By Alex Fabian, PICPA manager of government relations

The PICPA State Taxation Steering Committee and their colleagues at the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA) recently met to tighten their connections and agree to work collaboratively to uncover and resolve potential cross-state tax issues.

Twenty-nine tax practitioners – 13 from the PICPA and 16 from NJCPA – joined together for a virtual meeting on July 22, 2021. Those on the call included Jason Rosenberg, vice leader of the NJCPA State Tax Interest Group; Jeff Kaszerman, NJCPA vice president of government relations; Don Meyer, NJCPA chief marketing officer; Kenn Stoops, immediate past chair of the PICPA State Taxation Steering Committee; Howard Sklaroff, current chair of the PICPA State Taxation Steering Committee; Peter Calcara, PICPA vice president of government relations.

Topics included cross-state concerns such as the New Jersey pass-through business alternative income tax (BAIT), pass-through entities, apportionment, and remote workforce/COVID transition challenges. The discussion was robust, with background on legislative matters and the current political landscape in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey being provided. PICPA’s Stoops commented, “With the continuing expansion of interstate business transactions, electronic commerce, and remote employment, our recently established cross-state collaboration is intended to bring together some of the most experienced tax practitioners in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The interactions allow for sharing of experiences and discussion of common issues, as well as enhanced communication with state tax agencies. Having been a long-time member of both states’ tax interest groups, I appreciate the knowledge that each participant contributes.”

As a next step, a forum where NJCPA and PICPA members can share ideas was discussed and is in the process of being vetted. In addition, it was agreed that periodic check-in meetings should be conducted throughout the year. Lastly, the state societies agreed to bring questions and ideas to their respective administrative counterparts when appropriate.

On the direction of the collaboration, NJCPA’s Rosenberg said, “I envision that this group will provide an open forum for the respective memberships to share information about the latest administrative and policy tax developments in the respective states, and ultimately allow us to work together on common challenges. This relationship will enable us to be the eyes and ears for each society, allowing both societies to leverage our long-standing relationships.”

One thing is for sure, collaboration will be the key to success, and we are excited for the prospects of this newfound partnership.

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