Charles Rettig (JD '81) to be Nominated as IRS Commissioner

Pepperdine Law alumnus and California tax attorney, Charles Rettig (JD ’81), is set to be nominated by President Donald Trump as IRS Commissioner. Rettig would succeed current acting commissioner, David Kautter, who took over as interim commissioner in November of 2017.

Steven Miller, a former acting IRS commissioner, told The Wall Street Journal, “Mr. Rettig comes from the ‘old-school model’ of a tax lawyer as commissioner. I have nothing but good things to say about Chuck.”

From Bloomberg Politics:

Rettig, who has been with Beverly Hills-based Hochman, Salkin, Rettig, Toscher & Perez for 35 years, would succeed former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. If confirmed by the Senate, Rettig would join the agency as it struggles with limited resources and a possible restructuring by Congress. Adjusting for inflation, the Taxpayer Advocate Service estimates the IRS budget has been cut by 20 percent since 2010. Unlike the last several IRS heads, Rettig has a tax background, rather than business management expertise. In his law practice, Rettig has represented clients before the IRS, the Justice Department’s Tax Division, state tax authorities and in federal and state courts, according to a biography on his law firm’s website. Rettig has also represented scores of U.S. taxpayers seeking to disclose their unreported offshore bank accounts to the IRS.