Tax Conference 2011

From the chair

One of the (many) great things about being a tax advisor is that the subject matter we work with is ever-changing.  At the same time, it is a truism that businesses value certainty, presenting the challenge to tax advisors of assisting clients to minimise tax risk, against a backdrop of constant change.  

The most significant of those changes may arise not from amendments to the tax laws themselves, but from other factors.  The increased influence of Crown Law on tax administration, pressures on Government to find additional revenue without explicitly increasing the tax burden, and shifting judicial attitudes, are factors that have, over the past few years, reminded us that our tax system does not exist in a vacuum.  

The need to consider the wider legal and practical context when providing tax advice is a theme underlying a number of the topics to be covered at this year’s conference.  In the context of a commercial transaction, for instance, the most comprehensive of tax opinions may not be worth the paper it’s written on, if the facts and assumptions on which it is based are inconsistent with the legal consequences of the transaction documents, or with the way those documents have been implemented in practice.

We will hear from advisors who help to manage tax and other legal risks on a day-to-day basis, as well as from key decision-makers in Inland Revenue, on tax issues that are topical for businesses and their advisors:

• How best to represent your client’s interests in case of a dispute with Inland Revenue, and the parameters for settling disputes.
• The increased focus on “Tax Governance” and what this means for Boards of Directors and those who advise them.
• How to minimise tax risk when advising on the negotiation and implementation of a commercial transaction.
• Understanding the scope of recent changes affecting business entities - in particular the PIE rules and LTCs - and the possibilities for further reform.
• How to ascertain the boundaries of Inland Revenue’s search powers, and the significance of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act.  

Chair: Brendan Brown, Russell McVeagh, Wellington