The Malta Academy for Taxation Studies together with the Malta Institute of Management proudly present The 14th International Taxation Conference entitled EU Taxation: Globe, Unshell & Related
This conference took place on Tuesday 3rd of May 2022 at The Radisson Blu Resort St Julians. The conference will be focusing on the Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (ATAD 3) published by the European Commission on December 2021, aimed at preventing the use of shell companies for tax evasion in the European Union and bring fairness, transparency, and stability to the international corporate tax framework.
A detailed explanation will be given on this EU initiative and its effects on Maltese taxation principles and advisory services.
The conference will be led by a number of professional foreign and local speakers.
I have recently attended the 14th International Taxation Conference held at the Radisson in Malta. The conference was, in my opinion, a complete success with top international speakers from around the world. All experts in their respective field and studies with decades of experience. The quality of the speakers was of the highest standard and each speaker added value by looking at the recently launched and upcoming legislations from a different angle. This gave a much wider and more holistic perspective to the new rules and regulations. The conference address strategic, technical and practical aspects of the law. Prof. Philip Baker and Prof Pasquale Pistone gave a great introduction on the Commissions’ Unshell Proposal and the Minimum Tax Proposal. It was comforting to see that even seasoned professionals may sometimes feel puzzled on the intent of the legislator!
Prof Guglielmo Maisto gave a detailed understanding of the mechanisms of tax disputes mechanisms and what are the challenges one would face particularly in cross border contestations. Prof John Vella and Dr Mario Tenore discussed the practical side of the law. Prof Vella gave us accountants some numbers to crunch and understand better the impact. One could realise that fiscal policy will still play a big role for each jurisdiction and highly important for countries to remain competitive with the utilisation of QDMTT and QRTC. Dr Tenore looked at specific structures used by HNWI, with specific reference to Sportspersons and Celebrities.
Must admit that the conference was a long one but the speakers in the afternoon did a great job of keeping everyone engaged. Starting with Prof Mosquera Valderrama who sounded like a walking Google, she explained what the challenges are arising from the Commissions’ proposals specifically in respect to other EU principles. Her academic insights and opinions are definitely ones that will need to be discussed by the Commission. Dr Robert Attard looked at the Unshell (and Snails – those who were present would understand this) Directive from a Maltese perspective. This gave the conference some additional relevance for Maltese practitioners but it was definitely an International one.
Finally, the overall organisation by the team at the Malta Academy for Taxation Studies has showed as the conference which was attended by hundreds of professionals went smooth in all aspects. I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your advance planning which made the conference a positive experience with real knowledge added. I definitely will be on the lookout for your next events.
It’s been quite some time I’ve attended a tax conference, due to other interests in the financial sphere. However, was interested to see what’s on the horizon, especially in view of the expected changes in the tax sphere in the coming couple of years. Thus got intrigued with the offering of the Malta Institute of Management (MIM and Malta Academy for Taxation Studies (MATS) 14th International Taxation Conference, held on the 3rd May.
Topics covered within the EU Tax Conference were quite intriguing: globe, unshell, ATAD, DAC, BEPS – where am I heading???? As time passed, the terminology became quite understandable. The organizers managed to bring together, especially in this particular post-COVID scenario, a total of 12 foreign professors and local experts on the different areas, whereas in certain circumstances these are the same standard setters or legislators.
The most interesting discussions revolved around the pros and cons of the proposals and topics, especially in view of the expectation that EU lawmakers are trying to achieve with the establishment of these directives, versus the different strings that the different countries are pulling for their own interest. In most cases, speakers highlighted any deficiencies in the proposed documents, also indicating how certain wording would probably change following further consideration. Most importantly, MIM and MATS have brought together participants, in particular local tax practitioners, to start putting on their thinking hats to provide their feedback, at the appropriate time, towards a healthy discussion which might ultimately influence the EU legislator in the final formulation of the directive.
I commend the organizers and the panelists for the presentations provided and looking forward towards other thought provoking and future setting discussions.
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