CFE 5th PAC Conference on Friday 7 December 2012 in London

The 5th European Conference on Tax Advisers’ Professional Affairs of the Confédération Fiscale Européenne (CFE) on "Amnesty – Privilege – Disclosure: Managing critical issues in client relations" will take place on Friday, 7 December 2012 from 10.00 hrs to 14.30 hrs at Deloitte Auditorium, 2 New Street Square, London EC4A 3BZ.

The CFE Professional Affairs Conference 2012 seeks to discuss the phenomenon that amnesty, legal privilege and money laundering no longer are of core relevance solely for tax advisers who represent clients in criminal proceedings. Government, OECD and EU initiatives have been and are extending the fight against tax fraud and evasion with a particular focus on untaxed assets held offshore. Aggressive tax planning is being targeted as if it was illegal with real consequences for tax practitioners, especially those advising clients in cross-border tax planning.

It has been proposed that anti money laundering rules require that tax crime be categorised as a severe “predicate offence”, which will oblige tax advisers to take a closer look at their clients past tax dealings.

The professional landscape has changed and is changing. Henceforth all tax advisers must examine their modus operandi and ensure that disclosure and amnesty, legal privilege and anti money laundering are core to each and every client assignment. Their very livelihoods are threatened if they don’t.

Expert speakers from the UK, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the European Commission will address the repercussions of recent OECD and EU initiatives affecting
• the professional activity of advisers in cross-border tax planning,
• offshore tax evasion disclosure facilities,
• bilateral tax agreements between Switzerland and a number of EU countries,
• the protection of communication of tax advisers with their clients and
• the consequences of amendments to the EU Anti Money Laundering Directive for tax advisers.

Please find attached the invitation including programme, map, list of hotels located near the venue and registration form which needs to be returned to the CFE Brussels office by e-mail or by fax before Wednesday 28 November 2012.