Watson M. McLeish

Senior Vice President, Tax Policy

Watson McLeish is senior vice president for Tax Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he serves as the primary adviser on all tax policy-related matters. This includes the development of tax policy positions, advocacy on tax issues, and coordination of efforts to influence tax legislation and regulations.

Watson previously served as tax counsel at Tax Executives Institute, Inc. (TEI), where he supported the advocacy and educational activities of TEI’s Tax Reform Task Force, Federal Tax Committee, and Canadian Income Tax Committee. He was responsible for advancing TEI’s advocacy priorities on Capitol Hill and with the Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Policy and the IRS. Watson performed the same role in Canada before Parliament, the Department of Finance’s Tax Policy Branch, and the Canada Revenue Agency.

In addition, Watson facilitated TEI conferences and seminars throughout the U.S. and Canada bringing together members, tax practitioners, and policymakers. He also served as contributing editor to Tax Executive, the professional journal of TEI.

Before joining TEI in 2017, Watson was a member of the National Tax Department– International Tax Services practice at Ernst & Young LLP, where he advised both domestic and foreign clients on a wide range of U.S. federal income tax law and policy issues related to international business transactions.

Watson is as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches a graduate-level seminar on tax research and writing. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Elizabeth, and three-year-old daughter, Blythe.

Authored Content

Sep 30, 2024
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce strongly supports the legal action brought in the Belgian Constitutional Court to challenge the undertaxed profit rule established by Council Directive (EU) 2022/2523. Read more
Sep 19, 2024
See how a higher corporate tax rate would affect your local economy in our interactive state map. Read more
Sep 16, 2024
On September 13, 2024, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce led a cross-industry group of national trade associations in calling on the House Ways and Means Committee to support H.R. 8184, the “Growing and Preserving Innovation in America Act." Read more
Aug 26, 2024
Maintaining and improving pro-growth tax policy next year, when the largest automatic tax increase in history is set to occur, will ensure the U.S. is globally competitive, retaining and attracting businesses, jobs, investment, and innovation here at home. Read more
Jun 14, 2024
On June 11, 2024, the U.S. Chamber submitted comments to the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service regarding the application of the new excise tax on repurchases of corporate stock. Read more
Jun 03, 2024
On May 31, 2024, the U.S. Chamber submitted comments to the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service recommending a range of critical items to be included on their 2024–2025 Priority Guidance Plan. Read more
May 20, 2024
Many of the individual, business, and estate tax reforms enacted in 2017 are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025. Read more
May 16, 2024
The 2024 Tax Policy Summit convened current and former members of Congress and industry professionals to kick off the Chamber's major education and advocacy effort in support of pro-growth tax policies. Read more
Apr 16, 2024
The U.S. Chamber submitted comments to the United Nations Secretariat expressing our profound concerns with the proposed addition of a new article to the U.N. Model Tax Convention on the taxation of cross-border business services. Read more
Mar 29, 2024
Congress must seize this opportunity to enact H.R. 7024 and retroactively restore R&D expensing for American small and midsize businesses. Read more