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Strafford Tax Teleconferences offer timely updates on critical issues facing senior corporate tax executives and tax advisors in a 100-minute interactive telephone conference format. And you have the opportunity to earn CPE while you listen. Each live program features presentations by a panel of nationally recognized experts, followed by a Q&A session where speakers field your questions. No special equipment is needed to participate just a telephone! And, best of all, you pay a single low fee for one person or an unlimited number of staff at your office location. Strafford Publications has served corporate tax executives and tax advisors for nearly 20 years with a series of authoritative and well-respected management and legal products and services. Its newsletters, case law reporters, casebooks, and special reports include Tax Incentives Alert, Sales & Use Tax Monitor, State Income Tax Monitor, and Auditor Trak. Strafford Tax Teleconferences continue Strafford's long-standing commitment to serving the information needs of corporate tax executives and tax advisors. Do you have an idea for a tax teleconference? Send it to Jon McKenna, Executive Editor, Tax Publications: editors@straffordpub.com. |
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UPCOMING TAX TELECONFERENCES
Minimizing Property Taxes: Tactics to Tighten Fixed-Asset and Real Property Controls and Processes
In the hustle and bustle of everyday business, even sophisticated corporations leave gaps in their books and systems that can lead to consistent overpayment of property taxes. One advisory firm estimates that up to 30% of U.S. companies' fixed assets have been retired but are still being carried on the books.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of experienced advisors and corporate tax specialists shares their experiences in tackling and rectifying this ongoing source of property tax overpayment.
September 2, 2008
1:00–2:40pm Eastern
Texas' New Business Tax: Conquering the Most Complex Issues
By now, most corporate taxpayers doing business in Texas should have a good working knowledge of the state's new margin tax — taxpayers had to start filing the returns in May.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax advisors, all highly experienced with the Texas tax system, gives you a high-level review of the most difficult questions and hurdles they anticipate with the state's new margin tax.
September 17, 2008
1:00–2:40pm Eastern
Corporate Procurement Cards: Planning and Executing a Program to Master the Sales Tax Complexities
The use of procurement cards (company credit cards used for small-dollar purchases of supplies and materials) has become entrenched in corporate America as well as in the government sector. Their popularity is great for the purchasing department but can create anxiety for the tax staff.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of procurement card and sales tax experts helps you get a handle on this tricky area.
October 2, 2008
1:00–2:40pm Eastern
Stock Options and State Income Taxes
Stock options and restricted shares are a popular employee incentive in the competitive U.S. marketplace. However, due to an increasingly mobile workforce, it’s all too easy for a company to unwittingly trigger costly state tax compliance and tax obligations in the process.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of experienced corporate tax advisors breaks down and clarifies the state tax implications of employee stock incentives including the specific risks your company faces.
October 16, 2008
1:00–2:40pm Eastern
State Corporate Tax E-Filing: Mastering Latest Rules and Technologies
New York's decision to mandate e-filing, effective Jan. 1, 2009, for Article 9-A general business corporation and S corporation returns and reports significantly raises the bar for electronic filing of state corporate income or franchise tax returns.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax corporate tax professionals and advisors helps you analyze the latest state e-filing mandates and options — from understanding the rules and technologies to assessing the benefits and risks.
October 29, 2008
1:00–2:40pm Eastern
State Use Tax Under Heightened Scrutiny
How can corporate tax departments ensure full or even sufficient compliance with states on use tax? Unexpected use tax charges can arise in audits when vendor documents don't indicate payment of sales tax or where equipment is purchased in a low sales tax state and transferred across state lines.
Listen and participate from your telephone as a panel of your peers — veteran corporate sales and use tax leaders and savvy consultants — shares approaches and advice on important issues for use tax compliance.
November 13, 2008
1:00–2:40pm Eastern
PREVIOUS TAX TELECONFERENCES AVAILABLE ON CD
S Corporation Tax Developments: Leveraging the Latest Law, Regulation and Guidance Changes
Because diversified U.S. companies often organize subsidiaries and affiliates as S corporations and other pass-through entities as a crucial element of tax planning, tax professionals must stay current on the federal laws, guidance and rulings that influence Form 1120S.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of experienced tax advisors reviews the most meaningful recent developments involving S corporations. The speakers will offer their experiences, perspectives and practical planning strategies for your tax staff.
Intangible Assets: Capitalize on Alternative Tax Planning Opportunities
Recent changes in the law make it difficult for companies to leverage tax benefits from intercompany business activities. Intangible holding companies and passive investment companies are rare, and many states now declare income tax nexus on leasing intangible assets such as trademarks.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax advisors points you toward tax planning strategies and practices that could be worth considering.
Sales and Use Tax Reserve Strategies
With budget pressures driving state and local governments to audit more aggressively and Sarbanes–Oxley having raised the bar for corporate accounting, U.S. companies are under intense scrutiny over the adequacy of reserves set aside for the positions they take on tax returns.
Listen and participate from your telephone as corporate sales tax pros and experienced tax advisors share their current best practices for creating prudent reserves against uncertain sales or use tax positions.
Use Tax Audits: Latest Tactics to Tip the Scales in Your Favor
It’s hard enough for corporate tax specialists to defend their interests in a state sales tax audit. The task gets even harder in a use tax audit.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax pros gives you practical guidance and insights into managing a state or local use tax audit, including the valuable advance work on documentation and audit planning that can tip the scales in your company's favor.
New U.S.–Canada Cross Border Corporate Tax Challenges
Canada is the U.S.' largest trading partner, so tax professionals and counsel at U.S. companies must actively monitor and understand changes in tax law and policy on both sides of the border.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of experienced tax counsel and CPAs provides their analysis of and insights on the most recent, relevant developments in corporate tax on both sides of the U.S.–Canada border.
Managing Sales Tax Audits — The Auditors Speak
State sales and use tax audits are inevitably adversarial at some point — sometimes very adversarial. However, having advance competitive intelligence — knowing what the other side expects — will allow a corporate tax department to plan for a smooth audit.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of state sales tax audit specialists tells you steps that companies can take to ensure a smoothly run audit and the kinds of mistakes and missteps they absolutely don't want to see.
State Use Tax Under Heightened Scrutiny
How can corporate tax departments ensure full or even sufficient compliance with states on use tax? Unexpected use tax charges can arise in audits when vendor documents don't indicate payment of sales tax or where equipment is purchased in a low sales tax state and transferred across state lines.
Listen and participate from your telephone as a panel of your peers — veteran corporate sales and use tax leaders and savvy consultants — shares approaches and advice on important issues for use tax compliance.
New U.S.–Mexico Cross Border Corporate Tax Challenges
Tax compliance with Mexico has never been more challenging for U.S. corporations. The new flat tax (IETU), which replaced the Mexican fixed asset tax (IMPAC) as of Jan. 1, 2008, is expected to draw numerous constitutional attacks.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of experienced tax counsel and CPAs analyzes the most recent, relevant developments in corporate and transactional taxes for doing business in Mexico.
Attorney–Client Privilege in Corporate Tax Compliance and Planning
Recent changes in the law have raised the stakes and increased the complexity of protecting the confidentiality of communications between corporate tax specialists, in-house tax attorneys, and outside tax counsel.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax counsels bottom-lines the new challenges in attorney–client privilege in tax matters — and offers their best guidance to protect your interests.
Sales and Use Tax Software: Comparing the Leading Platforms
A sales and use tax compliance platform is a critical business tool. At some point, your company will need to spend major dollars on new software, either with the latest version of your current vendor's system or by switching to an entirely new platform.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax professionals shares their observations to help your own tax staff make good decisions and avoid mistakes.
Mastering the Newly Revised Federal Schedule M-3
On the heels of a major overhaul in corporate Schedule M-3 for returns filed in 2007, the IRS in December released even more significant changes in the form filed by companies with $10 million or more in assets. These changes take effect with 2008 tax year returns that will be filed in 2009.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax advisors helps to demystify the latest version of Schedule M-3 so that your company can take a well-planned approach to fine-tuning compliance.
Apportioning Service Revenue: Decoding Complex State Laws and Regulations
The U.S. is often described as having a service economy for a good reason—even the most traditional of companies typically have diversified into new service offerings. And, for companies that sell services, the state income tax landscape has never seemed more impenetrable.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax advisors suggests strategies for fine-tuning your company's tax compliance and planning in response to the rapidly changing treatment of service revenue, and briefs you on potential new state regulations.
The New Michigan Business Tax: Get Ready Now
Michigan finally agreed to dump its unpopular single business tax, but this change may not provide real relief for businesses. The new Michigan Business Tax (MBT) applies to both income and gross receipts, pulling even more corporations into its net.
Listen as our panel of veteran Michigan tax advisors, all highly experienced with the Michigan tax system, helps prepare your company for the demands of the new MBT.
Procurement Cards and Sales Tax Complexities
The use of procurement cards (company credit cards used for small-dollar purchases of supplies and materials) is growing in corporate America and among government agencies and non-profits. Their popularity creates additional oversight anxiety for corporate tax professionals.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of experts in the realm of procurement cards and sales tax helps you get a handle on this tricky area.
Intangible Assets: Capitalize on New Tax Planning Opportunities
State legislatures and courts have forced the once-lucrative intangible holding company (IHC) and passive investment company (PIC) tax strategies practically out of existence. Many states now declare income tax nexus on companies leasing intangible assets like trademarks from related entities.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax advisors updates you on evolving tax planning strategies and practices you should consider now.
Texas' New Business Tax: Conquering the Most Complex Issues
By now, most corporate taxpayers doing business in Texas should have a good working knowledge of the state's new margin tax—taxpayers will have to start filing the returns in May.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax advisors, all highly experienced with the Texas tax system, gives you a high-level review of the most difficult questions and hurdles they anticipate with the state's new margin tax.
Sales and Use Tax Reserve Strategies
In the era of corporate accounting scandals and Sarbanes–Oxley, U.S. companies are under intense scrutiny over the adequacy of reserves set aside for the positions they take on tax returns.
Listen and participate from your telephone as corporate sales tax pros and experienced tax advisors share their current best practices for creating prudent reserves against uncertain sales or use tax positions.
Use Tax Audits: Tip the Scales in Your Favor
It’s hard enough for corporate tax specialists to defend their interests in a state sales tax audit. The task gets even harder in a use tax audit.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax pros gives you valuable guidance and insights into managing a state or local use tax audit.
The New Michigan Business Tax: Get Ready Now
Michigan finally agreed to dump its unpopular single business tax. But is this change really a relief for your company? The new Michigan Business Tax (MBT) applies to both income and gross receipts, meaning that it pulls more corporations into its net.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran Michigan tax advisors, all highly experienced with the Michigan tax system, helps prepare your company for the demands of the new MBT.
Texas Launches New Business Income Tax: Are You Ready?
Companies doing business in Texas must pay the state's new margin tax instead of the current franchise tax starting next May for tax year 2007. It's simply not enough to understand how to calculate the new tax -- companies must act now to take full advantage of new tax planning opportunities.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax advisors and corporate tax pros, all highly experienced with the Texas tax system, helps you prepare your company for the demands of the state's new margin tax.
Cross-Border Corporate Tax: New Challenges in US and Canada
Canada is the U.S.'s largest trading partner, so tax professionals and counsel at U.S. companies must actively monitor and understand changes in tax law and policy on both sides of the border.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of experienced tax counsel and CPAs provides their analysis of and insights on the most recent, relevant developments in corporate tax on both sides of the US-Canada border.
Negotiating Property Tax Exemptions and Abatements
Corporate tax departments have considerable leeway within many local ordinances and state laws to negotiate partial or complete waivers of real and personal property taxes as their companies add new projects or expand existing facilities.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our expert panelists – including corporate property tax specialists and veteran advisors – offer their experiences, insights and stratagems for a winning approach to negotiating property tax exemptions and abatements.
Sampling Strategies in Sales Tax Audits
The sample of invoices is the primary factor in whether a state sales or use tax audit turns out favorably for your company. The size and makeup of that sample comes down to hard-nosed negotiations between your tax staff and the revenue department. To make your best case, you must thoroughly understand the state’s guidelines to detect vulnerabilities in its block or sampling methodology.
Listen and participate from your telephone as sampling gurus and veteran corporate tax pros prepare you to seize the initiative on establishing audit samples.
Protecting Tax Accrual Workpapers from the IRS
For the last several years, corporate federal income tax professionals and tax counsel have battled the IRS over access to tax accrual workpapers. At the end of August, taxpayers won a key victory in federal district court in the U.S. v. Textron case -- but don't expect the IRS to give up.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax legal advisors explains the current state of legal protections for these workpapers in light of Textron and prior court decisions.
Texas Launches New Business Income Tax: Are You Ready?
Companies doing business in Texas must pay the state's new margin tax instead of the current franchise tax starting next May for tax year 2007. It's simply not enough to understand how to calculate the new tax -- companies must act now to take full advantage of new tax planning opportunities.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax advisors and corporate tax pros, all highly experienced with the Texas tax system, helps you prepare your company for the demands of the state's new margin tax.
Procurement Cards and Sales Tax Complexities
The use of procurement cards (company credit cards used for small-dollar purchases of supplies and materials) is growing in corporate America and among government agencies and non-profits. Their popularity creates additional oversight anxiety for corporate tax professionals.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of experts in the realm of procurement cards and sales tax helps you get a handle on this tricky area.
Intangible Assets: New Tax Planning Strategies
State legislatures and courts have forced the once-lucrative intangible holding company (IHC) and passive investment company (PIC) tax strategies out of existence. Many states now will declare income tax nexus on companies leasing intangible assets like trademarks from related entities.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax advisors updates you on evolving tax planning strategies and practices you can use now.
Minimizing Your Business Property Tax Bills
Property tax is a corporate expense you simply cannot avoid. As federal and state government budget crunches are forcing more and more cuts in revenue sharing, pressures mount on cities and counties to raise millage rates.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of corporate tax professionals and savvy tax advisors -- who have managed many assessment appeals -- share successful strategies for winning reductions in assessments and property tax bills.
Stock Options & State Income Taxes
Stock options and restricted shares are a popular employee incentive in the competitive U.S. marketplace. However, due to an increasingly mobile workforce, it’s all too easy for a company to unwittingly trigger costly state tax compliance and tax obligations in the process.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of experienced corporate tax advisors breaks down and clarifies the state tax implications of employee stock incentives including the specific risks your company faces.
Sales And Use Tax Software: Comparing The Mainstream Platforms
A sales and use tax compliance platform is a critical business tool. At some point, your company will need to spend major dollars on new software, either with the latest version of your current vendor or by switching to an entirely new platform.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of veteran tax professionals share their observations to help your own tax staff make good decisions and avoid mistakes.
Use Tax Audits: Tip the Scales in Your Favor
It’s difficult for corporate tax specialists to defend their interests in a state sales tax audit. In a use tax audit, the task is further complicated by the interaction with other corporate departments, different support documentation, and different definitions of a taxable “use” of a product from state to state.
Listen and participate without leaving your office as our panel of veteran tax pros gives you valuable guidance and insights into managing a state or local use tax audit.
Federal Income Tax Planning for Commercial Real Estate Transactions
Corporate tax compliance specialists and counsel must play an integral role in the negotiations to buy and sell commercial properties. An oversight in analyzing the consequences of a sale, exchange or other disposition can leave the company with a painful corporate income tax liability.
Listen and participate from your telephone as our panel of experienced tax advisors and practitioners helps you focus on where you must be involved in due diligence and tax planning when it comes to commercial real estate purchases, sales and leases.
Negotiating Property Tax Exemptions and Abatements
Corporate tax departments have considerable leeway within many local ordinances and state laws to negotiate partial or complete waivers of real and personal property taxes, as their companies add new projects or expand existing facilities.
Listen and participate from your office phone as our expert panelists – including corporate property tax specialists and veteran advisors – offer their experiences, insights and stratagems for a winning approach to negotiating property tax exemptions and abatements.
New Tax Strategies for Deferred Compensation Plans
Much has happened recently on the §409A front for major corporate taxpayers. In early April, the Treasury Department issued long-awaited final regulations on non-qualified deferred compensation plans. More than 375 pages addressed important questions left unanswered when the regulations were first proposed in 2005.
Listen and participate from your office telephone as our panel of experienced tax advisors analyzes the bottom-line impacts of the final Treasury regulations and of HR 2 for companies using non-qualified deferred compensation plans.
New FIN 48 Demands on Transfer Pricing Strategies
The influence of FASB's Interpretation No. 48, better known as FIN 48, doesn't stop at everyday federal and state corporate income tax positions. Companies using transfer pricing in cross-border transactions also must deal with FIN 48's tougher analysis and documentation standards.
Join us as our panel of savvy tax attorneys and transfer pricing experts explains all of FIN 48's material implications for transfer pricing.
Sampling Strategies in Sales Tax Audits
The sample of invoices is the single-biggest factor determining whether a state sales or use tax audit turns out favorably for your company.
Don’t sit back and wait for the state to stipulate the audit sample. Strike first with your own, smartly devised sample proposal as an alternative to the revenue department's less favorable plan – or even better, to increase your chance to win big-dollar refunds on audit.
Join us as sampling gurus and veteran corporate tax pros prepare you to seize the initiative on establishing audit samples.
Sales Tax Complexities from Procurement Cards
The use of procurement cards (which are essentially credit cards used for small-dollar purchases of supplies and materials) has reached a groundswell in corporate America and among government agencies and non-profits. However, their popularity creates additional oversight anxiety for corporate tax professionals.
Join us as our panel of experts in the realm of procurement cards and sales tax – such as noted procurement card researcher and consultant Richard Palmer – helps you get a handle on this tricky area.
Corporate Tax Departments And Lobbying
In at least 26 states, when your company sends an employee or outside attorney to a revenue agency to negotiate a tax refund or incentive, that person must now be registered as a lobbyist -- or your company risks being hit with substantial fines and/or suspensions.
Listen as our authoritative panelists such as Michael Press, managing director of the business incentives advisory group at Duff & Phelps, bring you up-to-date on state and local lobbying laws and the implications for the tax profession.
IRS Pre-filing Agreement & Compliance Assurance Program
U.S. companies seeking to avoid a prolonged IRS audit can leverage two government advance-review opportunities: the pre-filing agreement, or PFA, program and the compliance assurance program, or CAP.
Listen as our expert panel of tax advisors discusses all aspects of the PFA and CAP programs to help you decide whether your company should enroll.
How can corporate tax departments ensure full compliance – or even sufficient compliance – with states on use tax? Unexpected use tax charges can arise in audits when vendor documents don't indicate payment of sales tax or where equipment is purchased in a low sales tax state and transferred across state lines.
Listen in and benefit from our panel's experience. Their approaches and advice will equip you to review your company’s own processes and systems and make improvements.
Mastering the New Federal Schedule M-3
In the interest of speeding up audits and improving transparency of corporate financials, the IRS in recent months finalized significant changes to Schedule M-3, the detailed income/loss reconciliation statement.
Listen as our panel of IRS representatives and veteran tax advisors helps to demystify Schedule M-3 in time to prepare 2006 tax year returns.
FIN 48 Compliance: Are You Ready?
FASB’s Interpretation 48, better known as FIN 48, creates the most significant shift in federal and state income tax accounting in years. It has major implications for your firm’s tax and attest clients.
Listen as our panel of experienced tax advisors and veteran FASB-watchers help you unscramble the latest guidance.
Managing State Income and Franchise Tax Audits
Audits are adversarial proceedings. So it's virtually guaranteed at some point during a state income or franchise tax audit, the auditor and your company will disagree about how much income should be apportioned to that state, whether your company has provided adequate documentation and made timely appeals, among other common points of contention.
Listen as our panel of state income tax auditors from a mix of larger and mid-sized states evaluates corporate audits from their side of the aisle.
Due to the AICPA’s statement on auditing standards No. 112, better known as SAS 112, accounting firms need to now identify and communicate audit clients’ “significant deficiencies” and “material weaknesses” in the same fashion for both public and private companies.
Our expert panel of speakers evaluate every key aspect of SAS 112 and identify the implications for accounting firms and their audit clients.
New Federal Reportable Transaction Regulations
The IRS’ oversight of aggressive federal corporate income tax positions just keeps getting tougher. In-house corporate tax professionals and tax counsel need to know about the latest proposal for their company’ sake.
Listen as our panel of savvy tax advisors such as Ellis Reemer of DLA Piper explains the IRS’ proposed new reportable transaction regulations. You’ll leave the teleconference well-briefed on the meaningful provisions of the regulations, and more importantly better-positioned to analyze the possible impact on your company.
Managing Sales Tax Audits - The Auditors Speak
While a state sales and use tax audit can't help becoming adversarial at some point -- sometimes very adversarial -- it behooves a corporate tax department to know going in what the other side expects. Having that advance competitive intelligence helps the company plan for a smooth audit.
Listen as our panel of sales tax audit administrators from major states evaluates corporate audits from their side of the aisle. You'll find out how audit supervisors think companies can help ensure a well-run audit and what mistakes they absolutely don't like to see repeated.
FIN 48 Compliance: Are You Ready?
Assigning a dollar figure to the uncertain tax positions your company takes on federal and state income tax returns -- and setting reserves accordingly -- is challenging.
Listen as our panel of experienced tax advisors and veteran FASB-watchers help you unscramble the latest guidance.
Intangible Holding Companies in Peril
U.S. companies have employed a tax strategy of assigning trademarks, trade name, patents and other intangible assets for decades. However, state courts and revenue regulators seem determined to strike that strategy out of existence.
Listen as our panel of savvy tax advisors bottom-lines the trend in state court decisions, laws and regulations regarding IHCs and PICs.
Sarbanes-Oxley and State Income Taxes
To comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s requirements, many organizations document every aspect of compliance with state income and franchise taxes.
Listen as our panel of corporate tax professionals and advisors describe what has and hasn’t worked in SOX compliance regarding state income and franchise taxes and recommend best practices.
Negotiating Property Tax Exemptions and Abatements
Corporate tax departments have considerable leeway within local ordinances to negotiate complete or partial exemptions of county and city property taxes as well as tax abatements for a certain number of years.
Listen as our expert panelists offer their experiences, insights and stratagems for a winning approach to negotiating property tax abatements.
Sampling Strategies in Sales Tax Audits
The sample of invoices is the single-biggest factor determining whether a state sales or use tax audit turns out favorably for your company. And, have no illusions, the size and makeup of that sample comes down to hard-nosed negotiations between your tax staff and the revenue department, so you must understand the state’s guidelines to determine vulnerabilities in its block or sampling methodology.
Listen as sampling gurus and veteran corporate tax pros prepare you to seize the initiative on establishing audit samples.
State Corporate Tax E-filing - Are You Ready?
The state corporate and franchise tax e-filing trend has picked up steam in recent months.
Listen as our panel of veteran tax corporate tax professionals and advisors helps you analyze state e-filing programs – from understanding the rules and technologies to assessing the benefits and risks.
The Transfer Pricing Tempest: Implications of GlaxoSmithKline's Mammoth IRS Settlement
Will the IRS smell blood in the water after reaching a $3.4 billion settlement -- the largest-ever in the U.S. -- with GlaxoSmithKline?
Our panel of experienced federal tax attorneys and transfer pricing experts puts the GlaxoSmithKline settlement in perspective for other corporations with a lot on the line.
Property Tax Compliance and Sarbanes-Oxley
Sarbanes-Oxley demands are as stringent for property tax compliance as for any corporate tax that influences your company’s financial condition.
Listen as our panel of veteran tax professionals guide you through complying with Sarbanes-Oxley -- without dragging down your tax staff.
Corporate Tax Departments and Lobbying
In at least 26 states, when your company sends an employee or outside attorney to a revenue agency to negotiate a tax refund or incentive, that person must now be registered as a lobbyist -- or your company risks being hit with substantial fines and/or suspensions.
Listen as our authoritative panelists bring you up-to-date on state and local lobbying laws and the their implications for the tax profession.
FIN 48 Compliance: Are You Ready?
Assigning a dollar figure to the uncertain tax positions your company takes on federal and state income tax returns -- and setting reserves accordingly -- is a challenging task.
Listen as our panel of experienced tax advisors and veteran FASB-watchers help you unscramble the latest guidance.
Minimize Corporate Income Tax with Alternative Apportionment
A state’s “one size fits all” apportionment formula may not be equitable in determining which part of a multi-state company’s income should be considered for tax purposes.
Learn from our panel of veteran tax pros and tax counsel who have successfully petitioned for alternative apportionment formulas.
Can you imagine being sued for patent infringement, simply for recommending a common tax avoidance strategy? Unknown to many in the tax profession, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has issued 41 “business methods” patents for federal or state tax strategies since 1998 and has another 60 applications pending.
Prepare yourself for both the opportunities and risks of patenting tax strategies. This program features a panel of attorneys with expertise in intellectual property and tax law and brings you up-to-speed on this unsettling trend.
Making the Most of Managed Audits
If you represent a multi-state company operating in one of sixteen states with a managed audit program -- including heavyweights like California, New York and Texas -- you now have the opportunity to call your own shots on a state tax audit.
Our panel of veteran corporate tax specialists and advisors share their experiences with managed audits in multiple states, offering proven formulas for success, as well as pitfalls to avoid.
State Tax Records – To Digitize or Not to Digitize
If you want to reap the benefits of digitally storing your state tax records, but are unsure how to take the next step, join us for this upcoming teleconference.
Listen as our authoritative panel of corporate tax pros and other veteran tax advisors share their experiences and lessons learned.
Property tax is a corporate expense you simply cannot avoid. As federal and state government budget crunches are forcing more and more cuts in revenue sharing, pressures mount on cities and counties to raise millage rates.
Listen as our panel of corporate tax professionals and savvy tax advisors -- who have managed many assessment appeals -- share successful strategies for winning reductions in assessments and property tax bills:
Seizing the Advantage in Sales Tax Audits
When your corporate tax staff is struggling to prepare for multiple state sales and use tax audits, devising a strategy for each audit may be the last thing on your mind.
Listen as our panel of veteran tax pros who have worked on scores of sales tax audits show you how to take the offensive in every step of the process.
Taking Advantage of State & Local Tax Amnesties
Many companies consider participating in a state’s general tax amnesty to be a no-brainer. A company can clean up past errors on tax compliance, eliminate the risk of costly and unpredictable state audits, and avoid penalties -- and even civil and criminal prosecution.
Listen as our panel of corporate tax pros and advisors with established track records on state amnesties provide the pros and cons and the rewards and risks of participating.
Property Tax Compliance and Sarbanes-Oxley
Sarbanes-Oxley demands are as stringent for property tax compliance as for any corporate tax that influences your company’s financial condition. Corporate property tax specialists must operate under strict procedures and controls and document and update those controls rigorously.
Listen as our panel of veteran tax professionals guide you through complying with Sarbanes-Oxley without dragging down your tax staff.
Sarbanes-Oxley and State Income Tax
To comply with the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s requirement that companies do a better job of producing and reporting financials, many organizations have responded by documenting every aspect of compliance with state income and franchise and other taxes.
Listen as our panel of corporate tax professionals and advisors describe what has and hasn’t worked in SOX compliance regarding state income and franchise taxes and recommend best practices.
Corporate Tax Departments and Lobbying
In at least 26 states, when your company sends an employee or outside attorney to a revenue agency to negotiate a tax refund or incentive, that person must now be registered as a lobbyist -- or your company risks being hit with substantial fines and/or suspensions.
Listen as our authoritative panelists bring you up-to-date on state and local lobbying laws and the their implications for the tax profession.
Federal Corporate Tax E-filing - Are You Ready?
Despite corporate America’s protests and requests for a delay, mandatory e-filing of federal corporate income tax returns is now a reality for large and mid-size companies.
Listen as our authoritative panelists -- IRS insiders and veteran corporate tax execs who have tracked the IRS’ plan every step of the way -- guide you through this new and unfamiliar IRS process and help de-mystify the new demands on your tax department.
Decoding the New Ohio Commercial Activity Tax
Anyone doing business in Ohio is dealing with the challenges of its new commercial activity tax, or CAT, which has replaced both the corporate franchise tax and personal property tax.
Listen as our panel of veteran corporate tax leaders and savvy advisors who are intimately familiar with Ohio tax law and dealing with its revenue agency clarify the murky waters of the commercial activity tax.
State Corporate Tax E-Filing - Are You Ready?
This year a growing number of states have begun promoting either optional or mandatory e-filing of state income or franchise tax returns. Is your Corporate Tax Department prepared to meet the challenges arising from these new e-filing programs?
Listen while our panel of veteran tax corporate tax professionals and advisors helps you analyze state e-filing programs – from understanding the rules and technologies to assessing the benefits and risks.
Seizing Control of a State Income Tax Audit
It's vital to map out the strategy for every aspect of even a routine income tax audit, from beginning to end.
Listen as our panel of veteran corporate tax leaders and savvy advisors share how they maximize their chances of success at every stage of an income tax audit -- from amassing documentation to pleading your case at the top levels of the revenue department.
Federal Corporate Tax E-Filing - Are You Ready?
Despite corporate America’s protests and requests for a delay, mandatory e-filing of federal corporate income tax returns is now a reality for large and mid-size companies.
Listen as our authoritative panelists -- IRS insiders and veteran corporate tax execs who have tracked the IRS’ plan every step of the way -- guide you through this new and unfamiliar IRS process and help de-mystify the new demands on your tax department.
Sales Tax Streamlining Since the Rollout
The Streamlined Sales Tax Project was rolled out across 18 member states on Oct. 1. Yet significant issues remain unresolved.
Listen as our authoritative panel of SSTP participants and seasoned observers offers the insights and tools you need to make sound business decisions in an evolving and uncertain environment.
State Corporate Tax E-Filing - Are You Ready?
This year a growing number of states have begun promoting either optional or mandatory e-filing of state income or franchise tax returns. Is your Corporate Tax Department prepared to meet the challenges arising from these new e-filing programs?
Listen while our panel of veteran tax corporate tax professionals and advisors helps you analyze state e-filing programs – from understanding the rules and technologies to assessing the benefits and risks.
Managing Sales Tax Audits - The Auditors Speak
While a state sales and use tax audit can't help becoming adversarial at some point -- sometimes very adversarial -- it behooves a corporate tax department to know going in what the other side expects. Having that advance competitive intelligence helps the company plan for a smooth audit about which both sides can be happy.
Listen as our panel of sales tax audit administrators from major states evaluates corporate audits from their side of the aisle.
The New Era Of State Income Apportionment: Tax strategies for capitalizing on the single-sales trend
The relentless march toward single-sales apportionment of income for state taxation goes on.
Listen as our panel of veteran state tax advisors helps you take advantage of state income apportionment opportunities.
IRS Circular 230: Implications and Risks for the Corporate Tax Executive
The recent IRS regs amending Circular 230 practice standards for tax advisors, such as attorneys and CPAs, have a greater impact on corporate tax executives and in-house tax counsel than you may have thought.
Listen as our panel of veteran tax advisors walks you through every key section of the new Circular 230 regs - and gets to the bottom line for the corporate client.
Seizing the Advantage in Sales Tax Audits: Strengthening Your Case Before Demanding State Auditors
When your corporate tax staff is struggling to prepare for multiple state sales and use tax audits, devising a strategy for each audit may be the last thing on your mind.
Listen as our panel of veteran tax pros who have worked on scores of sales tax audits show you how to take the offensive in every step of the process.
On October 20, 2005, the IRS issued long-awaited regulations explaining the terms under which U.S. companies can claim the federal Sect. 199 domestic production activities deduction.
Listen as our panel of veteran federal tax advisors – each an expert with Sect. 199, the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, and the domestic production activities deduction – guide you through the new IRS regulations.
State Tax Compliance Software: A real-world assessment from corporate tax pros
Crafting or upgrading a compliance system for state sales, income or property taxes is a challenge for any corporate tax department. Getting objective experiences and assessments – unbiased by software vendors – is particularly difficult yet essential to making a good decision.
Listen as our panel of corporate tax professionals and consultants who are on the front line of state tax compliance -- unwed to any particular software vendor -- offer objective guidance to help make those key decisions.
If your corporation is one of the many that uses a cost-sharing approach to split product development and research cost among related entities, the IRS’ proposed new regulations may be cause for concern. As the IRS continues its general crackdown on transactions that it no longer considers arms-length, the agency would limit companies’ ability to make adjustments in cost-sharing.
Listen from your office telephone as our panel of veteran tax advisors helps answer those key questions as they analyze in detail the IRS’ proposed regulation on cost-sharing and transfer pricing.
The Streamlined Sales Tax Project is now a “go” for widespread rollout on Oct. 1 In addition to getting ready for a uniform sales tax code in nearly 20 states, your corporate tax department must now make other key decisions and preparations to ensure a smooth transition into streamlining.
Listen from your office telephone as our expert panel provides you with the information and tools you need.
State Tax Compliance Outsourcing: Taking control - reaping the benefits - anticipating drawbacks
Surveys consistently reveal that corporate tax departments are making do with less professional staff than a few years ago -- which may mean that outsourcing all or part of the state sales & use, property, and income/franchise tax compliance work is inevitable.
Listen from your office phone as our expert panelists take you through the real world of outsourcing.
Business strategies created to maximize a corporation’s intangible assets are showing up on the endangered list. New York, North Carolina, Virginia, North Carolina and Illinois are just some of the states that have clamped down on companies’ ability to deduct the royalty payments or licensing fees paid to affiliated companies for use of trademarks, patents, copyrights and other intangible assets. Many of those states also are making companies add back intra-company interest payments to their tax base.
Listen from your office phone as our panel of veteran tax advisors arms you with the insights you need to answer that question.
Audits are set up as adversarial proceedings. So it is virtually guaranteed that, at some point during a state income or franchise tax audit, the auditor and your company will disagree strongly about how much income should be apportioned to that state, whether your company has provided adequate documentation and made timely appeals, and other frequent points of contention. However, it's counterproductive to treat the process like war, and it behooves a corporate tax department to have advance knowledge of what the other side expects -- competitive intelligence to help plan for a smooth audit about which both sides can be happy.
Listen from your office phone as our panel of income and franchise tax audit administrators from major states evaluates corporate audits from their side of the aisle. Representatives from the Florida, Massachusetts and Minnesota Departments of Revenue and California Board of Equalization have been invited to participate.
Fighting Property Assessments: Proven Strategies For Reducing Your Corporate Tax Bill
Property tax is a corporate expense that you can’t avoid. And, as budget crunches force federal and state governments to cut revenue sharing, pressures mount on cities and counties to raise millage rates.
Listen from your office phone as our expert panelists -- corporate tax professionals like yourself who have managed many assessment appeals, as well as savvy advisors -- share successful strategies for winning their cases to lower their assessments and property tax bills.
While a state sales and use tax audit can't help becoming adversarial at some point -- sometimes very adversarial -- it behooves a corporate tax department to know going in what the other side expects. Having that advance competitive intelligence helps the company plan for a smooth audit about which both sides can be happy.
Listen from your office phone as our panel of sales tax audit administrators from major states evaluates corporate audits from their side of the aisle. You'll find out how audit supervisors think companies can help ensure a well-run audit and what mistakes they absolutely don't like to see repeated.
Surviving Sarbanes-Oxley: Navigating the uncertainties of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance
Tax departments at public and private companies alike already live under demands to meet the Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s standards for fully documenting every aspect of federal and state tax compliance - even though most tax pros are still trying to figure out how high the bar is raised. Provide insufficient detail or a format that isn’t easily understandable, and your company risks substantial hassles from federal overseers.
Listen without leaving your office as our panel of tax advisors gives their best recommendations for meeting SOX standards and corporate tax pros explain the approach their departments have opted to take.
Getting the Upper Hand in Sales Tax Audits: Strengthening Your Case Before Demanding State Auditors
Preparing for a state sales tax audit consumes huge amounts of time and is fraught with risk. Your tax staff has to chase down numerous receipts from across the company, and if they don't pull a truly representative sample, the company could get hit with a huge tax bill. Fail to come into the audit with valid exemption certificates and documentation to support your exemption claims, and you could find yourself permanently on the defensive.
Listen as our panel of veteran tax leaders and savvy advisors -- including Bruce Dickson, Senior Tax Manager, Cingular Wireless LLC -- reveal winning tactics for every stage of the audit and tell how to use pre-audit conferences, reverse audits, and evaluated reverse settlements to their fullest advantage.
It's vital for a state tax leader to map out the strategy for every aspect of even a routine income tax audit, from beginning to end. What documentation will you present? Who will be the company's designated contact with the auditor? In addition, you must anticipate your next move should the process spiral out of control because the auditor refuses to accept some sales and insists on counting others. Is your tax department ready to fight that battle all the way up the chain of command?
Listen and participate as our panel of veteran corporate tax leaders and savvy advisors, including Tony Chirico, director of tax audits at York International Corp., share how they maximize their chances of success at every stage of an income tax audit -- from amassing documentation to pleading your case at the top levels of the revenue department.
Jobs Creation Act Deduction for Domestic Production: Capitalizing on the New IRS Guidelines
On January 19, the IRS issued a 102-page notice that is, for the moment, the definitive guidance for companies interested in claiming the new Sect. 199 domestic production activities deduction under the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004.
Listen and participate as David Auclair, leader of Grant Thornton’s federal tax accounting practice, and Jan Skelton of Deloitte & Touche, assess the numerous challenges involved with taking the new deduction - and give you valuable guidance on how to succeed.
Streamlined Sales Tax Project: A Critical Look at When and If Your Company Will Reap the Benefits
The Streamlined Sales Tax Project is grappling with challenges by some states to its new approach to sourcing transactions for tax purposes, pushing to get a central tax registration system off the ground, and laboring to offer key definitions that companies and revenue officials in every state can accept.
Listen as our panel of highly-informed SSTP observers offer a fresh, independent assessment of where streamlining is headed -- and when your company might actually reap the potential rewards.
Getting the Upper Hand In Federal Income Tax Audits
A tough audit from the IRS is probably the most bruising experience a tax pro will ever have. The documentation and sampling standards are unique at the federal level -- and the IRS brings auditor and legal muscle to the table that state revenue departments can only dream about. Every piece of documentation, every strategem for the auditor meetings, is vital and carries huge implications for your company.
Listen as our panel of veteran tax leaders and savvy advisors reveal how they prepare for and manage federal income tax audits -- turning the tide in their company's favor.
Negotiating Property Tax Abatements: Maximizing tax incentives, minimizing corporate tax bills
Listen as our expert panelists offer their experiences, insights and stratagems for a winning approach to negotiating property tax abatements. Plus, you’ll have an opportunity to get answers to your specific questions during the interactive Q&A session following the speaker presentations.
Surviving the Tax-Shelter Crackdown: Compliance in an era of declining deductions
Join our panel of veteran corporate tax pros and advisors as they bring you up-to-date on the new reportable transactions and compliance standards in different jurisdictions -- and give you the know-how you need to work within those rules to your company's best advantage.
State Tax Nexus Alert: Key steps to avoiding new and unexpected liability
Listen from the comfort of your office or car as our expert panel of seasoned corporate tax professionals and advisors bring you up to speed on the very latest broad-based nexus trends and unilateral moves by major states -- ensuring you won't be caught by surprise.
Fighting Property Assessments: Winning strategies for reducing corporate tax bills
Although property tax is a corporate expense that you can’t avoid, one aspect you CAN control is the resourcefulness and aggressiveness with which you appeal property assessments to city and county boards and in court.
Listen from your office phone as our expert panelists offer insights and share stratagems for a winning approach to appealing property tax bills.
Getting The Upper Hand In Sales Tax Audits: Strengthening your case before demanding state auditors
Preparing for a state sales tax audit consumes huge amounts of time and is fraught with risk. Your tax staff has to chase down numerous receipts from across the company, and if they don't pull a truly representative sample, the company could get hit with a huge tax bill. Fail to come into the audit with valid exemption certificates and documentation to support your exemption claims, and you could find yourself permanently on the defensive.
Listen as our panel reveal winning tactics for every stage of the audit and tell how to use pre-audit conferences, reverse audits, and evaluated reverse settlements to their fullest advantage.
Listen as our expert panel of veteran tax leaders and savvy advisors who have experienced scores of state income tax audits give you strategies and tactics for success at every step of the audit -- from amassing documentation to pleading your case at the top levels of the revenue department.
Getting a proposal before tax software companies has proved difficult, and the SSTP still hasn't resolved who will pay for that software. Clearly, meeting the July 1, 2005, target for a nationwide streamlining program will be a major challenge.
A series on the latest tax developments in five major states -- Texas, New York, California, Illinois and Ohio. At each state-specific program, our expert panel of tax advisors will bring you up to speed on all of the significant laws involving income, sales and use and other state taxes by this year’s legislatures, plus meaningful developments in regulation and court rulings.
Sarbanes-Oxley Tax Compliance: New demands for documenting tax compliance
Listen as our expert panel outlines what policies and procedures need to be documented and in what detail to keep the government happy, as well as how much staff time and cost to expect. And, importantly, find out how to avoid generating more paperwork than you really need.
Fighting Property Assessments: Proven strategies for reducing corporate tax bills
Listen from your office phone as our expert panelists -- corporate tax professionals like yourself who have managed many assessment appeals, as well as savvy advisors -- share successful strategies for planning an effective case with local authorities and, when necessary, courts.
Streamlined Sales Tax Project Update: Latest developments and practical implications
Listen from your home, car or office as our expert panelists -- insiders from the streamlining effort -- present highly-informed, practical insights and guidance on these latest developments.
The Federal Tax Research Credit: Maximizing opportunities presented by the new IRS rules
Take note as our expert panelists analyze the IRS’ recently issued final regulations on the federal research and experimentation tax credit.
You’ll get a detailed road map for maximizing every new opportunity under the rules governing this popular tax credit. Find out how the government has made it easier for your company to claim the credit on more business activities -- and where the recordkeeping requirements have become more tedious.
Tax Systems Integration: Achieving a seamless transition - on-time, on-budget
Listen from your home, car, or office as our expert panelists share their proven tactics and valuable lessons learned in installing and integrating new tax software systems.
You'll learn the dos and don'ts of a successful systems upgrade from corporate tax leaders who have navigated through several transitions -- and get crucial technical insights from a savvy vendor and consultant.
Streamlined Sales Tax Project: Practical implications for your tax department
Listen as our expert panelists present highly-informed, practical insights and guidance on this critical development in tax compliance and management.
Internet Sales Tax: Status update, crucial roadmap, practical implications
Listen as our expert panelists present highly informed, practical insights and guidance to help you deal with today's extraordinarily uncertain tax environment.
Our experienced and expert panel will navigate a course for you through these conflicting initiatives, bringing you a clear road map of what's ahead. Their unique expertise and practical advice will clarify the status and course of the debate and help you understand the implications and complexity of both collecting and remitting tax on your online sales and paying tax for your company's own online purchases.
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