contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . june 2012 learn how and when to remove this template message council on state taxation cost type trade association founded washington d.c. u.s. 1969 1969 headquarters washington d.c. united states area served north america website http www.cost.org the council on state taxation cost is a state tax organization representing business taxpayers noted by one prominent tax policy expert who as the most influential nongovernmental organization in the state tax policy arena . attribution needed cost is a non profit trade association based in washington d.c. consisting of nearly 600 multistate corporations engaged in interstate and international business . 1 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 . 1 in 2000 the organization changed its name to council on state taxation . 1 cost s objective is to preserve and promote equitable and nondiscriminatory state and local taxation of multijurisdictional business entities . 2 contents 1 membership 2 education 3 advocacy 4 public policy goals 5 publications 6 references 7 external links membership edit 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 edit cost offers education opportunities . 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 edit 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 the federation of tax administrators 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 edit 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 . 3 to this end cost has offered continuing education 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 . 3 publications edit 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 . references edit a b c turner timothy j. 2005 local government e disclosure & comparisons lanham maryland university press of america pp. 124 292 isbn 978 0 7618 3071 9 oclc 58676688 a b nash shannon king ; djordjevich edited by vera ; vault the staff of 2004 vault guide to tax law careers new york ny vault pp. 117 155 isbn 978 1 58131 273 7 oclc 55067323 a b c cost public policy objectives pdf . council on state taxation . retrieved 2016 06 26 . external links edit cost website retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title council on state taxation & oldid 740787030 categories organizations established in 1969industry trade groups based in the united statesstate taxation in the united stateshidden categories articles with a promotional tone from june 2012all articles with a promotional toneall articles with specifically marked weasel worded phrasesarticles with 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