Continuing education program set for 2002-2003: Institute holds line on fees; plans annual conference with significant Canadian content and early bird discount; slates two-day seminar on consolidated returns. (Continuing Education).

Tax Executives Institute will sponsor an impressive array of conferences, seminars, and courses for the coming year, according to Raymond G. Rossi, the 2002-2003 chair of TEI's Continuing Education Committee Chair. In addition to the fall and spring three-day conferences, the Institute will hold an international tax planning seminar on managing taxes in a competitive global economy, a two-day primer on consolidated returns, and the Institute's renowned program on IRS audits and appeals. In addition, five week-long courses on state and local, international, and federal tax issues will be offered, and the Institute is planning to hold at least five telephone seminars on breaking developments.

"The program for the upcoming year represents an exceptional value for TEI members," Mr. Rossi stated. "Year after year, our committees offer outstanding technical content for a reasonable price. The Institute's conferences, courses, and seminars are the best educational bargain in North America." He noted that the Institute's continuing education budget contained no general fee increases. "In light of the restrictions on corporate travel and training, we think it is important to keep our fees as low as possible. We also continue to explore alternative means of delivery educational content, including telephone seminars and eventually webcasts."

Annual Conference

Continuing the practice begun in 2002, TEI's Annual Conference will begin with a reception on Sunday evening, October 21, with concurrent educational sessions beginning the following morning. Mr. Rossi stated that, given the Toronto location of the conference, it was appropriate to add a third track of sessions of special interest to Canadians and others whose companies have significant operations north of the 49th parallel. "The Canadian venue provides a golden opportunity to focus on a wide-range of cross-border issues, including investment strategies, reorganizations, transfer pricing, and GST and customs," he said. "We are especially pleased that the Competent Authorities from both the United States and Canada have agreed to participate."

Another innovation this year is a session reserved for late-breaking developments in tax shelters and Canada's general anti-avoidance rule. "We are gratified that Acting Assistant Treasury Secretary Pam Olson and Commissioner Charles Rossotti will be the keynote speakers," Mr. Rossi added that another likely keynote speaker is a senior Canadian tax official, noting that the recent departure of the Canadian Minister of Finance has made plans more fluid.

The continuing education chair also noted the high quality of the federal, IRS administrative affairs, and state and local sessions. For example, there will be a discussion of the three "e"s of record retention--Enron, email, and examination--as well as former IRS Commissioners panel on the successes and failures of the IRS reorganization.

Full particulars of the conference are set forth elsewhere in this issue. Referring to the wide array of topics to be covered, Mr. Rossi said "With three concurrent tracks, choosing which program to attend will be a challenge for participants." He also noted that a discount of $50 will be offered for tax executives who register by October 4 and everyone who registers by August 30 will be entered in a drawing to receive two round-trip coach tickets to a domestic destination. In addition, for the first time handout materials will be available on CD-ROM.

Seminar Schedule

Turning to the seminar schedule, Mr. Rossi noted that TEI's first seminar on September 19-20 comes right from today's headlines. Managing Taxes in a Competitive Global Economy highlights the practical aspects of international tax planning in today's environment. Effective tax rates, global compensation issues, check-the-box pitfalls, and foreign tax credit and Subpart F planning will all be discussed during the two-day program in Chicago.

Other seminars planned for the year include a consolidated returns program in February in Orlando and the IRS Audits and Appeals Seminar in May in Chicago. Details about these programs will be featured in a future issue of The Tax Executive and on TEI's website.

Tax Courses

Mr. Rossi reported that the Institute had made some significant changes in its schedule of week-long training courses, noting that between now and August 2003, TEI will offer six week-long courses:

July 14-19, 2002       State and Local
December 8-13, 2002    International
April 27-May 2, 2003   State and Local
June 8-13, 2003        Federal Tax Course-Level I
July 13-18, 2003       Federal Tax Course-Level II
August 17-22, 2003     Advanced International Tax Course

He explained that the decision to move the Federal Tax-Level I and State and Local Tax Courses from what has been their regular "slots" was prompted by suggestions that many companies face the same conflicts every year. "Because of year-end commitments or things such as the CPA exam or even end-of-the-school-year activities, some firms may never be able to send someone to a particular course. By rotating the courses in the calendar, we hope to better serve the membership at large, and announcing the schedule more than a year in advance, we will give people ample opportunity to plan."

Distance Learning Opportunities

Finally, Mr. Rossi explained that TEI was committed to exploring innovative ways to deliver educational content to its members. "We've been very successful in offering timely telephone seminars this past year, and we want to build on that success." Noting that the Institute had held four such seminars this past year (on subjects as diverse as the U.S.-U.K. treaty, the R&D credit, and tax shelters), he invited members to suggest topics for future calls. He also said the Institute was exploring the possibility of webcasting one or more educational events during the year.

Information about all of TEI's continuing education programs may be found on the organization's website at www.tei.org.