Successful consolidated returns, schedule UTP seminars in the books; audits & appeals program on the horizon.

Two of the hottest tax areas--consolidated tax returns and new Schedule UTP--were the subject of TEI seminars in November and December, bringing together best-in-class faculties and senior government officials to provide participants with cutting-edge ideas and practical insights.

The Marriot Solana, in Westlake, Texas, was the site for TEI's Selected Issues in Consolidated Tax Returns. The seminar focused on the latest legislative, judicial, and administrative developments related to consolidated returns. The program balanced nuts and bolts issues, including compliance challenges and planning opportunities for affiliated groups, with advanced topics, such as acquisitions and separations of members and affiliated groups. In addition, the panelists addressed key state and local tax planning issues for combined/consolidated returns. Attendees heard from Special Counsel to the IRS Associate Chief Counsel (Corporate) Lawrence M. Axelrod, whose luncheon remarks focused on issues affecting affiliated groups filing consolidated tax returns.

Closer to home, TEI's Schedule UTP Seminar: Strategic Implications for Planning and Compliance brought together tax, accounting, and government officials in the nation's capital to focus on both the strategic and...