Achievements

IRTA has brought together leading members of the global commercial and
corporate barter industry, including firms in Argentina, Australia, Canada,
China, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands,
Singapore, United Kingdom, and the U.S.

Through its efforts, IRTA has expanded opportunities for trade exchanges
by lobbying for increased use of trade. IRTA successfully lobbied U.S.
Congress for trade exchanges to be recognized by the IRS as third party
record keepers. The TEFRA Act was signed into law by President Reagan
in 1982, which gave trade exchanges in the U.S. this important status.
IRTA was responsible for a U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board ruling
allowing unrestricted trade of air transportation – a landmark case.

In Australia, IRTA member companies played a major role in helping the
ATO to increase public awareness of the tax treatment of barter
transactions. In the U.S. IRTA has been recognized by the IRS as a
partner in educating small-businesses on the proper accounting and
reporting of trade transactions. It has cooperated with the Better Business
Bureau and Financial Accounting Standards Board on matters of mutual
interest. It has assisted tax and securities authorities and State Attorney
Generals in New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas and California
with its expert advice on the barter industry. It lobbied successfully to
defeat adverse regulatory legislation in California and Iowa.

IRTA has also enhanced the reputation of the association and its
members with the development and introduction of an international
certification program – Certified Trade Broker (CTB) – which recognizes
an individual's level of professionalism and barter knowledge. The
association works continuously to raise the standards of trading conduct
and educate members and the general public about the importance of a
sustainable, reputable exchange. The Code of Ethics, established in 1979
is, to this day, a cornerstone to the purpose and standard of IRTA
membership.

Its global board of directors meets regularly to set strategies for the
association and plan for the annual international Barter Congress. In
addition to this annual event, one or more training conferences may be
held in regions around the world to educate and improve the professional
competence of those in the industry.