July 17, 2024 | Claire Hall

White House Taps Expertise of Professor Plesko and Two UConn Alumnae

Accounting Professor George Plesko along with two UConn Ph.D. graduates, now professors in their own right, traveled to Washington, D.C. last month to present the results of their highly regarded corporate tax research to the White House Council of Economic Advisors.

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC (istockphoto.com)

Accounting Professor George Plesko along with two UConn Ph.D. graduates, now professors in their own right, traveled to Washington, D.C. last month to present the results of their highly regarded corporate tax research to the White House Council of Economic Advisors.

Plesko, who has served on IRS advisory panels for more than 30 years, has regularly participated in policy discussions with Congressional and Treasury experts.

George Plesko, Professor of Accounting and Department Head (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)

But this presentation was particularly memorable because it was conducted jointly with UConn accounting alumnae Danielle Higgins Green ’13 Ph.D., a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Erin Henry ’14 Ph.D. professor at the University of Arkansas.

“It is always a pleasure to have your research recognized by people in policy design and analysis,’’ Plesko said. “But it was especially gratifying to share this experience with former students given the profile of the audience.”

Erin Henry ’14 PhD, left, a professor at the University of Arkansas and Danielle Green ’13, a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The researchers, who also included Caitlin McGovern of the IRS, discussed the findings from their recent work, “The Demographics of the CAMT: Insights from Tax Return Data,’’ which was published in June in the National Tax Journal. The lunchtime meeting took place in front of some 20 members of the Council and its staff at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, adjacent to the West Wing of the White House. The Council advises the president on economic issues, including tax policy.

The study examined the potential effects of the Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax (CAMT) which was enacted in 2023. The law was designed to close tax loopholes that allow some corporations to significantly reduce their federal income tax liability. The government estimated that the law could affect 150 of the world’s largest companies and add more than $220 billion to U.S. government coffers over 10 years. Plesko and his co-authors found that CAMT revenues could vary significantly from year to year owing to changes in the demographics of the affected firms.