06. & 07.11.2003 - INTERNATIONAL FINANCE IN EUROPE,
THE FUTURE OF OFFSHORE, 3rd ANNUAL CONFERENCE
| Thursday, 6th November, 2003 | |
|---|---|
| Registration of Delegates | |
| Morning Coffee | |
| Opening Speech – Mr. Ben Bendelow | |
| Welcome by the Chairman – Dr. Verbist Ludovic | |
| Anti-money Laundering initiatives and the real world | |
| Prof. Michael Levi, Cardiff Universit | |
| • Regulatory and Criminalisation trends • What the experience of the past decade tells us about the meaning of sovereignty • Canute or Neptune? Does rowing against the tide of globalisation make sense? • Reputational damage: what does it mean for countries, institutions and individuals? • A critical look at the costs and benefits of money-laundering regulation |
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Structuring between Offshore & Onshore (The opportunities revisited) |
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| Mr. Bram Kroep - MeesPierson | |
• Considerations |
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| Coffee Break | |
| The evolution of Swiss Banking Secrecy and its future in the modern world | |
| Mr. Robert Kreder – Bank Insinger de Beaufort | |
| •
A Constitutional Right? • The history of secrecy • Secrecy by numbers or pseudonym • The Money Laundering Laws • The foreseeable future |
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| Panel Session | |
| Lunch | |
| The Concept of Trust – A comparison of the Anglo Saxon Trust and Civil | |
| Dr. Verbist Ludovic – A.A.M.I.L. Ltd | |
| Law Trust-like vehicles – The trust characteristics recognition of trusts by civil law countries The foundation characteristics is this the civil law trust? Countries which offer foundations Examples of other civil-law trust-like concepts la fiducie, usufruct,… |
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| Coffee Break (15 min.) | |
| The UK as a centre for International Tax Planning | |
| Mr. Martin Palmer – Jordans Limited | |
| •
The new statutory UK international Holding Company • The UK as an offshore trust jurisdiction • UK LLP’s and other UK cross-border tax planning vehicles |
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| Panel Session | |
Closing of Day One – Chairman |
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| Cocktail Reception | |
Conference Dinner |
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| Friday, 7th November, 2003 | |
| Morning Coffee | |
| Opening by the Chairman – Mr. Ben Bendelow | |
| International Tax Planning in the 21st Century- (A practitioners guide) | |
| Mr. Willem Kuiper - ITTC | |
| Trends in international tax planning: globalisation of tax planning tools and vehicles and tailor-made solutions Tightening of anti-avoidance legislation and reformulation of existing tax planning strategies, offshore and onshore Due diligence and exchange of information: tax practitioners’ response to supranational and domestic initiatives Trends in the European Union: How to cope with the Savings Directive, when adopted? The role of the European Court of Justice: a sign of hope and salvation? |
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| The Savings Tax Directive and its impact on the offshore world | |
| Prof. Robert Anthony – Anthony & Cie. | |
| The main features of the EU savings tax directive and its scope An agreement that protects a certain form of Banking secrecy Withholding tax for Luxembourg, Belgium and Austria and tax havens outside the EU as Switzerland , Monaco and exchange of information between other EU member states Which jurisdiction, Who and What income is aimed by the savings directive ? (EU member states and some tax havens, beneficial owner, paying agent, interests paid to non residents…..) What are the advantages the offshore world can offer in this new context Risks for the European offshore world: Likely exodus of funds toward Asia, Switzerland and others jurisdictions are between the pressure of the United States and the EU What are the alternatives to the Saving tax directive in the European offshore world? (change of residence in Monaco or Switzerland, restructuring in tailored made legal entities, new investments opportunities…) |
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| Coffee Break | |
| Use of Offshore for asset Protection Planning in a Litigious world (General principles and case studies) | |
| Mr. Ben Bendelow – Basel Trust Corporation | |
| • Introduction to International Estate Planning • Events planned for: Death, Divorce, Marriage of a child, Bankruptcy • Techniques available: Corporations, Partnership, Trusts, Foundations, Insurance Products • Case Studies – some examples from: Common Law Jurisdictions, Civil Law Jurisdictions • Lessons to be learnt • Practical Solutions (Corporations, Partnerships, Trust-like Structures) |
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| Panel Session | |
| Lunch | |
Emerging Trends & Potential Future Changes in the Offshore Financial Services Industry |
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| Mr. Andy Smith - KPMG | |
| Emerging trends: Regulation AML and the war against terrorism A word about tax Potential Changes: Consolidation? Flight to quality Redefining “offshore” |
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| Coffee Break | |
| Tax effective Structuring of E-Commerce in the Global Marketplace | |
| Ms. Xandra Kleine – Spigthoff Attorneys | |
| Permanent establishment under OECD rules Turnover tax consequences E-zone Legislation in the Dutch Antilles |
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| Panel Session | |
Closing Comments from the Chairman |