Alston & Bird served as the Signature Sponsor for this 35th annual conference sponsored by the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT). The two-and-a-half-day program offered a forum for discussion on numerous current issues and concerns in concurrent sessions for Income, Property, and Sales and Use Tax. A number of Alston & Bird attorneys were featured presenters at the event.
John Coalson, Kendall Houghton and Ethan Millar presented, "What's Fair about Discretionary Authority?" during the Income Tax session on Tuesday, June 28, 9:30am - 10:30am. Increasingly, states are providing their revenue departments with discretionary authority in administering state tax laws. Revenue departments typically exercise such discretion when doing so will benefit the state by generating more revenue, to the detriment of taxpayers. This presentation focused on the various ways in which revenue departments are exercising such discretion, and how taxpayers can prepare for and defend against it.
Mary Benton and Tim Peaden presented, "Who Are the People in Your Appeal?" during the Property Tax session on Tuesday, June 28, 9:30am - 10:30am. Having the right people involved in property tax litigation is important to a successful resolution of a case. In many cases, the people who should be involved in a case are not necessarily those that are thought of initially. This presentation focused on best practices for identifying and working with expert witnesses, determining which fact witnesses best support a case, selecting arbitrators and dealing with opposing counsel.
Jeff Glickman and Mike Petrik presented, "National Sales and Use Tax Update: Keeping Pace in the 21st Century," during the Sales Tax session on Tuesday, June 28, 9:30am - 10:30am. As new technology is released and embraced by businesses and consumers, it is quickly replaced by even newer technology. As businesses and consumers react quickly to these changes, states typically do not have that luxury. This presentation provided a national update on sales and use tax issues during the last year with an emphasis on e-commerce issues such as digital/downloaded goods and services, sourcing, and software licensing.
June 26-29, 2011
JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country / San Antonio, TX