59th Midyear Conference: navigating the downturn: audits and appeals program expanded to cover foreign audits.

Tax Executives Institute will hold its 59th Midyear Conference in Washington, D.C., beginning on March 29, and a primary purpose of the three-day meeting will be how tax executives can deal effectively with the global economic crisis. Keynote speakers will include Senator Ron Wyden, (Oregon), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and IRS Deputy Commissioner Linda Stiff.

In addition, senior Ways & Means and Senate Committee staffers will provide a Washington update, state revenue directors from New York and Illinois will share their perspective on the state fiscal and tax landscape, and key staff member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board will address the implications of the changing financial reporting landscape. In addition, Judge Juan Vasquez of the U.S. Tax Court and Donald Bowman, former Chief Justice of the Tax Court of Canada, will discuss the State of Tax Litigation in the United States and Canada.

"Given the economic turmoil confronting the United States and the world," TEI International President Vincent Alicandri said, "it is particularly important for tax executives to keep sharp focus on their businesses and on the tax implications of the economic downturn. While the economic stimulus legislation passed by Congress in February did not include that many provisions benefitting mid- and large-sized companies, there remain ample opportunities to explore ... and pitfalls to avoid."

To help participants address these needs, the conference program will includes the following sessions:

* Washington Update: What Does the Obama Administration Mean for Tax Policy?

* M&A in a Troubled Economy

* Making Lemonade Out of Lemons: Economic Downturn Challenges & Opportunities

* Cash is King: Tax Planning with Accounting Method Changes

* Using Foreign Losses

* The Effect of Business Constraints on State Tax Compliance

* Staff Retention: Retaining the Best People When Things Go Bad

The Midyear Conference's emphasis on the economic downturn does not come at the expense of other important practice areas. TEI's Continuing Education Committee has developed an impressive array of concurrent sessions to meet the practice needs of conference attendances, including--

* State Tax Audit Roundtable

* Unclaimed Property Update

* Changing Financial Reporting Landscape Canadian and European Experience with IFRS

* Competent Authority & Other International Tax Issues

* International Update: Contract Manufacturing and Cost-Sharing

* Global VAT / GST...