Elizabeth Askey Elizabeth is the Director of Ernst & Young's Northeast TCRMS practice. Liz joined the firm in September 2008, bringing twenty years of experience in counseling clients on a variety of domestic and international tax issues including tax accounting, research and development credits and energy industry tax issues.

Prior to joining Ernst & Young, Liz was a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, where she concentrated on resolving complex tax controversies for multinational corporations before the IRS Examination and Appeals Divisions and in litigation. Liz also represented clients in ruling requests before the IRS and in policy matters (both regulatory and legislative) before the US Department of the Treasury and the Congressional tax-writing committees.

From 1999 to 2002, Liz served in the Treasury Department's Office of Tax Policy, first as an Attorney-Advisor in the Office of Tax Legislative Counsel, and then as Associate Tax Legislative Counsel. During that time, Liz developed and reviewed Treasury regulations, revenue rulings, revenue procedures, and notices. She also drafted and reviewed legislative proposals involving tax policy; worked on a variety of projects in areas involving tax administration, tax accounting, and natural resources; and had primary responsibility for taxpayer confidentiality and disclosure matters, including interfacing with White House staff and other federal departments and agencies. In October 2000, Liz received a Special Act Award for her coordination of the Treasury Department's Study of and Report to the Congress on the Scope and Use of Taxpayer Confidentiality and Disclosure Provisions.

Liz also served as Tax Counsel, Litigation & Appeals, for General Electric Company from 1995-1999 and as a tax associate at Miller & Chevalier from 1990-1995.

Liz graduated from Bryn Mawr College, magna cum laude, and received her J.D. from Harvard Law School, cum laude. She is an active member of the American Bar Association's Section of Taxation, a frequent speaker on federal taxation issues, and author of numerous publications.

Maria Murphy is an Executive Director at Ernst & Young LLP and focuses on global information reporting and withholding (i.e., Forms 1099 and backup withholding and Forms 1042, 1042-S, 8804, and 8805 with respect to payments to non-U.S. persons). Maria has significant experience working with global financial institutions, including qualified intermediaries, and large multi-national corporations. She also has extensive experience in various other domestic and international issues including Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA), foreign bank account reporting (FBAR), foreign certifications (Forms 6166) and IRS practice and procedure.

Maria spent six (6) years as Senior Attorney with the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"), in Washington, D.C. and Southern California. She was responsible for litigating cases in the United States Tax Court and was responsible for assisting the Department of Justice on tax matters litigated in the United States District Court and the Court of Claims.

Maria served as Assistant Tax Counsel for a fortune-500 company in Southern California where she was responsible for the representing the Company at IRS examinations on domestic and international tax positions. She also provided tax planning advice on corporate matters.

Maria is a member of the bar in California, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She is a former member of the IRS' Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee (IRPAC) and is a former member of the AICPA Regulations Committee of the Board of Examiners, which is responsible for the content and review of the tax and business law questions administered on the CPA examination. Maria is also an active member in various bar associations and was an adjunct professor at Howard University. She received her BBA-Accounting at Howard University, her JD at Widener University School of Law and her LLM.-Taxation at Georgetown Law Center.

Deborah Pflieger is a member of Ernst & Young LLP's Banking & Capital Markets Sector practice and the leader of the information reporting and withholding group. Debbie advises clients on information reporting and withholding, assisting them in determining and complying with their many obligations in this area. Debbie focuses on both domestic reporting and withholding issues (Forms 1099 and backup withholding) and nonresident alien reporting and withholding issues (Forms 1042-S and Sec. 1441 withholding).

Prior to joining Ernst & Young, Debbie was a managing director at another Big Four accounting firm, where she spent more than 18 years as a tax professional. Debbie has many clients in the financial services industry. She also works with non-financial institution payers who face significant information reporting and withholding challenges.

Debbie served as a member of the Internal Revenue Service's Information Reporting and Advisory Committee from 1997 through 1999. She was chair of the committee in 1998. She also is a past chair of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' Relations with the IRS Committee and was the chair of the Tax Shelter Regulations Task Force.

Debbie received a B.S. in Government from Georgetown University, a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University. She was an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center where she taught Federal Tax Practice and Procedure in the LL.M. program. Debbie is a popular speaker for external groups that focus on information reporting issues.