Multistate Tax Conference (E1811600)

ROBERT J. ALTER has extensive experience in handling federal and state tax controversies. Combining his years of experience gained from litigating both for and against the IRS, with a substantive tax law background, Mr. Alter is well known to the IRS and state tax authorities as an experienced, aggressive and smart litigator. Mr. Alter represents individuals and business entities in Federal and State civil and criminal tax controversies, including civil examinations, administrative appeals, Tax Court and U.S. District Court proceedings, sensitive civil and tax issues, IRS and State voluntary disclosures, and criminal tax investigations and prosecutions.

Mr. Alter serves on the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on the Tax Court, and is also the New Jersey Bar Association’s Section of Taxation’s Practitioner Liaison with the IRS. He previously served as Chair of the Section of Taxation of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Mr. Alter, who is the annual contributor of the Tax Law Year in Review Supplement to the New Jersey Law Journal, has published numerous articles on federal and state tax law and related legal issues arising in tax controversies in that publication, in the New Jersey Lawyer magazine and in the national tax publication, The Journal of Taxation. Mr. Alter is a frequent lecturer to associations of certified public accountants, public accountants, lawyers and corporate tax managers on federal and state tax related topics.

Jim has over 25 years of professional experience in advising clients in the areas of ASC 450 (fka FAS 5), reverse sales and use tax audits, audit defense and appeal, sales tax systems automation, negotiation of voluntary compliance agreements, transaction analysis, Sarbanes/Oxley requirements, Streamlined Sales Tax Agreement and sales/use/excise tax compliance services. He assists numerous clients with complex indirect tax issues in industries including pharmaceutical, technology, retail, financial services, utilities, hospitality, entertainment, defense contractors, telecommunications and manufacturing. He is a leading sales and use tax specialist and developed trusted relationships with New Jersey and New York state government officials. He is a member of the New York State Society of CPAs and the NJCPA as well as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Richard Cram is the Director of the Multistate Tax Commission’s National Nexus Program in Washington, D.C. The National Nexus Program provides a Multistate Voluntary Disclosure Program that 37 states and the District of Columbia participate in. Cram has recently contributed articles to Tax Analysts State Tax Notes and has presented as a co-panelist at the Georgetown Law School Advanced State and Local Tax Institute and the Paul J. Hartman SALT Forum. Prior to his current position, Cram served for 15 years as the Director of Policy & Research in the Kansas Department of Revenue, and for 2 years as an attorney in the Legal Services Bureau of the Department, in Topeka, Kansas. He has worked as a research attorney for the Kansas Supreme Court, and practiced law as an associate in law firms in Chicago, Illinois and Goodland, Kansas. Cram graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law. He currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia.

Andrew works in KPMG’s State and Local Tax practice in the New York Metro office. Prior to starting at KPMG in 2010, Andrew served as judicial law clerk for Hon. Raymond A. Hayser, J.T.C. in the Tax Court of New Jersey.

Andrew has consulting and compliance experience with a wide range of state tax matters relating to his clients’ business needs. These matters include a broad array of income/franchise and indirect tax issues, such as providing analyses of various state tax laws and their impact on different business transactions, drafting memoranda in support of income/franchise protests before various state taxing authorities, and analyzing a large banking institution for unclaimed property exposure.

Jim is a shareholder at Kulzer & DiPadova, P.A. He is admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court, is a member of the Bar of the State of New Jersey, and is a member of the Camden County Bar Association, the New Jersey Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Jim is a member of the tax sections of the NJBA and the ABA. In addition, he is a former president of the NJCPA, and has served as chairperson of the State Taxation Interest Group. He is a past president of the Southwest Jersey Chapter Board of Directors. Jim is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and serves on AICPA Council, its governing body. He is also a member of the New Jersey Tax and Fiscal Policy Commission and chaired the New Jersey Corporation Business Tax Review Commission.

John Ficara has been functioning as the Director of the New Jersey Division of Taxation since January 4, 2016. The Director oversees a staff of more than 1,400 who are responsible for the administration, enforcement and collection of 42 individual and business tax types in the State of New Jersey. John was previously Director of Tax and Tax Counsel for Columbus McKinnon Corporation, a Buffalo based global manufacturer of material handling equipment. He also was Corporate Tax Counsel for BASF, a German based global chemical manufacturing company, with US operations based in Florham Park, New Jersey. He has over four decades of experience as a tax professional, including seven years with Ernst & Young, and he has been an Adjunct Professor of Tax in the Fairleigh Dickinson University Graduate Tax program. A licensed Certified Public Accountant and Attorney, John earned his Law Degree from the Fordham University School of Law, and his Master’s in Tax law Degree from the NYU Graduate Law School.

Honored as “Tax Lawyer of the Year” in 2011 by State Tax Notes, Jeff Friedman provides sophisticated state and local tax planning, strategic advice and advocacy to numerous Fortune 100 and industry- leading companies. His comprehensive practice includes state and local tax planning, compliance, legislation and policy, and litigation and controversy matters involving income, franchise, sales and use and property taxes. Jeff’s clients span a variety of industries, including e-commerce, energy, technology and telecommunications.

A recognized thought leader on state and local tax issues, Jeffrey Friedman works on high-profile and precedent-setting litigation and controversy matters across the country. These matters impact critical questions on nexus, apportionment, the Multistate Tax Compact and the equal protection, due process and commerce clauses of the United States Constitution. Mr. Friedman is also a well-respected advocate on issues of tax policy, including the taxation of digital economy transactions.

Prior to joining Sutherland, he was a partner in KPMG’s Washington national tax practice; served as an attorney-adviser in the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy, where he assisted with the development of the U.S. government's position on domestic and international electronic commerce tax issues; and served as vice president and counsel of the Committee (now Council) On State Taxation (COST).

James Fruscione is a career public servant with thirty years of experience in State government operations. As the Director of NJDORES, he is responsible for New Jersey's centralized tax return and payment processing facilities, as well as the State’s business registry and non-tax debt collection programs. He now serves as the Department of the Treasury’s Technology Officer as well.

Mr. Fruscione continues his efforts to employ digital technologies to deliver efficient and value-added services to the State’s business and taxpayer communities. In his role as Technology Officer, he seeks to use Treasury’s information technology platform to support Enterprise-level service innovation, enhanced performance and cost savings.

Mr. Fruscione earned a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from Rider University. He is a Certified Public Manager and Certified Information Professional. He has also earned certificates in citizen-driven performance management and electronic commerce.

Debra is a partner in the firm's State & Local Tax Practice. She is widely recognized for her experience in state and local taxation. Debra works with a variety of clients to address the state and local tax impact of their multistate activities from both a planning and an audit and controversy viewpoint and on complex transactions, with a focus on New York State tax matters. Debra counsels clients with respect to corporate income and franchise taxes, bank taxes, utility taxes, unincorporated business taxes, sales and use taxes, gross receipts taxes, excise taxes on real property transfers, rent and occupancy taxes, and withholding taxes. She also has extensive experience working with high-net-worth clients on residence and other personal income tax matters and successfully representing clients in all phases of tax disputes, including audits and litigation at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as criminal tax investigations.

Debra served as the chair of the State and Local Tax Committee of the New York City Bar Association. She is also a nationally recognized author on state tax topics. She co-authored the BNA Portfolio “New York Sales and Use Taxes” and a bi-monthly article on New York State and New York City taxation in the New York Law Journal and writes a monthly column in the Journal of Multistate Taxation and Incentives on state and local tax matters before the U.S. Supreme Court. Debra is a frequent speaker on state and local tax issues and has appeared before such groups as Tax Executives Institute, the Institute for Professionals in Taxation, the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. Debra has more than 16 years of experience representing clients in state tax audits and New York State and New York City tax litigation, obtaining federal and state rulings and advisory opinions, providing tax opinion letters, and assisting with voluntary disclosures and collection matters.