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Asia Pacific Tax Webcasts
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Please explore upcoming Asia Pacific Tax series programs for the next month below. To view further Asia Pacific Tax series upcoming programs or archives, select the subseries from the menu on the right. |
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Special Edition Webcasts
Business Model Optimization: Making Process and Operational Changes Real
1 March, 5:00 – 6:00 PM HKT (GMT +8)
Host: Steve Towers
Presenter: Thomas Ewigleben
The alignment of a multinational company's operating model and its global tax planning enhances the opportunity for value creation. But that's no easy task. Building a structure with the right balance that can be sustained over time takes a commitment of senior management to a transformation of key functions embedded within the operating model. The change needs to be substantive and real, and it's seldom easy. Business Model Optimization (BMO) is the process of pursuing this balance and integrating the operating model and global tax planning into the way a business operates to ensure such changes are real. Using a case study approach, we'll discuss:
- Key success factors.
- What can go wrong.
- How to get everyone’s buy-in.
Learn from the mistakes of others and ensure your process and operational changes are real and your tax benefits are sustainable.
Country Focus
Australia's New Investment Manager Regime: Technical and Practical Considerations
6 March, 12:00 noon – 1:00 PM HKT (GMT +8)
Host: Vik Khanna
Presenters: Malcolm Gordon and Peter Madden
Australia recently announced measures for attracting foreign capital and establishing the country as a global financial services center. What should foreign investors know? We'll discuss:
- Current tax barriers that discourage foreign funds from investing in Australia and engaging Australian-based investment advisors.
- The cornerstone of the government’s strategy – an investment manager regime (IMR) – and how it may help achieve government objectives.
- The IMR’s key features and limitations, foreign funds that it covers, and related issues the government is considering.
- How the IMR may impact the way foreign funds conduct their Australia business activities.
Learn about changes to tax treatment of foreign funds and considerations for how foreign funds can structure their Australian activities going forward.
Upcoming Webcasts
R&D Tax Incentives
R&D Tax Incentives in Korea: The Pot Gets Bigger?
14 February, 2:00 – 3:00 PM HKT (GMT +8)
Host: Jason Crawford
Presenters: Gyung Ho Kim and Jee Won Kwon
Similar to many other jurisdictions, Korea offers certain tax incentives for companies that incur research and development (R&D) expenditures there. With the Korean government expanding these tax benefits to more industries in an effort to boost Korea's R&D position globally, what are the relevant considerations for multinational corporations? We'll discuss:
- Korean incentives currently available for R&D expenditures, including an outline of eligible expenses.
- A comparison of R&D incentives in Korea and several other Asia Pacific countries.
- Implications for companies with overseas R&D expenditures, including tax holidays offered for R&D service subsidiaries of foreign multinationals.
Learn about Korean R&D tax incentives potentially available for your business, and explore potential opportunities for efficient planning associated with your future investment in Korea.
International Tax
International Tax: What Can We Learn from the Top Tax Cases of 2011?
21 February, 2:00 – 3:00 PM HKT (GMT +8)
Host: Steve Towers
Presenters: Leonard Khaw, Jun Takahara, and Sunil Shah
Fascinating court decisions have emerged in 2011 involving the interpretation of double tax treaties and other international tax issues. What do these cases reveal? We'll discuss:
- Permanent establishment cases in Norway and India, as well as Indian cases involving the applications of the royalties definition to telecommunications and cloud computing transactions.
- Anti-avoidance cases in the UK and Australia.
- Non-discrimination article cases in the UK and Germany.
- A Mexican case involving equity derivatives, an update on a royalties conduit case in Canada, and a review of the Vodafone case in India.
Understand technical and practical implications of key rulings and discover how they apply to your company's international tax planning.
Indirect Tax
Getting Set for GST: Developments in India and Malaysia
23 February, 2:00 – 3:00 PM HKT (GMT +8)
Host: Robert Tsang
Presenters: Prashant Deshpande and Kah Seong Fan
Goods and services taxes (GST) continue their inexorable spread across Asia Pacific as both India and Malaysia get set for new GST regimes. What should multinationals consider as they conduct business in these countries? We'll discuss:
- India's recent concept paper proposing a negative list of services subject to the country's Service Tax – how will this change the Service Tax landscape in India and pave the way for dual GST?
- Malaysia's draft general and specific GST guidelines, including provisions for the Approved Trader Scheme, which many companies that export from Malaysia may want to use.
Learn about practical issues associated with the administration of the new rules in both countries, and actions companies should consider now to prepare.
International Assignments
Asia Pacific International Assignments: Planning Social Security for Mobile Employees
28 February, 2:00 – 3:00 PM HKT (GMT +8)
Host: Robert Basker
Presenters: Ciaran Devery, Saraswathi Kasturirangan, and Joyce Xu
Multinational employers with mobile employees may incur significant unanticipated costs arising from continued home country or new host country social security obligations. What issues should tax executives be aware of, including recent developments in India and China? We'll discuss:
- An overview of social security in the region, including details of triggers for these social security obligations for mobile employees.
- Recently proposed changes to social security laws in India and China.
- Other hot issues for companies with mobile employees, including identifying potential cost savings opportunities through structuring of employment income packages, totalization agreements, and medical benefits under a state scheme, as well as mitigation of dual coverage.
Learn about this complex area of planning for companies with international assignees.
Indirect Tax
Targeted VAT and GST Audits: Are You in The Line of Fire?
8 March, 2:00 – 3:00 PM HKT (GMT +8)
Host: Robert Tsang
Presenters: Rodger Muir and Turmanto
Indirect tax authorities in the Asia Pacific region are moving away from traditional audit approaches based on size of a business to ones based on complexity of a particular industry or sector. Who should be concerned? We'll discuss:
- Recent audit developments around the region, including Australia, India, and Southeast Asia, and how these audit activities are panning out for taxpayers.
- From macro to micro – which types of businesses are likely to be targeted?
- Potential impacts, risks, and benefits for targeted businesses and strategies for defending against targeted audits.
Gain insights into the evolving focus and scope of audits by indirect tax authorities across the region and how businesses can prepare for potentially increased scrutiny.
International Tax
2011 Update to the UN Model Treaty and Commentary: "Abuse" of Double Tax Treaties
13 March, 2:00 – 3:00 PM HKT (GMT +8)
Host: Steve Towers
Presenters: C.A. Gupta, Alyson Rodi, and Vicky Wang
The 2011 Update to the United Nations Model Double Tax Treaty and Commentary contains significant comments and examples on the "abuse" of double tax treaties. These UN statements are far more extensive than the corresponding passages in the OECD Commentary. We'll discuss the UN Commentary's analysis of various "abusive" situations, including:
- Dual residence, transfer of residence, and triangular cases.
- Transactions which modify the treaty characterization of income, such as the conversion of dividends into interest, conversion of royalties into capital gains, allocation of price under mixed contracts, and the use of derivatives.
- Time limit for certain permanent establishments and thresholds for the source taxation of capital gains on shares.
Understand how the UN's new comments on abusive situations might affect the application of double tax treaties in the Asia Pacific region.