The Council on State Taxation (COST) is a state tax organization representing business taxpayers, noted by one prominent tax policy expert as the “most influential nongovernmental organization in the state tax policy arena.” COST is a non-profit

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 trade association

Industry trade group

A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...

 based in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 consisting of nearly 600 multistate corporations engaged in interstate

Interstate

An Interstate is a type of high-speed, limited-access highway in the United StatesInterstate may also refer to:-Media:*Interstate 60 , a metaphysical comedy/drama road film...

 and international business

International Business

International business is a term used to collectively describe all commercial transactions that take place between two or more regions, countries and nations beyond their political boundary...

. COST was formed in 1969 as the "Committee on State Taxation" by a handful of companies under the sponsorship of the Council of State Chambers of Commerce, an organization with which COST remains associated. In 2000, the organization changed its name to "Council on State Taxation". COST’s objective is to preserve and promote equitable and nondiscriminatory state and local taxation of multijurisdictional business entities.

Membership

COST membership is exclusive, only multistate businesses that are not engaged in tax advising or consulting may apply for membership. As a member of COST, a business will have access to the following benefits:

• Participation in COST's renowned conferences and schools
• Access to a national network of corporate state tax professionals sharing technical knowledge
• Able to shape and benefit from COST's legislative, regulatory and judicial advocacy
• Tax savings as a result of identifying tax saving opportunities.

Education

COST offers high quality education opportunities, featuring the hottest topics, delivered by the nations’ most recognized experts. COST events include:

• SALT Basics School
• Sales Tax Conference and Audit Session
• Spring Audit Session and Income Tax Conference
• Intermediate Sales and Use Tax School
• Intermediate State Income Tax School
• Annual Meeting (including Members-Only Audit Sessions, Tax Policy Conference & Legal Symposium)
• Approximately 40 Regional Meetings held in cities throughout the U.S.

All COST programs qualify with state boards of accountancy and state bar associations for continuing education credits.

Advocacy

COST's advocacy program is oriented toward active involvement on state tax issues of broad importance to the membership. COST advocates on behalf of its membership in the legislative, judicial and administrative arenas. State and local government policymakers rely heavily on COST staff in formulating, implementing, and changing the state tax landscape. COST's reputation as the nationwide voice of corporate taxpayers has garnered respect from the leadership of the National Conference of State Legislatures

National Conference of State Legislatures

The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan non-governmental organization established in 1975 to serve the members and staff of state legislatures of the United States...

, the Federation of Tax Administrators, the National Governors Association

National Governors Association

The National Governors Association , founded in 1908 as the National Governors' Conference, is funded primarily by state dues, federal grants and contracts and private contributions. NGA represents the governors of the fifty U.S. states and five U.S. territories The National Governors Association...

, and even the Multistate Tax Commission. COST's involvement in an issue on behalf of its corporate membership signals to state leaders that the issue is one of importance. COST also serves as a resource on business tax issues to other organizations, including State Chambers of Commerce and state taxpayer associations, as those groups develop strategies to address complex state tax matters.
COST disseminates information on pertinent legislative, judicial and regulatory developments through regular publications, and coordinates advocacy activities with members and other sympathetic parties. COST files amicus briefs with state and federal courts, provides testimony (oral and written) before legislative and administrative bodies, meets regularly with state policymakers, and brings together interested members to enhance advocacy activities on targeted issues.

Public policy goals

1. COST will educate policymakers and the public regarding the state and local tax system and business’ direct and indirect contributions to the state and local tax system. COST will further educate policymakers and the public regarding the state and local tax system’s impact on business, jobs and investment.
   • To this end, COST has offered continuing education
     Continuing education
     Continuing education is an all-encompassing term within a broad spectrum of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada...
     
     instruction related to state and local taxes.
2. COST will regularly evaluate the state and local tax system to determine whether the statutes, rules, legal decisions and policies governing tax administration are fair, efficient and customer-focused.
3. COST will work to improve tax administration where it is not fair, efficient and customer-focused. Wherever possible, COST will see to partner on these efforts with the Federation of Tax Administrators, the Multistate Tax Commission, the National Conference of State Legislatures and other representatives of state and local governments.

Publications

Since its inception COST has been a leading source for state tax information critical to its members. COST strives to increase communication among the membership. COST utilizes electronic broadcast email to keep members informed of the most important issues. COST newsletters are distributed to COST members for free on a weekly basis. Those newsletters include:

• COST Conscious – The purpose of COST Conscious is to communicate timely information about COST accomplishments, upcoming activities or services, and membership activities, as well as important technical information on cases, legislation and regulations.
• COST Practitioner Connection – A bi-weekly publication summarizing articles posted by COST Practitioner Connection members (over 80 law, accounting and consulting firms). This publication also includes a listing of upcoming events offered by practitioners.
• Legislative Alert- The primary legislative communication device is COST’s Legislative Alert – an email service that highlights the significant business tax proposals at state capitals and the politics and personalities driving them. Many companies rely on the Legislative Alert as a SOX 404 control mechanism.
• Events Outlook- This publication highlights and announces all upcoming COST Regional Meetings, Task Force Meetings, Conferences and Schools.