IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Governmental Entities Releases 2016 Report
In 2014, it was my honor to accept an appointment to the Internal Revenue Service’s Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (the ACT). ACT members are appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury and advise the IRS on issues impacting tax exempt organizations and government entities. The ACT includes external stakeholders and representatives who deal with employee retirement plans; tax-exempt organizations; tax-exempt bonds; federal, state, local and Indian tribal governments. My colleagues on the ACT are exceptional individuals and I am humbled to be in their company. I serve on the Exempt Organizations subcommittee and, for the last year, have had the privilege of serving as a co-chair of the subcommittee. As part of my responsibilities, yesterday, I helped present our committee’s annual report to the Commissioner of the IRS, John Koskinen.
Today, it is my pleasure to share with you the 2016 report of the Exempt Organizations subcommittee of the IRS Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Governmental Entities. This year’s report to the Exempt Organization Leadership is titled Stewards of the Public Trust: Long-Range Planning for the Future of the IRS and the Exempt Community.
The report focuses on planning for the future - big picture areas the Exempt Organizations function should consider in planning for the next two to three decades in overseeing exempt organizations. The report makes recommendations to the IRS to prepare it for the challenges and environment in overseeing and regulating exempt organizations into the future. In connection with the report, the ACT conducted extensive interviews with exempt organization leaders, practitioners, and regulators to identify challenges and gaps for the IRS regarding its oversight of and guidance to the sector. We are grateful for the input received from the interviewees.
We encourage you to read the full report and to share it with the members of your networks.
The ACT was established under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to provide an organized public forum for discussion of relevant issues affecting the tax exempt and government entities communities.
About the Author: Amy Coates Madsen
Amy Coates Madsen is the Director of the Standards for Excellence Institute, a national initiative to promote the highest standards of ethics and accountability in nonprofit governance, management, and operations, and to facilitate adherence to standards by all organizations. The Standards for Excellence Institute is a program of the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations where Amy has served for more than twenty-two years. Amy is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the association’s comprehensive ethics and accountability program and efforts to replicate the program nationally. She serves as a frequent trainer and writer in the areas of board conduct, program evaluation, program replication, fundraising ethics, and nonprofit management. She has taught courses on nonprofit ethics and accountability at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies Certificate Program on Nonprofit Management. She has held positions at the Trenton lobbying firm of the Princeton Public Affairs Group, and the Public Policy Liaison Unit at the world headquarters of Catholic Relief Services. Amy received her Master of Arts in Policy Studies degree from the Johns Hopkins University – Institute for Policy Studies in Baltimore, Maryland; and her Bachelors degree from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Amy is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Amy serves on the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT). Amy is a former member of the Disaster Action Team of the Central Maryland Chapter of the American Red Cross and is qualified to provide disaster preparedness training to children and adults. She has also served as the former President of Central Maryland CAN TOO and was a member of the Board of Trustees of the largest United Methodist Church in Baltimore City. She serves on the board of her children’s preschool PTA and is a volunteer with the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland. Amy is currently leading an effort to establish an endowment for the Virginia Tech University Honors Program.