Events - Event View

Welcome and Housekeeping – Jackie Atalla, Fall Seminar Co-Chair

Opening Remarks – Kim Rice, President - The Chicago Tax Club

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Chicago’s Future in the 21st Century

Our guest speaker is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a former Chicago alderman. He has authored a number of books. Twenty-First Century Chicago is his latest and serves as background for his presentation. Covering metropolitan Chicago as a whole, Twenty-First Century Chicago underscores the city's efforts in recent years to establish itself as a global metropolitan region and highlights the most pressing issues Chicago is facing to create a positive future in these challenging times.

Speaker:
Dick W. Simpson, Political Science Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago

Moderator:
Jim Horvath, The Chicago Tax Club

Interim Reporting - Navigating the Process

In a panel format, we will discuss the technical requirements of the interim
reporting tax provision process and some of the common traps for the unwary. In
addition, this panel will provide best practices to implement and share thoughts on
navigating through some of the subjective areas of the interim reporting process.

Speakers:
Lisa Coyne, Assistant VP of Tax, Arthur J. Gallagher
Thomas Merritt, Tax Managing Director, KPMG LLP
Joseph Jordan, Senior Manager, Deloitte
Mark Arshonsky, Partner, Ernst & Young LLP

Moderator:
James T. Hedderman, Managing Director, True Partners Consulting LLC

International Tax Update--Part 1

There have been many significant development in the US taxation of international operations and transactions this year. Jim Fuller will provide his valuable insight and practical applications of the most important developments.

Speaker:
Jim Fuller, Partner, Fenwick & West LLP

Moderator:
Ryan Lange, Director, Duff & Phelps, LLC

Top Trends in State and Local Tax

Attend this presentation to learn about important new developments in the state
and local tax arena. Both income and sales tax issues will be discussed, with a nationwide emphasis. We’ll prepare you to anticipate and defend against new
tactics that states may throw your way by audit, litigation or legislative action.

Speakers:
Mary Kay Martire and Matthew Boch, McDermott, Will & Emery LLP

Moderator:
Dorice Pepin, WTAS

The Tax Function – Items every tax professional should grasp

As experienced professionals navigate the world of tax, it’s easy to look back and say “If only I knew…” This session was designed by experienced professionals for new entrants into the tax world. We will provide you information that can steer you in the right direction and allow you to drive value to your organization by thinking of tax in its entirety. As part of this interactive session, we will highlight the different tax
areas, commonly asked questions, share our own experiences, struggles, and best
practices.

Speakers:
Jennifer Lau, Senior Manager, True Partners Consulting LLC
Sarah Brown, Manager, True Partners Consulting LLC

Moderator:
Erik Bilbrey, United Airlines Inc.

Discover Your Dragon

The presentation will be anchored around the book Discover Your Dragon and the ways in which it applies to the work place. The presentation will touch upon character development, sales, work product, and work/life balance. Donald is also the author of Discover Your Dragon (under the Pen name "Kung Fu-Cious"), which translates Martial Arts principles for character development. The book has been adopted by such institutions as UC Berkeley as required reading, and is now required reading in over 100 schools and dozens of businesses across the country. He is also a Gold Medalist for the 2008 US
Wushu (Chinese Martial Arts) Team (World Games, China). Donald will demonstrate some martial arts movements during his presentation..

Speaker:
Donald Hyun Kiolbassa, Attorney/CPA, Ginsparg, Bolton & Associates.

Moderator:
Susan Penway, Managing Director, MTS Consulting, LLC

Update on Trends in Accounting for Income Taxes

Join us in the interactive session for an update on recent trends in the Accounting
for Income taxes area. What are the areas that the SEC has been focused on in 2013
and what do we anticipate being the focus as we head into 2014?
What proposals are on the table for updating standards? What are the IFRS
convergence updates and best practices for communicating with your audit governance boards.

Speaker:
Ken Kuykendall, Partner and US Tax Accounting Services Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Moderator:
Pete Antonopoulos, Manager, AAR

International Tax Update--Part 2

There have been many significant development in the US taxation of international operations and transactions this year. Jim Fuller will provide his valuable insight and practical applications of the most important developments.

Speaker:
Jim Fuller, Partner, Fenwick & West LLP

Moderator:
Ryan Lange, Director, Duff & Phelps, LLC

Sourcing Revenue From Services

Is the Lack of uniformity and guidance a disservice or an opportunity? KPMG SALT professionals will discuss the different sourcing methods used by the states to
source services revenues for purposes of computing the sales factor, state differences
in interpreting the rules and how it can cost some companies more taxes while saving taxes for others.

Speakers:
Janet L. Krueger - KPMG LLP, Partner
John B. Harper - KPMG LLP, Senior Manager

Moderator:
Diana Achim, McDonalds

CLOUD COMPUTING AND DIGITAL GOODS, SALES TAX UPDATES

With changes in technology seeming to take place at the speed of light and the
state’s budget deficits growing, more and more states are looking for new avenues
of revenue generation and trying to extend their sales/use tax reach.
Buyers and sellers need to be aware of changes in taxability of software and
related services as well as other digital products.

Speakers:
Anna Marie Alberti Hearn, Senior Manager, Multistate Tax, Deloitte Tax LLP
Robyn Staros, Senior Manager, Multistate Tax Services, Deloitte Tax LLP

Moderator:
Donna Hriljac, CCC Information Services Inc.

Tax Considerations in Financing Transactions

As the credit markets have improved since the financial crisis, companies have taken advantage of new low interest borrowing and refinancing. This session will focus on the tax implications of debt modifications, exchanges, and cancellations, as well as a discussion on publicly traded debt.

Speakers:
David Hoffman, Tax Partner, Deloitte Tax LLP
Lisa Shields, Tax Senior Manager, Deloitte Tax LLP

Moderator:
George Kyroudis, Experis

Effectively Utilizing Partnerships in the M&A world

In today’s fast paced world of Mergers & Acquisitions companies are utilizing
Partnership structures as a tax savings strategy. Please join us in this
interactive session as our panel of experts walk us through the advantages of
using a Partnership structure from a legal and tax perspective, while also
discussing traps for the unwary.

Speakers:
Robert McDonald, Managing Director, True Partners Consulting LLC
Keith Villmow, P.C. – Partner Kirkland & Ellis
Mark Brusius – Tax Manager E.ON Climate & Renewables North America, LLC

Moderator:
Pete Antonopoulos, Manager, AAR

The Ethics of Tax Planning and Policy

Speaker:
Kristen Hazel, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery

Moderator:
Wes Cornwell, Ernst & Young LLP

State Audit Strategies and Experiences

Please join us for a discussion of recent state income/franchise tax audit
experiences. Our practitioner panel will be sharing their perspectives on the
current state of state tax practice in this area. We expect a lively discussion
given recent developments and the current environment.

Speakers:
Dean Bruno, Executive Director, EY
Joe Gurney, Director, Deloitte
Michael Lovett, Director, PwC
Natalie Martin, Partner, Kupiec and Martin
Brad Wilhelmson, Senior Manager, KPMG

Moderator:
Jon Cesaretti, Crowe Horwath LLP

PROPERTY TAX UPDATES

Property taxes are often a significant component of many companies’ state and local tax burden. This session will discuss some of the hot topic and recent/proposed changes around the country that affect property taxes. The session will also touch upon:
•Identifying and maintaining obsolescence adjustments in a recovering economy.
•Addressing capital expenditures/deferred maintenance.
Identifying embedded software/intangibles to potential exclude from personal property assessments.

Speakers:
Joe Glennon and Todd Heinrichs, Ernst &Young;

Moderator:
Jim Tauber, Managing Director, WTAS LLC

Microsoft Tips & Tricks for Tax Professionals

Focusing on commonly used tools for tax professionals such as Excel and Access, this session will be a hands on walk through of filters, tables, linking, pivot tables in Excel, as well as queries and reports for Access. The instructor lead training will also discuss troubleshooting and common user issues. The session is best suited for beginner to intermediate level users who are interested in learning more about spreadsheets and databases.

Speakers:
Taylor Egan, Directions Training

Moderator:
Erik Bilbrey, United Airlines Inc.

2013 Committee Reports Election of Officers and Directors for the Year 2014

Passthrough reform update

Tax reform is in the air. Both the House and Senate are working on tax reform
proposals and many experts expect movement toward reform this year. The changes
could be fundamental and far reaching in the passthroughs arena because of the
complexity, cost of compliance, and perceived potential for abuse in the existing
law. Tax practitioners and business owners need to understand the proposals for
change and their impact on business models.

This panel will provide an in-depth discussion of the proposals to amend and to
combine the partnership and S corporation passthrough regimes presented in the
House of Representatives, Ways and Means Committee Discussion Draft that was
released on March 12, 2013. Join us in this discussion of the two options proposed
and a discussion of tax reform and the impact on small businesses and passthrough
entities.

Speakers:
Patrick Broooks, Partner, KPMG LLP
Jeanne Sullivan, Director, KPMG LLP

Moderator:
Christina Immelman, Partner, Sikich LLP

Canada International Tax/Customs Update

This presentation will address the following:
- Canada/US treaty update;
- Canadian transfer pricing update;
- Canadian inbound/outbound legislative developments

Speaker:
Claire Kennedy, Partner, Bennet Jones LLP

Moderator:
Christopher Desmond, Managing Director, Duff & Phelps, LLC

MTC Three Factor Election – Does It Still Exist?

This session will discuss the mechanics of making the MTC Three Factor election in those states that potentially still recognize the election. The speakers will also discuss recent Court Cases surrounding the MTC election as well as the recent trend of states
to withdraw from the Articles of the Multistate Tax Compact that allow the Three Factor election.

Speakers:
Christopher J. Tobin, Partner, PwC
Andrew J. Davet , Director, PwC

Moderator:
Darren Lebiecki, Kraft Foods Group

California SALT Update

The Golden State represents the 12th largest economy in the world. California also represents some of the largest collections of sales tax, state income tax and property tax of all states and is ranked among the lowest in regards to the business tax climate. Join us in this session addressing recent tax law changes in California and how these changes may impact your business.

Learning objectives include:
*Sales tax changes related to manufacturing exemptions. Explore additional sales tax exemptions that your organization may benefit from.
*State income tax challenges created by the sales tax changes and what new opportunities exist.
*Understanding recent property tax Supreme Court cases and challenges impacting County Assessors. Updates on assessment issues including software exemption and the effects of economy and foreclosures on valuations.

Speakers:
DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc. -
Donald Jackson, Director of Practice Development, Property Tax;
Zachary L. Reif, Director, Sales & Use Tax ,
W. Matt McCord, Senior Tax Manager, State Income Tax

Moderator:
Michele Rischmann, CTC Sales/Use/Property Tax Committee

Generations at Work

This session will have an insightful and entertaining discussion about the benefits and challenges of leading a diverse, multi-generational workforce. Our discussion will feature a panel composed of Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y, to share their experiences on talent management and leadership development. You'll walk away enlightened, entertained, and equipped with some leading practices for transforming your group of generationally diverse individuals into engaged and high performing teams.

Speaker:
Dot Proux, Partner, Ernst & Young

Moderator:
Erik Bilbrey, United Airlines Inc.

Option not available.

International Operations, Development and Expansion: Incentives and Other Considerations

This presentation will address the following:
- Policy/General Landscape behind International Incentives
- Chart/Overview of the most relevant countries and incentives offered
- Countries of particular interest and why, including:
- Mexico
- Brazil
- UK
- France
- Germany
- China

Speakers:
Gina Stuadacher, Attorney, Howard & Howard
Ellen Ernst, Attorney, Howard & Howard
Evonne Xu, Attorney, Howard & Howard

Moderator:
Marlon Dee, Manager, WTP Advisors

State Income Tax Provisions: Don’t Defer till Tomorrow, What You Can Deal with Currently

A discussion of current developments in 2013, that will impact companies’ current and deferred state income tax provisions. Subject matter covered will also include valuation allowances, uncertain tax position liability hot topics, effective settlement and widely held administrative exceptions for non-filing positions.

Speakers:
Marc Weinstein, Julie Doyle and Jason Kang, Deloitte

Moderator:
John Easterday, Alvarez & Marsal

M&A: Sales & Use Tax Due Diligence and Contract Considerations

The economy is getting better and transaction activity is picking up. If you are buying a business (assets or ownership interest), you may inadvertently buy that business's sales and use tax mistakes and exposures. This presentation will provide an overview of what to include in a due diligence review to determine if there are outstanding or hidden sales/use tax liabilities and how to contractually protect your company from tax exposures.

Speakers:
David Kupiec, Kupiec & Martin, LLC
Jim Tauber, WTAS LLC

Moderator
Roger Soloway, CTC Sales/Use/Property Tax Committee

This session will feature a discussion of recent focus areas for the IRS including 1441 withholding and reporting, FATCA, new IDR policies, and more. John Risacher and Saul Tilmann of Ernst & Young will present issues for taxpayers to be aware of and how to prepare for them in your upcoming audits.

Surviving an IRS Audit: How to Come Out with Your Sanity and Reserves Intact

This session will discuss the IRS audit process, including tips, strategies, and
best practices for surviving an audit. It will cover the spectrum of audit
activities, from planning for and limiting the scope of an audit, to protecting confidential and privileged information, through taxpayer options for addressing
unagreed issues at the close of an audit. The session will focus on potential
pitfalls and areas of opportunity during an audit, including highlighting recent
cases and current topics in the changing landscape of IRS audits.

Speakers:
Susan Ryba, Baker & McKenzie LLP
Emily Snyder, Baker & McKenzie LLP

Moderator:
Christina Immelman, Partner, Sikich LLP

Surviving an IRS Audit: How to Come Out with Your Sanity and Reserves Intact

This session will discuss the IRS audit process, including tips, strategies, and
best practices for surviving an audit. It will cover the spectrum of audit
activities, from planning for and limiting the scope of an audit, to protecting confidential and privileged information, through taxpayer options for addressing
unagreed issues at the close of an audit. The session will focus on potential
pitfalls and areas of opportunity during an audit, including highlighting recent
cases and current topics in the changing landscape of IRS audits.

Speakers:
Susan Ryba, Baker & McKenzie LLP
Emily Snyder, Baker & McKenzie LLP

Moderator:
Christina Immelman, Partner, Sikich LLP

National Credits & Incentives Update and Planning

Reflecting the shifting state economic agendas from coast to coast, California’s Enterprise Zone program has been repealed and replaced with a new program that has remnants of former EZ credits and a new more flexible credit for investments into the state. On the other coast, New Jersey’s multiple tax credit and incentive programs have been consolidated into two main programs: a robust tax credit program for jobs and investment; and a tax increment financing program for developers. This session will discuss the changes to state tax credit programs across the country and will also
provide a targeted focus on maximizing old California’s EZ credits while navigating
and negotiating the new incentives, as well as navigating and maximizing New Jersey’s consolidated programs.

Speakers:
Jaime Reichardt, Associate, Reed Smith LLP
Mike Shaikh, Associate, Reed Smith LLP

Moderator:
Denise Obrochta, Reed Smith LLP

Marketplace Fairness Act, SST & Click Through Nexus update

This session will provide background and current status of the Marketplace Fairness Act, the Streamlined Sales Tax Agreement, and “click through” nexus developments with a focus on how these three matters are connected. Presenting both a business and state perspective, we will address the implications to business and departments of revenue on the potential impact of the Marketplace Fairness Act and click through nexus .

Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the key components of the Marketplace Fairness Act.
2. Learn how the Streamlined Sales Tax Agreement impacts the Marketplace Fairness Act.
3. Gain insight into the practical implications businesses will face as the bill becomes reality.
4. Hear about recent click through nexus developments, both new laws and cases.
5. Learn about how the Marketplace Fairness Act will impact click through nexus rules.

Speakers:
Craig Johnson, Executive Director, Streamlined Sales Tax Organization
David Hughes, Horwood Marcus & Berk Chartered

Moderator:
Larry Ewing, Partner, State and Local Tax, Sikich LL

Illinois Tax and Budget Update

Budgets continue to be strained due to weak economic growth. Tax policy plays a key role in the decision making of state and local government leaders in order to improve budgets. This session will feature a discussion, lead by the Center for Tax & Budget Accountability, on new policy developments, an update on local government financial health and progress on tax reform.

Speaker:
Ralph Martire, Executive Director, Center for Tax & Budget Accountability

Moderator:
Erik Bilbrey, United Airlines Inc.

Honors the 2013 Committee Chairpersons of the Chicago Tax Club

The Kennedy Assassination - 50 Years Later

Mr. Singer will discuss the circumstances of the Kennedy assassination including discrepancies in the official version of the event. As a member of the organization that helped get the case reopened in Congress, Mr. Singer interviewed witnesses to the shooting and other people who played a part in the investigation

Speaker:
Phil Singer, Member of the Citizens Commission of Inquiry

Moderator:
Frank Nowinski, The Chicago Tax Club