RILA names VP tax policy

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association announced that Kirt Johnson will join the association as VP tax policy.

An expert with nearly 30 years of experience navigating tax policy on Capitol Hill and in the private sector, Johnson will lead RILA’s tax agenda, including the pursuit of comprehensive tax reform. Johnson also will provide support to RILA’s aggressive campaign to level the playing field in terms of sales tax collection between Main Street retailers and their online competitors.

Johnson, who officially joins RILA this week, also will staff the RILA tax committee, which is comprised of senior-level tax executives from America’s largest retailers.

“We are pleased to welcome Kirt Johnson to our team. As a seasoned expert in tax policy with outstanding legislative and professional experience, Kirt brings invaluable leadership, talent and insight to our organization and will be a strong advocate for the retail industry,” RILA president Sandy Kennedy said.

Johnson has spent more than two decades on Capitol Hill serving in a number of senior roles including tenures as chief of staff and tax counsel for Congressman Phil Crane, R-Ill., and most recently as chief of staff to Congressman Sean Duffy, R-Wis. In 2002, Johnson founded KCJ Consulting, where he advised clients on tax and trade policy. Immediately before founding KCJ Consulting, Johnson served as a director of the federal tax policy group for PricewaterhouseCoopers.