David Kautter becomes interim IRS chief in controversial move
International Tax Review is part of the Delinian Group, Delinian Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX, Registered in England & Wales, Company number 00954730
Copyright © Delinian Limited and its affiliated companies 2024

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

David Kautter becomes interim IRS chief in controversial move

People Move thumbnail

In a divisive move, the Trump administration has appointed former EY executive David Kautter as the interim head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in place of outgoing commissioner John Koskinen.



Kautter will undertake his new role while also serving as the assistant secretary of the Treasury for tax policy at the same time.

He was appointed after the Republicans could not settle on who would take over from Koskinen.

As IRS commissioner, Koskinen faced intense opposition from the Republican Party. This went as far as an attempt to impeach Koskinen in 2015. Eventually the impeachment effort was dropped and Koskinen served the remainder of his term.

Before putting on two hats at the IRS, Kautter was a partner at RSM US for two years and served as managing director of the tax centre at the Kogod School of Business for four years. This was after more than 35 years at EY and its predecessor Arthur Young. Kautter has experience advising a senator on tax affairs, securities and banking regulation.

However, Kautter’s appointment has not been uncontroversial. During Kautter’s time as EY’s national director, four professionals at the Big 4 firm faced allegations of running an illegal tax shelter scheme for around 200 clients. While four of the practitioners were convicted in 2010, two of the sentences were overturned. EY paid the IRS $123 million in a settlement. It should be noted that Kautter was never charged, but his appointment could raise concerns at a time of heightened scrutiny over politicians and their affairs.

The US Treasury Department picked David Kautter to be acting director until the next candidate for commissioner can be nominated and face congressional scrutiny. The interim period could last for 120 to 190 days before a new appointment is made.



more across site & bottom lb ros

More from across our site

Despite the relief, Brazil’s government has also presented a bill which seeks to re-impose a tax burden on companies’ payroll, one local tax specialist told ITR
Jeremy Brown arrives at the firm after a near 16-year career with Deloitte
PwC could elect a woman into the senior leadership position for the first time; in other news, KPMG Australia has extended its CEO’s term
The Senate report into PwC’s scandal is titled ‘The cover up worsens the crime’
Law firms that are conscious of their role in society are more likely to win work, according to a survey of over 23,000 in-house professionals
The firm’s tax business generated a quarter of HLB’s overall revenues in 2023
While successful pillar two implementation will require collaboration across all units, a combination of internal and external tax advice is at the centre of the effort
Binance has also been accused of manipulating foreign exchange rates via currency speculation and rate-fixing
Six individuals should have raised questions over information they received but did not breach professional standards, according to the firm
The partnership of KPMG UK has installed Holt for a second term as CEO and senior partner; in other news, a Baker McKenzie partner has sued the IRS
Gift this article