The TeleStrategies’ Communications Taxation conference, now in its ninth year, remains the industry’s key source for keeping up to date on communications tax accounting and Federal and State regulatory, legislative and legal proceedings impacting your company’s tax practice.
This year’s program is our most ambitious yet with more than 45 speakers. New for this year is a full half-day of planned Networking Roundtables, TeleStrategies’ innovative educational forum where attendees join together with their peers in an informal and collegial environment to drill deeper into some of the core issues they are dealing with today, and learn from the experience of their peers.
Make your plans now to be a part of this important event. Register before May 6th and save an additional $200!
Registration and Exhibits Open
8:45-10:00
Communication Tax Challenges: A Service Provider Roundtable
Join a diverse panel of communications service providers as they explore the challenges they and their companies face in navigating through today’s often confusing and complicated tax maze. Topics include: top telecom transaction tax issues facing companies today, recent troubling tax rulings, emerging products and services that don’t easily fit into current tax apportionment or taxing methodologies, how could current tax software and services aimed at service providers be improved, and other top-of-mind issues.
Jim Nason, Tax Managing Partner, Telecommunications, Deloitte Tax LLP - Moderator
Chris Elma, Managing Director Corporate Tax, Cincinnati Bell
Rick Heller, Executive Director, Transaction Tax Research, Planning, & Policy, AT&T
Richard Jankun, Executive Director, State and Local Tax, Verizon
Laurie McDonough, Vice President, Tax, One Communications
Audra Mitchell, State Tax Counsel, Sprint Nextel
10:00-10:30
Break and Exhibits
10:30-11:15
Election Year Update - What the Future Holds for Telecom Taxation from a Federal and State Perspective
The speakers will explore recent and potential future legislative developments at the federal and state level and the impact for the industry. New state communications tax impositions will also be discussed in addition to the movement by states to adopt gross receipts taxation, the MTC telecom apportionment rules, and federal legislation impacting state taxation of communications services. Recent state reform efforts and the potential for additional telecom tax reforms will also be addressed.
Brian Goldstein, Partner, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Annabelle Canning, Vice President of State Tax Policy, Verizon
11:15-12:00
Financial Statement Impacts of Recent Tax Legislation and Controversies
The speakers will present an overview of recent relevant state litigations and legislation activity and how it may impact various financial metrics including FAS 5 and FIN 48 disclosures, EBITDA, free cash flow and other important metrics.
Eric Tresh, Partner, Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan
Kristine Dankenbrink, Senior Vice President, Tax, Time Warner Cable
12:00-1:15
Lunch and Exhibits
1:15-2:00
Session A
Exemptions for Telecom Equipment and Related Services
The speakers will explore the nuances of the exemptions available in many states. Are the exemptions different for wireless and wireline carriers? How broad are the exemptions in certain jurisdictions? What is the industry seeing related to refund claims versus state audits?
Kathy Saxton, Senior Manager, Sales and Use Tax Practice, Deloitte Tax LLP - Session Chair
Gayle Hickman. Director Telecom and Sales Tax, Embarq Corporation
Joni Barnes, Manager, State and Local Tax, T-Mobile
Session B
NETWORKING ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS #1
Discuss current tax issues with your peers in an intimate and informal roundtable format. Each session will have a facilitator to help generate discussion and address any unanswered questions. Each set of five roundtables will be repeated twice throughout the afternoon.
- Prepaid Calling Taxation
Facilitator: Sandra Thomas, BillSoft - VoIP Taxation
Facilitator: Amanda Gebicki, Grant McCarthy Group - Strategies for Penalty Abatement
Facilitator: Aaron Heller, Cogent Communications - Situs Issues in Local Taxation and Alternative Approaches
Facilitator: Phill Siewerth, First American Proxix Solutions - Taxation of Video and Digital Products
Eric Tresh, Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan
2:10-2:55
Session A
The Dynamics of Tax Discrimination Challenges
Wireless vs. landline, satellite vs. cable, regulated vs. non-regulated, traditional telecom provider vs. convergent provider - this session will involve a lively discussion of recent tax discrimination challenges across the country between service providers. The speakers will analyze the arguments put forth by the parties in dispute, review potentially discriminatory statutes and regulations, and discuss the competitive impacts of these challenges and decisions.
Jim Kranjc, Principal, Ryan
Tom Donohoe, Partner, McDermott, Will & Emery
Session B
NETWORKING ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS #2
- Communications Income Tax Issues
Facilitator: Joseph Carr, Deloitte Tax LLP - Transaction Tax Audit Defense
Facilitator: Jamie Brenner, PwC - Sales Tax Exemptions for Telcos
Facilitator: Grady Cunningham, KPMG - Foreign Taxes and Fees
Facilitator: Bonnie Rice, PwC - Wholesale Services Taxation
2:55-3:25
Break and Exhibits
3:25-4:10
Session A
Issues and Opportunities Resulting from Variations in the Sourcing of Telecommunications Services
This session will provide an in-depth analysis of the various ways in which state tax and regulatory laws source telecommunications services and some of the issues and opportunities that may result from the disparity in sourcing rules between state income taxes, transaction taxes and regulatory reporting. As part of this presentation, the speaker will provide an overview of recent MTC proposals to link the manner in which telecommunications services are sourced for state income taxes with certain regulatory reporting requirements.
Diann L. Smith, Counsel, State and Local Tax Group, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
Todd A. Lard, General Counsel, Council on State Taxation
Session B
NETWORKING ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS #1
(See topics listed under 1:15-2:00 above)
4:20-5:15
Session A
Navigating the Maze: The Ins & Outs of Local Sales and Utility Taxes
For telecommunications tax managers, few tasks prove as disconcerting and anxiety-producing as the development of a prudent and consistent tax policy for managing the risk associated with the taxation of telecom services by cities and towns across the U.S. The speakers will explore the ins and outs of local sales and utility taxes and potential strategies for success. A comprehensive and detailed investigation of municipal-level Gross Receipts Taxes is included to help illustrate the myriad complex issues involved.
David J. Rubenstein, CPA, Managing Editor, CCH Incorporated
Joel Haimowitz, Esq., Senior Telecommunications Tax Researcher, CCH Incorporated
Donald Maynor, Esq., California Utility Users Tax and Franchise Law
Session B
NETWORKING ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS #2
(See topics listed 2:10-2:55 above)
5:15-6:15
Reception and Exhibits
Continental Breakfast and Exhibits Open
9:00-10:15
Tax Compliance and Productivity Software Vendor Roundtable
Panelists will discuss best practices related to transaction tax compliance from data gathering to the tax return preparation process. They will address what data flows are needed from a company’s billing system in order to efficiently and effectively integrate the billing system with the taxing engine and reporting system to flow into an electronic or web-based tax return preparation system. Many companies are considering different ways to more fully mechanize their return processing systems, either in-house, through co-sourcing or through outsourcing. The speakers will provide real world examples of the best practices in these areas.
Michael Giannettino, Director, State and Local Tax Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP - Moderator
Scott Avery, President, AlternaDev
Jeffrey Cohen, Director, Tax & Workflow, Thomson Tax & Accounting
Rob Marino, Communications Tax Research Manager, Vertex
Robert Funke, Consultant, CorpSystem™ Sales Tax Training & Consulting, CCH Incorporated
Tim Lopatofsky, Founder, BillSoft
10:15-10:45
Break and Exhibits
10:45-11:30
Protecting Yourself in the Case of an Audit
The "hot issues" in audits still remain. How can service providers defend themselves from tough-minded state and local tax auditors? What do you need to know to prevent an excessive assessment when stat sampling is used? Can you document the exemptions for your non-taxed customers? This session will provide practical advice in protecting yourself in the case of an audit and what you can do proactively to reduce your number of outstanding audits.
Dr. Will Yancey, CPA, Consultant – Session Chair
Marie A. Harris, Senior Manager, Tax Audit, T-Mobile
Andrew Meyers, Supervisor, State Tax Audit, Comcast
11:30-12:30
Increased Property Taxes through the Expansion of Central Assessment
The speakers will address the unwarranted expansion of central assessment and the taxation of previously tax-exempt intangibles, and the implications for communications service providers.
Doug Mo, Principal, Thomson Property Tax Services
Mark Schichtel, Group Vice President & Chief Tax Counsel, Time Warner Cable
Stacey Sprinkle, Vice President, State Tax Policy Midwest Area, Verizon Wireless