Department of Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell was recently named to the Board of Trustees of the Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA), an organization that provides services to state tax authorities and administrators.
"Being a member of the FTA Board of Trustees will be another way for our agency to stay engaged with our tax administration colleagues in other parts of the country," Secretary Hassell said. "We have benefitted greatly in recent years from this ongoing dialogue with other FTA members, and I'm looking forward to participating in those conversations in this new role."
FTA serves the principal tax collection agencies of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Philadelphia, and New York City. The work of FTA is directed and governed by an 18-member Board of Trustees composed of tax administrators representing all regions of the country.
FTA serves as a source of information and expertise for state administrators and others on the workings of state tax agencies and systems as well as issues generally affecting tax policy and administration. FTA staff regularly monitors the activities of state tax agencies and the federal government in order to serve as a clearinghouse on topics important to administrators. FTA also conducts research projects in such areas as state tax policies and structures, compliance and enforcement programs, and federal and state court decisions. In addition, significant effort is devoted to inquiries from tax administrators on special problems and issues.
FTA was originally organized in 1937 to improve the quality of state tax administration. The Department of Revenue's involvement with the organization allows its leaders to stay informed on how other agencies are addressing taxation, enforcement and modernization, among other topics. This helps the department fulfill its mission of fairly, efficiently, and accurately administering the tax laws and other revenue programs of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.