The Davie/Davis Public Service Award was created in 2005 in memory
of two long-time National Tax Association members, Bruce F. Davie and
Albert J. Davis.
Although he began as an academic, Bruce Davie spent the majority of
his almost forty-year career in public service. He served as chief
economist of the Ways and Means Committee during the development and
enactment of the landmark Tax Reform Act of 1986, and subsequently in
the executive branch in the Department of the Treasury. He played an
instrumental role in the development of many tax policies and analyses,
especially in the areas of tax-exempt bonds, tax expenditures, and tax
shelters, and was known for his witty and insightful presentations at
NTA conferences. The NTA honored Davie's many contributions to the
analysis of tax issues at the May 2004 symposium, and articles relating
to his interests can be found in the September 2004 issue of the
National Tax Journal.
After a brief stint at the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental
Relations, A1 Davis spent the remainder of his career on Capitol Hill.
He served for many years as a tax economist at the House Budget
Committee, and in the mid-1990s became chief economist for the Democrats
at the Ways and Means Committee. Davis was an expert on virtually all
aspects of individual and corporate income taxation, and was among the
first analysts to point out the problems that would eventually arise
from an ever-expanding alternative minimum tax. He was especially known
for bringing his wit and intelligence to bear in exposing budget scams
and introducing thorough economic analysis into political debates. The
National Tax Association honored Davis with a session at the Fall 2003
meetings.
The Davie-Davis Award honors NTA members who have followed Bruce F.
Davie and Albert J. Davis in serving the public through the provision of
insightful analyses and objective advice on issues of taxation and
government finance to elected officials, other policymakers, and the
general public. The 2011 recipient of the Davie/Davis Public Service
Award is:
Emil M. Sunley
Retired, formerly Assistant Director in the Fiscal Affairs
Department, International Monetary Fund, and Deputy Assistant Secretary
for Tax Policy, U. S. Department of the Treasury
The recipients of the Davie/Davis Public Service Award have been:
2010 Harry Grubert
2009 James Nunns
2008 Eric Toder
2007 Jane Gravelle
2006 Seymour Fiekowsky
2005 Eugene Steuerle