TEI Midyear Conference will focus on change wrought by Obama Administration and new Congress: IRS developments, tax issues relevant to economic turmoil also on agenda.

• Position: Conference news

TEI's 58th Midyear Conference will bring together Institute members and experienced practitioners to discuss what legislative and regulatory changes are ahead for the Administration of President Barack Obama and a new Congress featuring stronger Democratic majorities. The conference will be held March 30-April 1 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C. Government representatives from Congress, the Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Tax Court have also been invited to speak. The three-day-program will also include a roundtable with state revenue directors.

The program will provide TEI members with the opportunity to get a first-hand look at the new Administration and Congress goals and how their policies will affect the country's tax agenda, according to TEI President Vincent Alicandri. "The conference will feature sessions on planning in a troubled economy, including issues relating to mergers and acquisitions, debt cancellations and swaps, unwinding derivatives, foreign losses, state budget constraints, and the challenge of retaining good personnel in down times."

A plenary session on the changing financial reporting landscape will be featured on day two of the conference. There will also be concurrent sessions on a FIN 48 update and state and local tax accounting issues. In addition, energy and environmental incentives and state economic incentives will be highlighted.

In the federal tax area, an update on penalties, recent litigation (both in the United States and Canada), accounting method changes, hot issues in executive compensation and benefits, and a primer on SEC disclosure rules will be given...