J. Richard Harvey

Distinguished Professor of Practice

Biography

   Since August 1, 2010, Dick Harvey has been the Distinguished Professor of Practice at the Villanova University School of Law School and Graduate Tax Program.  He also has over 40 years of multifaceted tax experience including: (i) Senior Government Official in the US Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service during the Reagan, Bush II, and Obama administrations; (ii) Tax Partner and Leader of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ US Banking and Capital Markets Tax Practice (retired); and (iii) professor at both Bucknell University and The College of New Jersey.   

Immediately prior to joining the Villanova faculty, Professor Harvey was the Senior Advisor to the IRS Commissioner advising on tax administration and policy issues.  He was a liaison with the US Treasury Department Office of Tax Policy, Congressional staff, and the Department of Justice, and also coordinated efforts among various IRS groups including the Chief Counsel’s Office and LB&I (formerly LMSB).  He was significantly involved in a wide range of issues including highly publicized IRS efforts to (i) address off-shore tax evasion, and (ii) increase transparency by business taxpayers.

In his role at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Professor Harvey provided CEOs, CFOs, and Tax Directors of the largest multi-national financial institutions with guidance and counsel regarding the leading tax and accounting issues.  He is a nationally recognized expert in the financial accounting for income taxes (e.g., FAS 109, FIN 48, and IFRS).  In addition, Professor Harvey provided extensive tax consulting advice to companies around the world on various technical tax issues.

From 1986 to 1988 Professor Harvey was the Senior Accountant in the U.S. Treasury Department, Office of Tax Policy, and participated extensively in the negotiation and implementation of the 1986 Tax Reform Act.  Professor Harvey is a frequent speaker, including major speeches to the Canadian Tax Foundation, Multistate Tax Commission, American Bar Association, Tax Executive Institute, Wall Street Tax Association, and Institute for International Bankers. 

Prof. Harvey has also testified before Congress on the international tax planning done by Apple, Inc. and other multinational companies. An expert in offshore tax operations by US multinational corporations, Professor Harvey appeared as a witness at the invitation of Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. In addition to Professor Harvey, witnesses included Timothy D. Cook (Chief Executive Officer, Apple, Inc.) and senior US Treasury officials. View a 4-minute highlight of his testimony, read his written testimony or listen to the entire oral history (13-minute opening statement begins at the 1:04:00 mark).