Not-so-secret identity: Wayne Law professor masquerades as VATMAN

By Sheila Pursglove Legal News If it's true that nothing is certain but death and taxes, then Alan Schenk certainly picked the right field, devoting his academic career to tax law and traveling the globe as an expert on value added tax (VAT). The Wayne State University law professor has taught tax law for more than four decades since the days when the law school was located in the old Cass building-- and livens a possibly dull topic with his own tongue-in-cheek attitude, entertaining students with his alter ego "VATMAN." Schenk, who earned his bachelor's degree and LL.B. from the University of Illinois, and his LL.M in Taxation from New York University, joined the WSU faculty in 1966, where he served as associate dean in the mid '70s. "I worked for an international accounting firm, thought about teaching accounting, and then went to law school to learn more tax," he says. "I tell my colleagues and students that taxation is the most important course in law school. It bears on all areas of the law, whether our students practice criminal law, handle personal injuries or divorces, or advise labor or business. "Tax generally affects most public policy issues. Lawyers must have a basic understanding of our tax system in order to identify the issues that come up in everyday practice." Schenk taught a portion of the VAT course at Harvard Law School for several years, co-taught the Consumption Tax course at the University of Michigan Law School, was a visiting professor at the Iowa and San Diego law schools, and adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School of York University in Toronto, and the University of Windsor Faculty of Law. The Chicago native has shared his VAT expertise around the U.S. and abroad, teaching a basic and master's VAT course at the University of Pretoria, South Africa; in Taiwan; and in China where he served as a foreign expert on tax reform. "When I travel to draft tax laws, I'm given the opportunity to learn, firsthand, about the policies and priorities of the countries that I assist, and what it takes to get new laws enacted," he says. "International travel also provides a perspective on what others think about us Americans as a people and a nation." It was during a year's sabbatical in England, observing Parliament's debate and enactment of the VAT, that "VATMAN" was born. "I was attracted by the VATMAN silkscreen in the window of an office supply store," he says. "Later, my wife gave me the "VATMAN1" Michigan license plate - "VATMAN" was already taken." He has written five books on VAT, including one on the British VAT, one on the Canadian goods and services tax (GST), and co-authored "Value Added Tax: A Comparative Approach," covering material from the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Brazil, and other countries. He served as reporter for a model VAT statute for the U.S., prepared by the American Bar Association Tax Section VAT committee, chaired that committee, and testified before the U.S. Congress on tax reform and alternative tax systems, including VAT. He serves as Technical Advisor for the International Monetary Fund, drafting and reviewing legislative proposals for sales and VAT for countries in Africa and the Caribbean, and emerging economies of Eastern Europe, and has served as an expert on VAT in international arbitrations. He serves on the editorial board of The VAT Monitor published by the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation, lectures on corporate tax matters, and was professor-in-residence in the Office of the Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C. A member of the Michigan and Illinois bars, U.S. Tax Court, and U.S. Supreme Court and also a Certified Public Accountant, Schenk teaches Taxation, Business Planning, Consumption-Based Tax and Accounting for Lawyers. Schenk has thoroughly enjoyed his 45-year career at WSU, where he received the distinguished faculty award from the Michigan Association of Governing Boards of State Universities; WSU President's Award for Excellence in Teaching; was co-recipient of the students' Best Teacher Award; and was a two-time winner of the law alumni's Donald Gordon Award for Teaching Excellence. "I've enjoyed the relationships I've established with colleagues and former students," he says. "Many of my colleagues are not only co-workers, but friends. I've also benefited from the support I've received from family and the law school over the years and the flexibility to pursue my professional and teaching interests. "It's hard to believe that 45 years has passed, since I still feel and work like I did 20 years ago. Wayne Law is a wonderful place to work. I've taught many places, but I always return to Wayne, in large part because of our students. We have traditionally had a diverse student body, consisting of many children of immigrants or children of families without lawyers. It's the intangible rewards that I continue to receive from my students that prompt me to resist any temptation to retire." In his spare time, Schenk enjoys travel, reading, "and 'observing' sports that I could never master." He also enjoys spending time with family. "My wife Betty and I are extraordinarily lucky. We have three very different, successful sons, with not only bright, independent wives who are wonderful mothers, but their wives' terrific families that also have become our friends." Published: Tue, Jun 14, 2011

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