Bloomberg Tax today announced that William D. Townsend, Bruce P. Ely, and Steven N.J. Wlodychak are the recipients of its 2017 state tax awards, which were presented at a recent ceremony in New York City. Townsend was named the recipient of the Franklin C. Latcham Award for Distinguished Service in State and Local Taxation, and Ely and Wlodychak were honored as the State Tax Authors of the Year.
Townsend, with over forty years of service to the tax community and to our tax system, formerly served as the General Counsel of the Florida Department of Revenue and has been a central figure in the state and local tax (SALT) world through private practice in law firms. He serves as co-chair of the National Multistate Tax Symposium and is a member of the advisory boards of both the NYU Annual Tax Conference and the Georgetown University Annual Tax Seminar.
"I am thrilled to see Bill recognized for his exemplary service," said George Farrah, Editorial Director, Bloomberg Tax. "He has been such a go-to resource for the SALT community and is greatly respected by his peers. His practical perspectives and guidance have provided immense value to our subscribers."
"I am greatly honored to be included in the ranks of those who have received this award, many of whom are close and dear friends," said Townsend. "From civil rights law to General Counsel of the Florida Department of Revenue to private practice, I have met many wonderful, intelligent, remarkable people, and to a large degree, this award is a testimony to them as well as my career."
The State Tax Author of the Year award was presented to Bruce P. Ely, and Steven N.J. Wlodychak for their practice-oriented contributions to Bloomberg Tax's Pass-Through Entity Navigator, which launched in July. The first of its kind Pass-Through Navigator features state tax analysis and planning points for more than 1,700 topics, with the ability to easily compare and contrast different states' positions.
"It is a tremendous honor to receive this prestigious award, which I am proud to share with my co-editor and friend, Steve Wlodychak" said Ely. "We're very proud of this work, and we truly hope it provides support to SALT practitioners navigating the myriad state-level tax issues faced by pass-through entities."
Ely is a partner with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, where he co-chairs the firm's State & Local Tax practice. He also served as chair of the New York University Institute on State and Local Taxation.
"It was an incredible honor that Bloomberg Tax asked me to develop the Pass-Through Entity Navigator and I'm most grateful to receive this award," added Wlodychak.
Wlodychak is a Principal with Ernst & Young's Indirect (State and Local) Tax Practice. He is the state and local tax (SALT) leader of its Center for Tax Policy, coordinating the firm's point of view on emerging state and local tax legislative, judicial, and administrative issues, and a leader of its state and local transactions tax practice.
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