initiatives, the new limited issue focused examination procedure, and the SEC's proposed auditor independence rules--will all be dissected during the conference."

TEI's President noted that the conference is well timed to provide registrants with up-to-the-minute developments on legislative and regulatory tax issues. "Although their attendance cannot be assured until they are confirmed by the Senate, we remain hopeful that Treasury Secretary John Snow and new IRS Commissioner Mark Everson will participate in the conference. We have also invited Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley to speak (as he did in 2001). In addition, Assistant Secretary Pam Olson, acting IRS Commissioner Bob Wenzel, and LMSB Commissioner Larry Langdon have agreed to participate, as has Daniel Goelzer of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which has significant responsibilities in respect of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act."

On Monday morning, a panel of congressional aides will provide an update on proposed tax legislation. James D. Clark and John Buckley of the staff of the House Ways and Means Committee and Mark Prater and Russ Sullivan of the Senate Finance Committee staff will discuss legislation ranging from the President's proposed dividend exclusion to the prospects for international tax changes. At lunch that day, acting Commissioner Bob Wenzel and LMSB Commissioner Larry Langdon will address participants concerning IRS modernization efforts and other initiatives. The Institute will also honor former IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti at the luncheon.

On Tuesday, several officials of the Canadian government will participate in the conference. John Kowalski, CCRA Deputy Assistant Commissioner, will join a representative of the Department of Finance to provide an update on the latest regulatory and legislative initiatives in Canada. And on Wednesday, Jodi Cohen of the Treasury Department and Andrew Keyso of the IRS Office of Chief Counsel will join a panel of practitioners to discuss the recently proposed capitalization regulations.

Other government representatives include Frank Katz of the Multistate Tax Commission, who will discuss business activity nexus, and Daniel Rosen, LMSB Industry Counsel, who will focus on research tax credit developments.

Other technical sessions will focus on unique Canadian income tax concepts, debt-equity developments around the world, successful audit and appeals techniques, tax shelters, Canadian commodity tax developments, an Asian tax review, managing audits of foreign affiliates, and the effects of the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation on tax departments.

"The surfeit of change and challenges facing tax executives in 2003 makes TEI's 53rd Midyear Conference the place in late March," Mr. Glennie concluded.