STEP Benelux has announced details of a Lunch & Learn event being held on Wednesday 7 December 2016 at 12:00 at the Cercle Munster in Luxembourg-Grund.

The presentation on “International Tax Planning: Luxembourg’s Competitiveness Compared to our European Neighbours / Trends and Forecasts" will be given by James O'Neal of AMMC Law, Luxembourg.

James O'Neal is a Principal at AMMC Law SA an independent full service Luxembourg law firm with offices in Malta as well. James is an international tax lawyer with over 17 years of experience in Luxembourg, the USA, and Malta with clients from Fortune 500 Mega corporations to mid-size businesses, as well as institutional investors from private equity houses to hedge funds. James is also the Treasurer and on the Executive Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg ASBL where he works with AmCham Leadership to lobby the Luxembourg government for tax policy competitiveness.

The presentation will include:
 
A Summary of the barrage of bad news in the international tax world and focus on the impact of Luxembourg’s tax competitiveness including:

1. EU State Aid Investigations
 
2. OECD BEPS Initiative  
 
3. EU Anti-Corporate Tax Abuse Initiatives (e.g., Anti-Hybrid Legislation)

Impact on the Practical Aspects of “Tax Planning”:

1. Is there any tax planning as we know it for the future?  Is “Low Tax and Transparency” the new gold standard?

2. The new paradigm to consider (“most of the time”):
a.      Business Purpose
b.      Economic Substance
c.      Transfer Pricing
d.      How often and applied everywhere?

3. Multi-national Planning vs. Fund / Institutional Investor Planning

4. Impact on “International Tax Planning” in Luxembourg:
a.      Holding Activities
b.      Cross Border Financing
c.      IP Planning

5. Keeping up with the Neighbors: What is going on elsewhere in Europe – Tax Competitiveness
a.      Luxembourg
b.      Ireland
c.      UK (Brexit Opportunities?)
d.      Switzerland
e.      Netherlands
f.       Malta
g.      Cyprus

6. Take-Aways

TIMING: Meeting from 12:00, lunch will begin at 12;30 and the meeting will end at 14:00

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Everyone involved in wealth planning and preservation, including, but not limited to, all estate and trust professionals, lawyers, accountants, trust officers, current

STEP members, applicants and other providers of ancillary services.
 
WHAT IS STEP? STEP is the premier global trust and estate planning organisation dedicated to informing and educating estate planning and administration professionals. STEP has 19,500 members in 95 jurisdictions and provides its worldwide members with international learning and a business network focusing on the responsible stewardship of assets today and across the generations. See www.step.org and www.stepbenelux.org.

COST: €50 Euro per person. A no-show policy will apply. To register, email: stepbenelux@mpartners.lu