Federation of Tax Administrators

The Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA) was organized in 1937 to improve the quality of state tax administration by providing services to state tax authorities and administrators. These services include research and information exchange, training, and intergovernmental and interstate coordination. FTA also represents the interests of state tax administrators before federal policymakers where appropriate. 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 also conducts research projects in such areas as state tax policies and structures, compliance and enforcement programs, and federal and state court decisions. FTA works with state tax agencies and the Internal Revenue Service to foster cooperative tax administration projects among states and with IRS. In recent years, most of these efforts have involved assisting states in applying emerging technologies to tax administration as well as to simplify the administration of current taxes on a multistate basis. Activities in this area include promoting uniformity in the administration of motor fuel taxation, leading national efforts to develop standard formats and procedures to facilitate the filing of state tax returns and remittances using electronic means, coordinating the joint electronic filing of state and federal individual income tax returns and working with states and taxpayers to assess the impact of new business processes on tax administration.