NJ Division of Taxation Update (E1909459)

John Ficara has been functioning as the Director of the New Jersey Division of Taxation since January 4, 2016. The Director oversees a staff of more than 1,400 who are responsible for the administration, enforcement and collection of 42 individual and business tax types in the State of New Jersey. John was previously Director of Tax and Tax Counsel for Columbus McKinnon Corporation, a Buffalo based global manufacturer of material handling equipment. He also was Corporate Tax Counsel for BASF, a German based global chemical manufacturing company, with US operations based in Florham Park, New Jersey. He has over four decades of experience as a tax professional, including seven years with Ernst & Young, and he has been an Adjunct Professor of Tax in the Fairleigh Dickinson University Graduate Tax program. A licensed Certified Public Accountant and Attorney, John earned his Law Degree from the Fordham University School of Law, and his Master’s in Tax law Degree from the NYU Graduate Law School.

Mr. Kline joined the NJ Division of Taxation in October 2016. He currently serves as Counsel to the Director. He is responsible for tax controversy, audit, legislative, regulatory and general legal matters. He leads the Division’s CBT Working Group, which is responsible for implementing the 2018 and 2020 statutory changes to the NJ Corporate Business Tax – including combined reporting. The CBT Working Group also played a significant role in drafting and finalizing recently issued CBT regulations and guidance.

Mr. Kline has a BA (Magna Cum Laude) from the George Washington University, a JD from Seton Hall, and an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University. After serving as a law clerk for the United States Tax Court, he worked as an attorney with the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service, and was promoted to the position of special trial attorney. While at the IRS, Mr. Kline served as a special attorney for the United States Department of Justice – Tax Division on a special extended detail litigating complex refund cases involving tax shelters. He also served as the IRS Industry Counsel for Mergers and Acquisitions in the Service’s Industry Specialization Program. Mr. Kline has litigated cases for the IRS and the Department of Justice before the United States Tax Court, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and in Federal District Court.