It has been 2 years since the last National Resources Tax Conference and it has been a huge 24 months.

Between a global pandemic, the oil price collapsing and exploration continuing to dry up, the environment we are facing has changed dramatically. Oil and Gas majors are cutting down on staff and Gold is at a record high. So what does this mean for you?

“The most interesting thing, is to see how the tax side of things reflects in the commercial realities of the last two years, and what has changed," said Mathew Chamberlain, International Tax Partner at EY Perth.

We chatted to Mathew ahead of his session at the upcoming National Resources Tax Conference – Online and what he was expecting from this year’s conference.

“The main challenge in this area [tax residency of companies] is the whole raft of global changes that are happening in the way the multinationals are being taxed,” he said.

“This is exacerbated by different economies, different businesses, different taxpayers and different governments all having different interests and experiencing different rates of change. An additional challenge is that some multinationals are buying into the global program and some are doing more on an individual/national basis."

Highlights at this year’s conference

Mathew told us he is looking forward to seeing how the resources industry is practically and pragmatically responding to international tax changes and building them into their considerations. He is interested to look at the way they finance and structure projects, and deal with M&A.

“It is a big state of flux and I’m looking forward to seeing how these changes reflect themselves in the broader National Resources Tax Conference program,” said Mathew.

“We’ve all been locked out of offices for 6 months and it has been two years since the last NRTC. If you advise clients in the resources space, you need to know what is happening and what is happening now."

He said that knowledge in this area is key, and, "the NRTC is massive and hugely important. Regardless whether it is online or face-to-face – it doesn’t matter."

Mathew, as a Western Australian practitioner, said hearing the latest and greatest from the people specialising in the resources tax space will be hugely beneficial to him. Attending these events provokes thought processes that help him find the answers to the tough questions he faces day to day.

Mathew’s Session – Part 6B: Australian Corporate Tax Residency

Mathew has been a regular at Tax Institute conferences as both a delegate and speaker. This year, he is presenting a session diving into the current landscape of corporate tax residency and providing some practical insights into the challenges facing companies and how they can be managed.

“This is a topic I have spoken about over the past 4-5 years at a lot of Tax Institute events,” he said.

Mathew hopes delegates will leave his session asking themselves not just the technical questions around tax residency, but also the more important practical ones. He will address the challenges faced in this area from both sides.

We asked Mathew to drill down into the issues his session would address. Mathew explained his sessions would cover three main areas:

• The 2020–21 budget – the government’s response to the Board of Taxation review and paper from July 2020
• The ATOs Public Guidance – With 12 months of living with the ATO public guidance, Mathew will discuss the do’s and don’ts providing practical tips and tricks
• Tax Residency Issues – Top 10 tips of managing that issue and recognising when there is an issue and reflecting on when it is a technical issue but not a practical issue.

Connection is key

“With so much going on, massive rates of change and so much uncertainty, it is very difficult to future proof the environment,” Mathew said.

Mathew believes that connection is the key to combating this uncertainty about the future.

“Stay connected and keep connected with your clients. Keep up to date with developments. Manage risk, be open and transparent with your clients. Talk to your clients on a regular basis,” he said.

“Ensure you are authentic and make sure that you’re able to put what we do in tax, into a commercial context and reality for your clients.

If there is a commercial uncertainty we need to make sure the client is aware of it and able to make as fully informed decision as possible.”

National Resources Tax Conference – Online: 11 - 25 November 2020

This year’s National Resources Tax Conference – Online, kicking off on 11 November, will run over three jam-packed weeks.

The virtual conference will cover all the important topics that tax professionals working in the resources sector, need to know about. Delegates will leave with a firm grasp of what is going on in the industry.

About Mathew Chamberlain

Mathew Chamberlain, CTA is International Tax Partner at EY, Perth.

A trusted advisor with a solid reputation as a leading expert in the Perth market, Mathew specialises in international tax reform, foreign investment into Australia and outbound investment from Australia with a current focus on the resources and resource services industries.