PPAI Public Affairs Director Anne Stone joined the Incentive Manufacturers & Representatives Alliance (IMRA) in Memphis, Tennessee, this week to speak at its 2018 Marketing Conference.

Stone provided a high-level review of recent tax reform and focused specifically on its impact on the rewards and incentive marketplace. She also spoke about how this legislation affects small and mid-sized companies.

In her presentation, Stone explained the odyssey of section 274(j) in the tax code during the tax reform process. Section 274(j), first enacted in 1986, provides favorable tax treatment for qualifying awards and recognition programs. In the first, House-passed version of the tax bill, 274(j) was eliminated. It was retained in the Senate’s version. The reconciled version of the tax bill, which President Trump signed into law, also retained 274(j). Stone credits its preservation to targeted lobbying by the Incentive Federation, an umbrella organization for the incentive field. PPAI is a member of the Incentive Marketing Association, one of the organizations under the Federation umbrella.

In concluding her presentation, Stone shared what is ahead for PPAI in its legislative outreach, including leading a coalition of industry professionals for face-to-face lobbying in Washington, D.C., during PPAI’s Legislative Education and Advocacy Day (L.E.A.D.) in May.