The Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) yesterday named 16 people, including three members of the AIM Taxation Committee, to a newly formed council to advise Revenue Commissioner Amy Pitter on a variety of tax issues.

The DOR Advisory Council will take up topics that include audit practices, federal tax developments impacting Massachusetts, responses to court decisions or legislation, new and proposed business practices, guidance on recent or upcoming tax matters and the status of on-going DOR projects.

The AIM Taxation Committee Members on the panel include Scott G. Roberti, Director, State Tax Policy for General Electric Company; David Nagle;  partner in the Tax Department of the Boston office of Sullivan & Worcester; and Jason Zorfas is Executive Director, Ernst & Young.

“Our goal in forming the Advisory Council was to bring different perspectives to DOR in changing tax policies and practices to improve the customer experience,” Pitter said.

“It was really important to us that council membership reflect different groups of taxpayers, especially those DOR doesn’t normally hear from. We are fortunate to have attracted a diverse roster of leaders from different industries.”

The Advisory Council is part of the DOR360 initiative to improve efficiencies at the agency and open new avenues of communication with the communities it serves.  Members of the Council will meet quarterly and also serve on working groups throughout the year.  The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 30 from 9:30am to 1:30pm.

AIM expects to provide DOR and the newly appointed members of the Advisory Council with suggestions, including those contained within an AIM bill to improve the DOR’s administration and reforms to the state’s electronic filing system for corporate taxes. The association believes that state and local governments must continue to reform and that the DOR360 initiative and Advisory Council provide other state agencies with a model pathway towards substantive changes.

“Taxes and taxation remain a matter of great concern for Massachusetts employers. The Advisory Council gives employers a conduit for policy suggestions on state tax administration,” said John Regan, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs at AIM.

Have any suggestions for the DOR Advisory Council? Want to track council activity? Please contact me 617-262-1180 or bmacdougall@aimnet.org.