Global connections: The Praxity North American International Tax Conference

Plante Moran partners and clients expanded their global connections and heard critical updates on international tax developments at the 2018 Praxity North American International Tax Conference held November 8-9 in Chicago. Praxity, the event sponsor, is the sixth-largest international alliance in the world. This North American tax conference is known as much for the relationships that it builds as for the knowledge it provides. This year’s event had 420 attendees, which included 70 participants from outside of the United States, and 140 clients of Praxity member firms.

Key themes

The conference was focused on providing updates on tax reform and global tax planning for companies doing business in the nation and abroad. However, it also covered many non-tax reform subjects, including developments in countries such as Canada, China, France, Germany, and the UK.Tax reform discussions included:

•  Impacts of tax reform on U.S.-based multinationals
• A global viewpoint of U.S. tax reform, featuring a panel from Mexico, Canada, Asia Pacific, and Europe
•  Planning techniques related to tax reform, including transfer pricing, IP planning, repatriation, and entity structuring
•  SALT perspectives on tax reform issues with commentary on recent court cases that have a broad impact on international companies
• Tax structuring in Canada post-tax reform

Other discussions included:

• Commentary on the impact of NAFTA
• Strategies to invest into Brazil, Chile, and Mexico
• Changes in the business landscape in China, UK, Germany, and France, including the hot issues of Europe’s digital economy
• International income tax accounting, global due diligence trends, and incentives and planning around international expansion

Why Praxity?

As more businesses look to expand globally, Praxity is ideally positioned to facilitate the sharing of expertise among its expert advisors from more than 100 countries. There’s no other event in the United States that provides the diversity of content and access to so many global tax professionals.

There’s no other event in the United States that provides the diversity of content and access to so many global tax professionals. 

Consider:

• Sessions are tailored to participants’ interests and experience: Customized education tracks are tailored to an individual’s level of expertise, role, and professional interest. There are learning opportunities for new and seasoned international tax professionals as well as executives such as CFOs, controllers, and finance directors who are looking at the bigger picture.
• Accountants and clients attend together: There’s no substitute for sitting next to a Plante Moran partner while learning about changes in U.S. taxation or tax principles in other countries. What better time to explore possibilities than when sitting with a resource who knows your business?
• Limited attendance and small breakouts: Praxity conferences aren’t about filling a huge ballroom with over a thousand attendees who never get to talk. Overall attendance is limited, and a lot of discussion takes place in small breakout sessions that give attendees the opportunity to interact directly with presenters.
• Networking with Praxity members from around the globe: Praxity member firms from around the world send their top minds to attend the conference. Businesses that are just starting out internationally are often struck by the atmosphere of cooperation and familiarity among the Praxity members. There are opportunities to set up meetings before, during, and after the conference, and clients have commented on the unique opportunity to “put faces to the names” and connect with international advisors who were able to help them immediately.

If you have any questions about international tax issues or about attending a Praxity conference,we’re happy to discuss them with you. And if your current operations or future plans involve operations outside of the United States, please let us know. We can help.