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.

To comply with Sect. 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley, the prudent tax staff will document compliance process flows from data collection through payment of tax bills, develop a matrix of potential problems, and design and test controls to prevent those problems.

How much detail is enough to satisfy the federal government’s exacting demands? And, when do your documentation and updates spill over into costly overkill? Can a company leverage this pain and expense into real benefits for the company?

Listen as our panel of veteran tax professionals guide you through complying with Sarbanes-Oxley without dragging down your tax staff.

Ed Kliewer, Counsel, Fulbright & Jaworski, San Antonio, brings 30 years' experience to representing owners in judicial and administrative property tax disputes. He serves as general counsel for the Institute for Professionals in Taxation.

Kathryn McBride,CPA, VP-Finance, Marvin F. Poer & Co., is a member of the firm's Executive Committee. In addition to providing leadership and direction on all finance matters and relationships, she is responsible for the firm's corporate administration.

Todd Barron, Director of Consulting Services, Advantax Group, Chicago, is responsible for overseeing the office's property tax projects. He previously served as senior manager of property taxes at PricewaterhouseCooper.

The panel will offer their insights on how to efficiently handle SOX compliance for property tax and how that effort can actually bring your company valuable benefits, such as:

• Improving preventive controls, such as an enhanced tax calendar and sharper reconciliation of data with the general ledger.
• Identifying assets that can come off the fixed asset ledger, leading to direct property tax benefits.
• Developing stronger arguments for funding tax automation systems.
• Enhancing credibility for adjustments when appealing a local tax valuation.

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TELECONFERENCE CD
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