Tax expert Jim Carter will explain tax reform during the Issues and Advocacy Training session at SAF’s 37th Annual Congressional Action Days.
If “tax reform” is a phrase that makes you want to head for the hills, take heart: The Society of American Florists has found a pro who promises to distill the issues surrounding reform into practical, actionable items during the group’s 37th Annual Congressional Action Days (CAD).
Jim Carter, vice president of government affairs at Emerson, a diversified global manufacturing and technology company based in St. Louis, Missouri, will explain tax reform at the Issues and Advocacy Training session. Tax reform is one of three issues CAD attendees will talk about with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
In addition to simplifying the tax code and reducing rates, a key component of the House Republican tax plan is a “border adjustment tax,” said Shawn McBurney, SAF’s lobbyist and senior director of government relations. Border adjustment would remove the deductibility of the cost of goods sold on imported items but allow the deductibility of the cost of goods sold on domestically-produced goods. Read more.
“CAD participants will have the opportunity to explain the industry supply chain to help lawmakers better understand the floral industry and how reform efforts could help or hurt businesses,” McBurney said. “Before meeting with lawmakers, CAD attendees will get a full understanding of the issue from Jim Carter.”
Presenting the Issues and Advocacy Training session with Carter and McBurney are Joe Bischoff, Ph.D., one of SAF’s lobbyists with Cornerstone Government Affairs, and professional lobbyist trainer Stephanie Vance who will lead a hands-on lesson in effective Hill communications.
Congressional Action Days is March 13-14. Early registration ends Feb. 21. Registration includes an additional free registration for a second person from the company who has never attended CAD before. There is an additional fee to attend the SAFPAC Reception and Dinner.
Carter’s lobbying portfolio ranges from tax and fiscal policy to international trade and federal regulation. He served as tax reform adviser on the Trump Transition Team, and he served in the Bush and Clinton Administrations as a senior staff member on the Senate Budget Committee, and as a policy advisor to former Senators John Ashcroft, Sam Brownback, and Connie Mack.
Carter has served as a Deputy Undersecretary at the Department of Labor, a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Treasury, and as Associate Director of the National Economic Council at the White House. He also has served as Chief Economist and Senior Tax Advisor on the Republican staff of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee. While at the Treasury Department, he received the Secretary of the Treasury’s “Exceptional Service Award” and an award for his work on behalf of the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003.
Carter has written more than 100 articles on fiscal policy, economics, and other public policy matters for leading publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Investor’s Business Daily, Politico, The Hill, and USA Today. He is an adjunct professor at The George Washington University and a lecturer in the Public Management program at Johns Hopkins University. Carter is a 2014 recipient of Johns Hopkins University’s “Excellence in Teaching” award. He also appeared in season three of “House of Cards,” playing a U.S. senator.
