TeleStrategies' Communications Taxation 2012
May 16-18, 2012 -- Peabody Orlando Hotel
About TeleStrategies' Telecommunications Taxation Conference (17 CPE Credits)
TeleStrategies' 13th Annual Communications Taxation Conference brings together the nation's top tax professionals to address the challenging and amazingly complex domain of telecommunications taxation.
The program provides comprehensive coverage of all aspects of telecom tax, including:
- Key legal proceedings, judgments and case studies
- Emerging services: Cloud, M2M, content, wireless apps, subsidized transport
- Audit defense and tax recovery
- Transaction, income and property tax compliance updates
- VoIP, pre-paid, E-911 and other key FCC decisions
- Exemptions, property tax and equipment depreciation issues
- Federal/local fees and surcharges
- Sourcing, nexus, jurisdiction regulations across federal, state and local
- Industry-specific (wireline, wireless, content aggregators, ISPs, cable) updates
- Emerging regulatory and local legislation bellwethers
- Billing integration, interfaces, quality assurance, internal controls
- And more!
Whether you are new to telecom taxes, or an industry veteran, you will learn how to lower your tax bill, streamline tax operations, pro actively prepare for audits, better defend your company's audit position, leverage case studies/precedent to lower your tax liabilities, and, most importantly, network with your peers to learn from other's experiences.
Please don't hesitate to contact me for any reason about the program.
Sincerely,
Dr. Matthew Lucas, Program Chair
mlucas@telestrategies.com
TeleStrategies' Communications Taxation 2012
May 16-18, Orlando FL
Tutorials
Pre-Conference Tutorial 1 (Full Day - 9:00 - 4:30) -- "Understanding Communications Taxation" led by Deloitte. For details, see the conference agenda below, or click here.
Pre-Conference Tutorial 2 (Half Day -- 1:00 PM - 4:30) -- "Taxation Issues for Communications Companies" led by PWC. For details, see the conference agenda below, or click here.
Thursday -- May 17, 2012
General Sessions (10 CPE Credits)
8:00 AM
Registration and Exhibits Open
8:45 - 10:00 aM
Conference Opening Remarks
Dr. Matthew Lucas, Vice President, TeleStrategies
Executive Keynote
The conference opens with a distinguished panel consisting of public and industry communications tax experts. All industries in the business community likely will face increased demands for revenue from federal, state and local governments, including communications. This panel will highlight the legislative and regulatory landscape from an industry and tax perspective; discuss the new aggressive efforts by state governments to tax out of state companies; provide an update of the regulatory commission environment and its broadband policy; list tax trends the panel members see on the horizon for the industry; and analyze how the current and future environment will have an impact on communications providers.
Brian Goldstein, Partner, PwC
Stacey Sprinkle, VP - Federal Tax Policy, Verizon Communications
10:00 - 10:15 am
Morning Break and Exhibits
Session A
10:15 - 11:00 am
Emerging Issues in Reverse Sales/Use Tax Audits for the Telecommunications Industry
This session will focus on the range of sales and use tax refund opportunities and the related challenges that exist for telecommunications companies. Topics addressed include a review of current issues affecting traditional sales/use tax refund opportunities as well as new potential refund opportunities. This session also will address the approaches increasingly used by state and local taxing authorities to limit or deny the application of the broad telecommunications equipment exemptions, including tactics used to delay the refund approval process or otherwise limit approval of refund claims, and will include potential strategies to mitigate these efforts.
Peter Stirling, Tax Managing Director, KPMG
Jeremy Blocher, Manager, KPMG
Session b
10:15 - 11:00 am
Prepaid—Not Just for the Gas Station Anymore. The Industry Has Evolved and So Have Your Tax Obligations
As the economy pushes more people to move away from conventional cellular contracts, the prepaid telecommunications market has exploded. The service is now sold by nearly every carrier and in a variety of ways. As states see these market changes, they have expanded the “prepaid” definition to increase tax revenues. Other changes include finding ways to apply 911 fees and state regulatory fees to prepaid services. This presentation provides insight on the new changes that will impact companies seeking to serve this expanding market.
Sandra Thomas, Director of Tax Research, BillSoft
11:00 - 11:15 AM - Session Break
Session A
11:15 - 12:00 Pm
Public Utility Commission & FCC Annual Reporting
This session will review the detailed items contents on the annual PUC reports, tax issues, audit exposure areas, tax rating issues, reporting issues, and ties returns together. We will cover specific PUC and related returns, issues between corporate tax & PUC vs transaction tax, as well as PA RCT 101 and PA RCT 111 return issues as examples in the session. The basis of revenues (e.g. Goldberg rule, jurisdictional revenue) for the various tax and PUC returns will be discussed. This will be an interactive session, address specifics and leave time for Q&A discussion.
Mark Lammert, President & CEO, Compliance Solutions, Inc.
Session B
11:15 - 12:00 Pm
Is Your Head in the Clouds?
Today, many states have addressed software as a service only from a sales tax perspective. But what about infrastructure as a service and platform as a service? Providers and purchasers of cloud services need to be aware of the federal, state and international tax ramifications. This session will discuss the current hot topics of cloud computing including state SaaS positions as well as the tax issues that may arise. The speakers will give an overview of cloud computing services, recap different delivery models, discuss the market for cloud services, emerging trends and present the tax implications as states begin to address other aspects of cloud.
Larry Fee, Partner - State and Local Tax, PwC
Jennifer Jensen, Director - State and Local Tax, PwC
Jamie M Brenner, Director - State and Local Tax, PwC
12:00 - 1:15 Pm
Sponsored Lunch and Exhibits
Session A
1:15 - 2:00 Pm
Audit Defense Strategy
Carriers are spending an increasing amount of time and resources defending prior positions in the face of auditors armed with 20-20 hindsight. Meanwhile, the same jurisdictions are facing budget crises never before seen, thereby making audit recovery their first priority. This session presents views from seasoned veterans regarding current audit issues and industry trends, as well as pragmatic perspectives on audit defense best practices and success strategies.
Kathy Saxton, Director, Multistate Tax Service, Deloitte Tax
Marie Harris, Senior Manager, T-Mobile
Audra Mitchell, State Tax Counsel, Sprint
Session B
1:15 - 2:00 Pm
Tax-on-Tax: A “Hall of Mirrors?"
Tax-on-Tax. The mention of it alone is enough to send chills down a tax practitioner’s spine. However, for better or worse, the need to comply with tax-on-tax rules is here to stay, so it’s better for a telecom tax manager to become well versed with them rather than have these rules come back to haunt them in the form of an audit. This session will explore the subject of tax-on-tax from a number of different vantage points, including an introduction into its conceptual framework, identifying a set of time-tested, audit-proof default liability rules and how to develop an automated billing module for calculating the amount of tax-on-tax due. The presenters will also illustrate the topic with various real-life examples including the FET and California Local UUT.
David Rubenstein, Managing Editor, Telecommunications & Utilities Tax, CCH, a WoltersKluwer business
Moshe Weingarten, Senior Technical Specialist, Corporate Professional Services, CCH, a WoltersKluwer business
Mike Sanders, Chief Technology Strategist, SureTax
2:00 - 2:15 PM - Session Break
Session A
2:15 - 3:00 Pm
Sales and Excise Tax - Still Defending Digital and “Cloud” Products from State Taxation
This presentation will update state and local efforts to subject digital product providers and products to various new and existing (e.g. telecommunications) sales and excise taxes, and focus on the latest strategies such providers should be aware of to defend against the improper taxation of their products and services. Without enacting new laws, many states continue to aggressively and variously expand the scope of existing tax classifications to include digital and cloud products. The presenters will again consider representative digital products and services, analyze various ways in which states seek to administratively apply tax to these products and providers, and evaluate the latest developments in physical and attributional nexus, as well as the diverse sourcing rules (including the SSUTA rules) employed by states to reach such transactions.
Tom Steele, Partner, Morrison & Foerster LLP
Jim Kratochvill, Of-Counsel, Morrison & Foerster LLP
Session B
2:15 - 3:00 Pm
Refunds & Audits – New State Developments & Emerging Technologies
States are aggressively pushing back on telecommunications equipment exemptions wherever possible. What’s worse is that emerging technologies, dual use equipment, and identifying where equipment is put in use within MSO systems make applying exemptions even that much more challenging. This session will discuss the telecommunications systems at a high level; provide real-life examples of equipment exemption scenarios; identify those states that are pushing back on exemptions and taking aggressive audit positions; and how audit managers can take advantage of some not so well known exemptions for the telecommunications industry.
Shon Holyfield, CEO, TTR, Inc.
3:00 - 3:15 PM - Session Break
Session A
3:15 - 4:00 Pm
Making Sense of the New Stuff – What’s around the Next Corner?
Telcoms continue to invest heavily in new transport technologies, third-party partnerships and content-delivery infrastructure to expand their revenue base and drive profitability. This session will take a forward-looking view concerning what's next for the telcom industry, and what evolving business models, products and services tax departments will likely be facing next year or the year after. Topics to be addressed include: evolving pricing models; application-aware content delivery; media and advertising; enterprise offerings as well as the evolving relationship between telcos and their hardware/social media/over-the-top partners (e.g, Apple, Google, Facebook).
Dr. Matthew Lucas, Vice President, TeleStrategies
Jim Nason, Tax Managing Partner, Telecommunications, Deloitte Tax
Session B
3:15 - 4:00 Pm
Independence Day: The Trend Towards Independent Tax Tribunals; What It Means for Telecoms
All telecommunications companies hope that their tax matters to be heard fairly by impartial judges. That is not always the case, but the establishment of independent tax tribunals is all the rage throughout the country. What does this mean for the telecom industry and the adjudication of their tax issues? This session will explore this trend and analyze cases involving telecoms, revealing the pros and cons of independent tribunals versus administrative law judges controlled by revenue agencies.
Jim Kranjc, Principal, Ryan, LLC
Tom Donohoe, Partner, McDermott, Will & Emery
4:00 - 4:15 PM - Session Break
Session A
4:15 - 5:00 Pm
Telecommunications Controversies - Why and How Communications Companies Continue to Be a Favorite Target of State and Local Tax Authorities.
While communications companies have always been a favorite target of state tax administrators, the past year produced a number of cases that will have impacts into 2013 and beyond. This session will focus on the increasing scope and breadth of state tax controversies affecting the telecommunications industry. The speakers will present the leading decisions and ongoing controversies from the past year and how they may impact tax and financial reporting in 2012 and 2013.
Eric Tresh, Partner, Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan
Stephen Kranz, Partner, Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan
Invited Industry Panelists
Session B
4:15 - 5:00 Pm
Transparency & Risk Management in the Tax World
Transparency and Risk Management are two sides of the same coin and are among the most critical tax focus areas for publicly traded and privately held companies in all business sectors. They are largely being driven by national and international bodies such as the OECD, the EU and individual tax authorities (including the IRS) as well as tax justice campaigners, in the case of transparency. This session will examine these essential functions, highlighting what they mean for the tax professional and how they can be addressed in today’s hyper-regulatory world. For those with little or no knowledge of Transparency and Tax Risk Management, this will provide a strong starting point from which to develop strategies and work plans for coping with the new national and global tax environments.
John Minassian - VP Tax Content Development, Vertex
Chris Walsh - Chief Tax Officer - International/VAT, Vertex
5:00 - 6:00 PM
Exhibits and Sponsored Cocktail Reception
Friday -- May 18, 2012
General Sessions and Breakouts
8:30 - 9:15 am
General Session
Advanced FCC Revenue Reporting: Misperceptions, Mistakes & Missed Opportunities
Traditional telecom service providers understand the fundamentals when it comes to compliance with the FCC’s Universal Service Fund and other programs funded by revenue reported in FCC Form 499-A. Knowledge of the basics, however, is no longer sufficient as today’s reporting processes are becoming as complex as the Internal Revenue Code, and USAC has become just as much of a bureaucratic quagmire as the IRS. This session is for practitioners responsible for managing FCC revenue reporting, contributions and fees compliance for a variety of telecommunications, broadband, VoIP and other advanced communications services. The speakers will clear up misperceptions about the USAC, the FCC and the future of the USF contribution system – helping practitioners avoid common reporting mistakes and highlighting opportunities to maximize compliance while minimizing costs.
Jonathan S. Marashlian, Managing Partner, Marashlian & Donahue, LLC, The CommLaw Group
Allison D. Rule, Senior Associate, Marashlian & Donahue, LLC, The CommLaw Group
Chris A. Canter, Managing Consultant, The Commpliance Group
Breakout Sessions
8:30 - 9:15 am
Breakout/Round-Table SessioN A
Trunk Lines: “One for All or All for One?" Best Practices for a Provider to Successfully Apply the Correct Assessment Ratios for Trunk Lines
Sellers of different kinds of multi-channel trunk lines to end-users, such as T-1, ISDN, Centrex, etc. need to be cognizant of a major tax compliance distinction when it comes to E911 and other unit-based local exchange access line assessments – while many of these fees apply to each individual channel within the trunk, a distinct set of other such fees apply to the trunk as a whole. Not knowing the difference can cause affected carriers to either under-collect or over-collect such fees from customers on a frighteningly large scale. This roundtable discussion will equip participants with the necessary tools and strategies needed to decipher the difference and thereby stay one step ahead of the auditors. Real case scenarios will be investigated such as the Texas Right-of-Way Fee as well as City and County 911 Fees in the states of California and Tennessee.
David Rubenstein, Managing Editor, Telecommunications & Utilities Tax, CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business
Moshe Weingarten, Senior Technical Specialist, Corporate Professional Services, CCH, a WoltersKluwer business
Mike Sanders, Chief Technology Strategist, SureTax
8:30 - 9:15 am
Breakout/Round-Table SessioN B
Income Tax Roundtable / Telecom M&A Tax Considerations
Mergers and acquisitions are gaining momentum in the telecom industry. But most often when companies look at cost/benefit analysis, they leave tax considerations out of the equation. The session will focus on the entire M&A process that tax departments can use to effectively become part of that process. Discussion will look at tax due diligence; acquisition strategy relative to the impact that acquiring assets or stock will have on the current tax footprint of the company; target screening to ensure no hidden tax or unclaimed property liabilities are lying in wait; integration of both the business and the people, including impact on employment taxes, resource retention; and the ever important document retention policies that must be implemented sooner rather than later.
Kevin Merkell, Partner, PwC
Jonathon Fotzler, Director - M&A Tax, PwC
9:15 - 9:30 AM - Session Break
9:30 - 10:15 am
General SeSSION
I Owe Tax WHERE??
The recent Amazon agreement with California, Click-Through-Nexus laws and other developments have greatly impacted what vendors need to know to deal with where they may have tax obligations. States are anxious to find ways to charge taxes on vendors selling products and services within their borders. With all of the new developments, vendors can easily have difficulty determining where they have nexus. This session will explore the new laws and their impact on vendors.
Mike Weller, Director of Tax Compliance, BillSoft Services
Jamie M Brenner, Director - State and Local Tax, PwC
Breakout Sessions
9:30 - 10:15 am
Breakout/Round-TablE SessioN A
Effective Geospatial Analytics to Prevent and/or Mediate Audits
Taxing authorities often audit large companies to determine their level of compliance in the proper payment of sales, use, and property taxes. Such audits generally average more than fifty thousand dollars before any potential fines are levied. Traditional data-mining operations rarely incorporate a geospatial element, but geographic imprecision is often the main source of erroneous taxation. Our presentation explores cost effective geospatial strategies to determine levels of compliance and potential areas of concern before any official audit occurs. We will also list and explain the major causes of non-compliance and solutions to avoid the expensive procedures and fines that can result from poor tax determination operations.
Brady Foust, PhD, Consulting Geographer, CoreLogic Spatial Solutions
Breakout/Round-TablE SessioN B
Exemption Certificate Management – What it Means for Your Company
An exemption certificate is just a piece of paper – isn’t it? Hardly! There are resale, non-profit, manufacturing, direct pay, government, multistate tax and streamlined tax exemptions to deal with – each having their own set of issues concerning what constitutes a valid certificate. This session will share experiences and best practices regarding what typically goes wrong – such as the name on certificates vs. accounts, M&A, validity of the number, etc.; typical reasons for audit rejection; good faith; and how operators can create/manage their own forms.
Lorraine L. Dunn, CPA, Senior Tax Analyst, CenturyLink
10:15 - 10:30 AM - Session Break
10:30 - 11:15 am
General SeSSION
How to Save Your Company Three Whole Dollars - Accounting Methods and Cash Savings Opportunities
Various accounting methods can offer significant cash savings opportunities for telecoms. This panel will look at how tax managers can team with financial management to analyze the book financial statement for opportunities to maximize tax cash flow through appropriate tax accounting method changes. Cash tax savings opportunities exist both to defer book income and accelerate book deductions. In addition, this panel will include a discussion of industry audit topics, including resolving issues related to repairs changes of accounting and use of tangible property safe harbors, and audits of Sec 199 and research and development credits, as well as other current areas of IRS focus.
Annette Smith, Partner, PwC
and Invited Panelists
Breakout Sessions
10:30 - 11:15 am
Breakout/Round-TablE SessioN A
Cloudy, with a Chance of TAX! Considerations to Minimize Tax Obligations on Cloud Services
As businesses have turned sharply toward cloud-based computer and software services in place of their old school in-house IT functions, many businesses are just now starting to think about the tax implications of selling (or buying) such services. Simultaneously, states have faced nearly-unprecedented fiscal crises that have required aggressive and creative tax collections strategies. These two seemingly unrelated events have coalesced into a rapid shift in state tax department interpretation of current tax laws and an effort among legislators to expand the tax base to include cloud services. Smart businesses will face growing audit risks and potential liabilities unless they quickly get a firm grip on what the tax implications of their cloud-based IT functions might be for transactional and income taxes. This session will highlight the key issues businesses must consider to minimize tax exposures when moving into the cloud.
Stephen P. Kranz, Partner, Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan
Breakout/Round-TablE SessioN B
Whose App is this Anyway? Transaction Tax Issues Related to the Sale of Carrier and Third-Party Applications.
This presentation will focus on the upstream and downstream transaction tax issues relating to the sale of carrier and third-party applications and digital goods by wireline, broadband and wireless carriers, including the issues of nexus, taxable situs, and the responsibility for billing, collecting and remitting transaction taxes. Also, the presentation will discuss how aggregators and resellers can affect the various transaction taxes that apply. The sale of digital applications is a growing and evolving business and aggregators, resellers and developers can be in any state or country yet selling applications through a U.S. based carrier. Each permutation adds a level of complexity to the transaction and places enormous potential tax burdens on the billing carrier.
Grady Cunningham, Partner, State and Local Tax, KPMG
Terrance Perry, Director – Tax Operations, T-Mobile
11:15 - 11:30 AM - Session Break
11:30 - 12:15 Pm
General SeSSION
Billing and Taxing and the New World Order
Communications and smart device customers are a distribution channel now – not just a user of communications services. Through the wide acceptance of apps, a carrier could be put in a position of selling or facilitating the sale of virtually anything (“there’s an app for that”). Who is the seller of record? Will a jurisdiction respect a bill-on-behalf-of relationship when a deep-pocketed carrier has the relationship with the customer? Who has nexus and whose nexus matters? It’s not just carriers dealing with billing and taxation for selling communications. This presentation explores the reality of how the world of apps and evolving strategic sales relationships impact taxation.
Toby Barger, Esq., Senior Tax Consultant, BillSoft
Rick Heller, Director, Deloitte Tax, TelecomTechnology, Media & Telecommunications
Deloitte Tax LLP
Breakout Sessions
11:30 - 12:15 Pm
Breakout/Round-TablE SessioN A
Happy Audit Trails and Trials
You have a half a dozen open audits, the numbers are not adding up and your auditor has dollar signs in her eyes. This is not what you want to tell your manager, so turn the tables on the auditor and manage the results. This discussion will focus on tried and true audit strategies to take control away from the auditor, defend whatever records are available and prevent continuous sequel audits. Government budget woes mean audits will continue at a rapid pace, so equip your tax group with additional strategies to get the results you deem fitting.
Tina Weiksnar, Senior Tax Manager, BullsEye Telecom
11:30 - 12:15 Pm
Breakout/Round-TablE SessioN B
In the Dark About Dark Fiber? Taxation of Dark Fiber and Related Issues
Is it tangible personal property? Is it real property? Can it be purchased as an exempt sale for resale? The lack of clear guidance in many states and inconsistent treatment under audit has kept even the most knowledgeable tax professionals in the dark. This roundtable discussion will address the tax treatment of dark fiber and related issues, including comments on coding dark fiber, the application of resale exemptions and potential opportunities for refund or offset.
Stephanie Bergeron, Director, Earthlink
11:30 - 12:15 PmBreakout/Round-TablE SessioN C
How to Value Your Next Generation Network in an Old School System
Wireless and Broadband networks struggle with having to fit their next generation equipment into the old PSTN buckets, as assessment practices and depreciation tables have not kept pace with the technological progress. This session will consider strategies that work to appropriately value your equipment today. Specific scenarios will be considered, including factor in the change from: Central Office to Data Center; Sonet to Ethernet; ATM to Internet Protocol; Circuit Equipment to Optical; 3G to 4G and others.
Joe Molina, Ryan LLC.
12:15 PM - Program Concludes
Pre-Conference Tutorial 1 (Full Day, 7 CPE Credits)
Understanding Communications Taxation
May 16, 2012 -- 9:00AM - 4:30PM
Led by Jim Nason, Tax Managing Partner, Telecommunications, Deloitte Tax LLP
With the Deloitte Tax Telecommunications Team
A mainstay of the TeleStrategies Communications Taxation event, this intense introductory seminar continues to be refreshed and updated to cover not only the basics of our current tax system for communications service providers, but a deeper dive into key tax considerations associated with “cutting edge” services and applications. This is a must for people new to the communications space or those that want a refresher of Communications Tax 101+. The first part of the program continues to be focused on the core aspects of telecom taxation with the afternoon taking on the more challenging issues facing today’s communications tax professional.
I. OVERVIEW OF COMMUNICATIONS TAXATION
* Taxation of basic local, long distance, wireless, and video services
* General taxes including gross receipts, sales, and telecommunications-specific taxes
II. SOURCING AND APPORTIONING TRANSACTION TAXES
* Understanding the Goldberg rule when it applies and when it does not
* State's position and formulas on interstate services
III. WIRELESS TAXATION INCLUDING PREPAID
* Sourcing of wireless services and the challenges
* Tax issues specific to wireless service providers as well as the applicability of various taxes and surcharges
IV. EXEMPT CUSTOMERS, SALES FOR RESALE AND TAXATION
* Understanding gross receipt taxes and telecommunications sale for resale exclusions and exempt customers
* Key differences among the states regarding resale taxation
V. INTERNET AND EMERGING SERVICES TAXATION
* Taxation of Internet access and new/emerging services
* Differences in taxation of telephone, data, TV and other related services
* Taxation of transport vs. content services vs. digital media
VI. BUNDLED SERVICES TAXATION
* What services are being bundled, how are they taxed and what are the challenges to existing tax models?
* What approaches are the states using to tax these bundles? Is there an answer to: what constitutes “books and records”?
VII. CURRENT TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS IN THE TAXATION OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS
*What are the big issues taking center stage in administrative decisions and the courts?
*What is on the mind of tax policymakers in state and local jurisdictions?
VIII. TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES: AN OPERATIONAL TUTORIAL
*Become more conversant with how telecommunications services are delivered.
*What a telecommunications professional needs to know to “talk the talk”!
IX. REGULATION, FEES, SURCHARGES AND OTHER CHARGES (WHEN IS A TAX NOT A TAX?)
*Basic understanding of regulatory issues, concerns and changes facing the communications company
*Overview of regulatory mandates and related fees (911, USF, and more)
X. TRANSACTION TAX SYSTEM/PROCESS FUNDAMENTALS
*Hear what you need to know in implementing/upgrading an automated transaction tax solution
*Common pitfalls and opportunities
Pre-Conference Tutorial 2 (Half-Day, 4.5 CPE Credits)
Understanding Communications Industry Tax Issues for Experienced Participants
Presented by:
Brian Goldstein, Partner, State and Local Tax, PwC
Larry Fee, Partner, State and Local Tax, PwC
Jamie M Brenner, Director, State and Local Tax, PwC
May 16, 2012 -- 1:00PM - 5:00PM
This pre-conference session explores a selection of emerging communications industry taxation issues our clients are grappling with today. From tax considerations around cloud to handling an audit to getting the most out of your billing systems, our aim is to give you the background and current thinking around these complex areas to make you more valuable at your company while also making your job easier. We will do a deep dive into each of the areas such that even the most experienced participant will walk away learning something. Yet tax professionals at any level are invited to join the discussion.
1:00 –1:50 PM
Who knew that you needed to be a techie to do taxes?
Tired of finding out about the latest trends in technology after your company has started selling them? Tired of playing catch up with the tax issues of those products after the fact? This session will focus on the tax complexities around the latest technologies and services such as cloud computing, MPLS, telematics (Who knew a tractor could drive itself?), social networking and gaming. You should become an active participant in your product development teams and that begins by understanding the latest technologies that are out there and what technologies are coming down the pipeline.
1:50 –2:45 PM
The controversy with controversy.
With most states continuing to face fiscal pressures for more revenue, audit activities have been increasing. How can you be better prepared to efficiently address the controversies you are facing? This session will cover an in-depth discussion of audit defense hot topics, best practices, effectively managing audits and reserves, recent class action lawsuit activity, state / tax type specific technical issues. Instructors will delve into more in depth topics such as planning ideas for communications companies, New York taxation complexities, VAT, and effective corporate tax structures.
2:45 –3:00 PM -- Break
3:00 –3:50 PM
You thought the FET was bad. Try the Federal Universal Service Fund (FUSF).
This session will take a deep dive into FUSF accessibility, compliance and return mechanics, the audit process, recent FCC orders, and significant pitfalls and traps.
3:50 –4:40 PM
The Devil's in the Details: Getting your billing system to do what it's supposed to do.
This session will focus on an in depth review of billing systems and tax automation including: taxability, mapping, jurisdictionalization (intra/inter), characterization, and 3rd-party communications tax calculation bolt-on software packages.
4:40 –5:00 PM -- Final Q&A
* The two-day conference offers 10 hours of CPE. Deloitte pre-conference offers 7 hours of CPE. PwC pre-conference offers 4.5 hours of CPE. Attendees must sign in and sign out to receive CPE credit.