Practice Before the Revamped Pennsylvania Board of Finance and Revenue

Thomas A. Bowen
Director of State & Local Tax
Stevens & Lee PC

Thomas A. Bowen has been with Stevens & Lee for nine years and concentrates his practice in state and local taxes, unclaimed property and economic development incentives. In the tax area, his focus is on controversies, planning and policy. He has assisted numerous tax-exempt organizations on various state and local tax issues, including Pennsylvania real estate and sales tax exemption consultation and litigation. A Certified Public Accountant and a lawyer, Mr. Bowen spent seven years with Ernst & Young, LLP, four years as one of its Mid-Atlantic Area State & Local Tax leaders and three years in its Oklahoma City Office where his practice included all aspects of oil and gas taxation. Between his stints with Ernst & Young, he was in-house state & local tax counsel to AMP Incorporated (now TE Connectivity), a Pennsylvania-based Fortune 300 company for over 15 years.

JASON C SKRINAK

FIRM POSITION

Jason Skrinak is the Founder of Pivot Consulting LLC. With over 20 years’ experience in public accounting, he is highly regarded throughout the region for his deep knowledge and expertise in SALT consulting. As a State and Local Tax professional consultant, he has specialized knowledge in various Pennsylvania taxes including sales and use, corporate net income, and the bank shares tax. He has also assisted with numerous multi-state tax issues dealing with various corporate taxes.

Jason has significant experience representing taxpayers before Pennsylvania’s Board of Appeals and the Board of Finance and Revenue. In addition, Jason has testified before the PA Senate Finance Committee on topics including state tax reform.

PROFESSIONAL & BUSINESS HISTORY
Prior to Pivot Consulting, Jason was the Leader of RKL’s State and Local Taxes (SALT) Practice. In his role at RKL, Jason was responsible for overseeing the growth and development of the firm’s SALT practice, helping identify tax-savings opportunities, ensuring compliance and representing taxpayers in tax controversies. Prior to joining RKL, Jason was a Principal and State and Local Tax Practice Leader for a regional firm. In addition, he brings more than 11 years experience as a SALT professional with a “Big Four” firm with an office in Harrisburg.

EDUCATION
B.S. Accounting, Villanova University

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES & MEMBERSHIPS

• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Member
• Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), Member
• PICPA’s State and Local Tax Committee, Member and Former Chair
• PICPA’s Conference of Pennsylvania Taxes, Member and Former Chair
• PICPA’s Fiscal Responsibility Committee and PICPA Legislation Committee, Member
• Board of Auditors, Lower Paxton Township, Member

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

• Leadership Harrisburg Area, Graduate
• PICPA 40 Under 40, Class of 2009
• PICPA South Central Chapter’s 2013 Volunteer Service Award

PERSONAL
Jason resides in Lower Paxton Township with his wife and two children and enjoys attending sporting events, golfing and spending time with his family.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Quoted in Feb. 9, 2016, Central Penn Business Journal story, ‘You have to run with what you have’: Pa. budget uncertainty makes it hard for businesses to plan ahead for tax obligations

R. Scott Shearer, JD, LLM
Member
Board of Finance and Revenue

R. Scott Shearer has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University.  He received his law degree (J.D.) from Dickinson School of Law and an LLM in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.  He is admitted to practice before the PA Supreme Court, US Supreme Court and various other federal courts.  He began his career as a Deputy Attorney General with the Tax Litigation Unit of the PA Department of Justice and thereafter was a partner in various law firms including Shearer Mette Evans & Woodside; Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC; and Keefer Wood Allen & Rahal, LLP with his practice concentrated in PA state tax matters on behalf of businesses and individuals involving a broad range of state taxes.  In May 2015, after having been nominated by the Governor and subsequently confirmed by the Senate, he was sworn in as a Member of the Board of Finance and Revenue for an initial four-year term.

Nov 2016

John E. Van Allen, Esq.

Areas of Practice:  State and Local Tax - Sales and Use; Property; PURTA; Gross Receipt; Corporate; Franchise and Capital Stock Taxes

John’s practice focuses primarily on state and local sales, use, property and corporate tax litigation on behalf of taxpayers.  He has practiced law in 56 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties and has represented small businesses and over a dozen Fortune 500 corporations.

John has managed projects involving nearly 12,000 property tax appeals throughout 56 counties.  He also represents businesses in reviewing sales and use tax payments, identifying over-payments and pursuing refunds, particularly for manufacturers and construction contractors.  John is one of the few Pennsylvania attorneys that conducts sales/use tax due diligence reviews.  He has handled such refund reviews for a number of businesses, including two of the four largest companies headquartered in central Pennsylvania.  Through the appeals he has handled, taxpayers have directly saved or been refunded over $100,000,000.00 in state and local taxes.

In addition, John frequently conducts presentations regarding Pennsylvania state and local tax issues and he has been the featured presenter on such issues at national tax law conferences in California and Florida.

John began his career at an AmLaw Global 50 law firm, where he practiced in the area of state and local tax for over six years.

Prior to law school, John played football in college, where he was a placekicker. 

John  is also a Trustee for a Harrisburg non-profit organization.

Bar Admissions:  Pennsylvania (1998)

Education:  The Pennsylvania State University (B.A., 1993); The Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University (J.D., 1997)

Professional Affiliations:  Pennsylvania Bar Association; York County Bar Association

Personal:  Resides in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania with his wife, Jane, and son, John.