People in Tax Podcast

Ken Kies reflects on his nearly 50-year career in tax law, including his work on major tax legislation, leadership roles in private practice, and service as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Tax Policy and Acting IRS Chief Counsel.

In this episode of the People in Tax Podcast, Will Dixon, a managing director at Citigroup Global Markets, discusses his unconventional career path from Wall Street trader to tax attorney and ultimately investment banker. He explains how his role combines tax knowledge, financial expertise, and collaboration across disciplines to help clients evaluate complex transactions, while highlighting the importance of professional organizations, mentorship, and strong relationships. He also reflects on integrating professional and personal commitments, lifelong learning, and the evolving landscape of international taxation, particularly global tax cooperation under Pillar Two.

Nathan Richman, a senior legal reporter at Tax Notes Today Federal and a trained tax lawyer, discusses his unconventional path into journalism and his approach to covering tax administration, enforcement, litigation, and emerging legal developments. He emphasizes translating complex tax issues into clear, accessible language, building trust with sources while maintaining journalistic independence, and using creative storytelling to make technical topics relevant to a broad audience. Looking ahead, he highlights the impact of Loper Bright and pandemic-related tax deadline extensions, advising aspiring tax journalists to write frequently to develop their skills.

Tony Tuths, a KPMG tax expert, discusses the evolution of cryptocurrency taxation, explaining how blockchain, tokenization, and smart contracts are transforming financial markets while creating complex tax challenges. He highlights key IRS guidance on digital assets, the new broker reporting requirements, and unresolved issues involving tokenized securities, AI-driven trading, and tracking cost basis across platforms. Tuths emphasizes that the most urgent priority is closing the digital asset tax information gap through clearer regulations and more reliable transaction reporting, with the long-term potential for real-time tax reporting using blockchain technology.

In this episode of the ABA Tax Section's People in Tax podcast, Shail Shah discusses his career path from federal transactional tax at EY to California state and local tax controversy, working in government at the Franchise Tax Board and in private practice at accounting and law firms. He emphasizes the importance of staying flexible, developing technical expertise, building professional relationships, and participating in tax organizations to support career growth. Looking ahead, he is particularly interested in how artificial intelligence will transform tax practice and government agencies' handling of tax controversies.