Screenshot from http://www.china.org.cn/

Kane County will play host to a delegation from Guangdong Province next week to help a Chinese taxation bureau learn a little more about best practices in the United States.

Kane County Supervisor of Assessments Mark Armstrong received an email Monday (Dec. 1, 2014) from the 21st Century Institute in Oak Brook asking whether the county might help a delegation of 23 government officials learn more about tax data qualification and assessment.

“They are interested in visiting Kane County government to learn about county government tax policy and collection,” said Sussy Xu, office manager for the 21st Century Institute.

Specifically, their topics of interest include county government tax collection, calculation, processing, assessments, policy, regulation and quality management.

They’re hoping for overviews from Armstrong, Kane County Clerk John A. Cunningham and Kane County Treasurer David Rickert.

The meeting with the representatives of the Guangdong Provincial Local Taxation Bureau is set for the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 9. The Who’s Who list of attendees includes local directors, section chiefs and deputy chiefs from taxing bodies throughout the region.

Guangdong is the most populous and one of the most important provinces of China, with an area of 68,688 square miles and a population of more than 105 million in 2011. The provincial capital, Guangzhou, and economic hub Shenzhen are key contributors to the Chinese economy.

Their host, the 21st Century Institute in Oak Brook, is a nonprofit organization promoting international exchange programs between China and the U.S.

“We have very strong relations with Chinese governmental agencies, academic institutions and businesses and North America, including (but not limited to) the city of Chicago, DuPage County, Cook County, Will County, Kane County, Illinois state government,  the U.S. Department of Commerce, University of Chicago and Motorola,” its website says.

The delegation is coming to the right place for taxation advice.

Armstrong, a State Certified General Real Estate Appraiser,  has served as Kane County supervisor of assessments since 2006 and is a member of the International Association of Assessing Officers, a Practicing Affiliate of the Appraisal Institute, and a member of the County Assessment Officers Association of Illinois, where he chairs the Legislative and Policy Committee.

Cunningham, an attorney, has served as Kane County clerk since 2002. He previously served as an Aurora city commissioner and chairman of the Aurora Board of Local Improvements from 1965 to 1973, chairman of the Aurora Civil Service Commission from 1982 to 1986, and Adjutant General of the Aurora Navy League from 2003 to 2005.

Rickert, a Certified Public Accountant, has been Kane County treasurer since 1998 and has experience as a senior auditor with American General Corporation and a senior accountant with USLIFE Credit Life Corporation.