European Chapter's Winter Conference marks 10 years of growth.

• Position: Chapter News

On January 28, 2008, TEI European Chapter President Pieter Van Der Straaten welcomed more than 110 tax professionals to the Chapter's Winter Conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland. Among the participants were about half of the chapter's founding members, who reminisced with former TEI Executive Director Michael J. Murphy, about an exploratory meeting the group held in Geneva 10 years before with then-TEI President Lester D. Ezrati to discuss the possible formation of a chapter in Europe. Mr. Van der Straaten noted the chapter has grown from the initial group of approximately 25 to more than 10 times that number.

The conference's technical sessions on January 29 focused on an array of business structuring issues including transfer-pricing risk assessment methodologies, the VAT, customs, sales and use tax, and security issues in moving goods from the European Union into the United States, dividend planning for repatriations between EU countries and the United States, intercompany financing techniques, and tax arbitrage principles in mergers and acquisitions involving U.S.- and EU-based companies.

Assisting the speakers from the conference sponsor, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, with the technical session presentations were a number of TEI members, including Keith Miller of SAB Miller, Daniel Broekhuizen of Toyota Motor Europe, Lluis Fargas of Alcoa Europe, Steven Sanders of Altria Group, and Robert Murray of General Motors Europe. In addition, professionals from Loyens & Loeff N.V., Clifford Chance LLP, Homburger AG, and Transfer Pricing Associates B.V. participated. Professor Claus Staringer of Vienna University and Professor Wally Hellerstein of the University of Georgia Law School (and Sutherland Asbill & Brennan) discussed Key Issues for Business arising from the proposed Common...