Dave Kautter Returns to RSM as Federal Specialty Tax Leader

Dave Kautter Returns to RSM as Federal Specialty Tax Leader

CHICAGO – (August 2, 2021) – RSM US LLP (“RSM”) – the nation’s leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market – is pleased to announce Dave Kautter has rejoined the firm as its federal specialty tax leader.

Kautter returns after serving the U.S. Department of the Treasury as its assistant secretary for tax policy for three and a half years ending January 2021. As the Treasury Department’s top tax policy official, he was instrumental in designing and implementing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA). He also served as acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service for 11 months ending October 2018, making him the only person ever to serve simultaneously as the Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for tax policy and the acting commissioner of the IRS.

Kautter led RSM’s Washington National Tax practice for three years before departing to join the Treasury Department. Now, he will focus on growing RSM’s federal specialty tax services.

“The time I spent with RSM prior to joining the Treasury Department was one of the most rewarding periods of my career,” said Kautter. “I admire the firm’s leadership, its strategy and its culture. Those are the three key factors in my decision to return. The opportunity to again work with RSM tax professionals to help clients understand the federal tax rules and implement appropriate tax planning strategies that will help their business succeed is very compelling.”

In Kautter’s new role, he will collaborate with RSM practice leaders regionally and nationally, while working closely with fellow members of the firm’s tax leadership team to develop and execute overall federal tax strategy.

“Dave’s experience, tax knowledge and leadership are unique, and we are beyond fortunate to have him join us and help middle market companies navigate the federal tax landscape,” said E.J. Nedder, national tax leader with RSM US LLP. “He will have a profound impact on strengthening our client relationships, driving growth, and maximizing benefits for the middle market because of his strong passion and entrepreneurial spirit to lead growing and innovative tax teams.”    

Additional components of Kautter’s new role include leading the development of tax service models and helping to deploy them as part of integrated go-to-market strategies. He also will contribute to national and global tax policy efforts, including webcasts, thought leadership, and strategic opportunities for business development.

During Kautter’s time at the Treasury Department, he was the senior government official responsible for implementation of the TCJA. With respect to implementing TCJA, his responsibilities included updating all individual and business federal tax forms, instructions and publications; and reprograming of all IRS internal and public technology systems. More than 530 pieces of administrative guidance were issued to implement the TCJA.

Kautter was a senior advisor to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on tax policies in response to the coronavirus pandemic and was the senior government official charged with implementing tax provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, including issuance of the first two rounds of economic impact payments.

Kautter first came to RSM in 2014 as partner-in-charge of Washington National Tax. As the practice’s strategic and operational leader, he cultivated a proactive, client-oriented approach supported by deep technical knowledge, standardized business processes and advanced technical tax knowledge sharing.

Before joining the firm, Kautter was the managing director of the Kogod Tax Center at American University, a nonpartisan research institute focused on tax issues affecting small businesses, entrepreneurs and middle-income taxpayers. Prior to that, he was the director of national tax and the national director for human resource services consulting for a Big Four accounting firm, where he was also lead specialist in the taxation of compensation and benefits for more than 20 years.

Kautter holds a B.B.A. in accounting, with high honors, from the University of Notre Dame, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. He is a certified public accountant, licensed in the District of Columbia, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is also a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the American Bar Association, and is a Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel. He is based in Washington, D.C.