The Institute´s board of trustees consists of representatives from the media, politics, law and finance. The members are appointed to a six-year term by the president of the Max Planck Society. The board of trustees meets once a year.
| Position | Land | |
| Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Drüen | Chairman of the Board, Deutsche Steuerjuristische Gesellschaft e.V. | Germany |
| Jean-Blaise Eckert | Secretary General, International Fiscal Association | Switzerland |
| Heike Göbel | Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung | Germany |
| Katja Hessel, MdB | Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance | Germany |
| Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Bernd Huber | President, LMU Munich | Germany |
| Prof. Dr. Christian Kaeser | President, IFA Germany | Germany |
| Prof. Dr. Dres. h.c. Juliane Kokott, LL.M., S.J.D. (Harvard) | Advocate General, Court of Justice of the European Union | Luxembourg |
| Prof. Dr. Klaus-Peter Naumann | Spokesman of the Board, Institute of Public Auditors | Germany |
| Dr. Achim Pross | Head of International Co-operation and Tax Administration Division, Centre for Tax Policy and Amninistration, OECD | France |
| Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Christoph M. Schmidt | President, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung | Germany |
| Dr. Hans-Josef Thesling | President, Federal Tax Court | Germany |