Biography

Juan Zaragoza is based on Taxand Puerto Rico where he is a co-founder and member of Alvarado Tax & Business Advisors LLC.  Prior to establishing the firm, Juan was Partner in Charge of Arthur Andersen LLP’s (“Andersen”) Tax and Business Advisory Practice in San Juan.  From November 2014 to December 2016, Juan served as Secretary of the Treasury for the Government of Puerto Rico (“Treasury”) and from 1989 to 1992, he served as Assistant Secretary for Internal Revenue of Treasury.

Prior to his work at Treasury and Andersen, Juan worked in the audit, tax and consulting department of an international accounting firm in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  He is a past President of the Puerto Rico Society of Certified Public Accountants (1997-1998).  In 2001, he was named as the Public Interest Representative in a Special Committee in charge of examining the operational structure of the Municipal Revenue Collection Center, agency which is responsible for the imposition and collection of real and personal property tax on behalf of the municipalities in Puerto Rico.

Juan has participated in several projects which have shaped Puerto Rico taxation including, (1) participating, together with the consulting firm Bearing Point and other local consultants, in Treasury’s Tax Reform project in 2004; (2) leading the team that drafted the first sales and use tax in Puerto Rico for the Municipality of Caguas; (3) participating in the Tax Reform Technical Committee which drafted amendments to the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Code, including the new sales and use tax provisions; (4) working directly on the preparation of the Regulations for the sales and use tax provisions and the trainings to Treasury’s personnel; and (5) leading the team which drafted some of the regulations for the 2008 Economic Incentive Act for the Development of Puerto Rico.

During his tenure at Treasury, Juan also served as a member in several government boards such as the Government Development Bank, the Teacher’s Retirement System and the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company, among others.

Juan has a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana University at Bloomington and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Puerto Rico.  Juan is a member of the Puerto Rico Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.