It’s Tax Forum Season, which means The Tax Institute, our members and colleagues from around the country are gearing up for some of the most highly anticipated tax technical programs of the year!

Held in capital cities around the country, our Tax Forums are where the tax profession meet to discuss ideas, develop their professional interests and create connections with colleagues from across the tax space.

With three big events – Queensland Tax Forum, the NSW Tax Forum and the WA Tax Forum – set to kick off soon, we’ve spoken to three of our expert presenters to get insights around the topics they’ll be sharing at their local tax forum.

Scott Walker – Assistant Commissioner in the Private Wealth Business Line of the ATO

... on the Next 5000 program and an ATO update

Join Scott at the Queensland Tax Forum | 27 May 2021 – 28 May 2021 | Stamford Plaza Brisbane

With over 20 years’ experience in the ATO across all taxpayer engagement business lines, Scott Walker is focused on improving certainty for taxpayers and improving their experience with the ATO. He has attended and spoken at our expert events over the past 8 years, and this year will join us at the 2021 Queensland Tax Forum.

Scott will be conducting his session, ATO update on Next 5000 and Hot Spots 2021, alongside his colleague, Justin Dearness. The session explores how COVID-19 recovery measures will impact the ATO’s move back into active tax integrity activity, including an overview and insights from the Next 5000 private groups tax performance program.

Scott says the session will allow attendees to “Gain insights into how the tax administrator is thinking about issues that are facing the tax profession.”

His hope is that those who attend the session will walk away knowing how “to be cognisant of the hot spots and risks and not fall foul of common mistakes.”

About Scott Walker

Scott Walker is an Assistant Commissioner and the risk owner for Property & Construction issues in the Private Wealth Business Line of the ATO. His teams are responsible for managing the ATO’s engagement with the largest Private Groups in Queensland. Previously Scott has worked in Tax Technical and Audit roles across most ATO compliance business areas.

When he’s not working to create connections between the ATO and taxpayers, Scott has taken to exploring interesting walks and destinations closer to home as he awaits a return to pre-COVID travel.

Professor Robin Woellner, CTA – Adjunct Professor, James Cook University School of Law and UNSW School of Tax and Business Law

... on recent developments to the TASA 2009

Join Robin at the NSW Tax Forum | 20 May 2021 – 21 May 2021 | Hyatt Regency Sydney

A Tax Institute regular for several decades now, Robin Woellner’s session at the NSW Tax Forum, TASA and the life cycle of a tax practitioner – current law and proposed reforms, is one we’re looking forward to.

Robin joins us to explore the impact of recent case-law on key elements of the Tax Agent Services Act 2009 – particularly the fit and proper person requirements, key elements and requirements of the Code of Professional Conduct and the consequences of breaching that Act. His session also delves into issues such as the potential liability for civil penalties, the risk of jail for contempt, and situations where registration may be terminated or other sanctions imposed.

After attending, Robin says, “Practitioners will be more aware of the current requirements for the registration process, including current interpretation of the fit and proper person requirement and their ongoing obligations under the Code and other provisions, and actions to take and avoid in order to stay out of trouble – and jail.”

Robin will also explore the potential impact of proposed reforms to TASA and the system.

About Robin Woellner

Robin began his professional life as a solicitor in private practice. In 1973 he joined the foundation staff of Macquarie University Law School, moving then to UTS Law School. He became the Foundation Dean of (then) UWS Faculty of Law and subsequently the Dean and Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Law, Business and the Creative Arts at James Cook University in 2004. In 2010, Robin retired, and between sharing his wealth of knowledge with a new generation of tax professionals at The Tax Institute’s events, he spends time with family and on the golf course.

Mark Ryan – Senior Manager, International Tax and Transaction Services at EY

... on the OECD BEPS 2.0 and why international tax matters for everyone

Join Mark at the WA Tax Forum | 17 June 2021 - 18 June 2021 | RAC Arena

When Mark Ryan takes the stage at the upcoming 2021 WA Tax Forum, he’s hoping delegates will come to understand that “we see the ATO looks to international guidance from organizations like the OECD to drive their local compliance approach and local interpretations. So you have to be aware of the developments in international tax because it will affect your local domestic corporate tax.”

His session, OECD BEPS 2.0 – What’s next for international tax reform?, looks at how the OECD’s BEPS 2.0 international tax reform program has continued to develop and evolve despite disruption over the past year. Mark will walk attendees through the background to the BEPS 2.0 Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 proposals, recent developments and unresolved issues to be wary of.

“The main challenge for the tax practitioners is going to be, you know, even if they do have a good understanding of the international tax, cross-border taxation, those sorts of situations, this is going to completely upend that understanding,” Mark said.

“It's going to put a whole new layer over the top that you're going to have to think about, because all of what we already know about cross border taxation issues isn't going away, that's still going to be there. But then on top of that, you're going to have to then apply more lenses and think about how this fits into a global structure that we're looking at.”

For any practitioner with a focus on large, multinational corporates, this is a vital topic to understand. Mark said that overall, “the impact is going to be that you have to learn a whole new tax system over the top of the current one.”

About Mark Ryan

Mark Ryan is a Senior Manager in the International Tax and Transaction Services practice at EY. He has 11 years’ experience in EY’s Perth and London offices providing corporate and international tax advice to multinationals, with a particular focus on the resources industry.