IAPA's first fly-in / fly-out event; a great success...

Thirty delegates attended the first ever Fly-In/Fly-Out Tax & Audit sessions arranged by the European Board for younger professional with IAPA’s member firms.  The event was an overwhelming success bringing together audit and tax practitioners from more than 10 countries and offering them a full day’s interactive discussion on aspects of international tax and audit work relevant to their day to day lives.

Ton van den Hoven, an eminent international tax lawyer, led a discussion of cross-border acquisition planning.  Based on input provided by the delegates during the session, Ton presented a comparative analysis of the differences and commonalities between tax systems in the countries represented.  The session also touched on the impact of tax treaties and the use of different financial instruments and planning techniques in the context of cross border M&A.

The Audit session was led by David Martin and Suzanne Craig, partners in IAPA’s UK member firm Knill James, whose presentations highlighted major differences between IFRS and local GAAP and illustrated the practical impact of these differences on financial statements and cross-border transactions.  The session also provided an update of the implementation of ISAs across the EU.

The event took place on Friday 30 March at the Brussels Sheraton Airport Hotel.  Delegates were invited to stay on for an evening tour of the major sights of Brussels followed by a typical Belgian dinner and a chance to sample the vibrant night life of the city.

Feedback from delegates confirmed the two-fold value of the event in promoting an interactive exchange of technical information and experience and also in providing a much-needed opportunity to  make contact with fellow professionals in other countries  who will be able to offer support and advice on client matters in the future.

 The European Board is delighted with the success of the event and plans are      already in progress for a the second in this series of Fly-In/Fly-Out Tax & Audit Briefings to take place in Brussels on Friday 21 September 2012