Conference programme

The Covid-19 pandemic placed new restrictions on the international lifestyle of the wealthy. Many of them had to change both their business and private plans and were forced to make a hard choice – where to stay during this time, and where to live in future.

Tax issues obviously were and continue to be a very important factor of such choice. The panel will observe what measures were taken by different jurisdictions to support the migration of their residents, which strategies should be considered by top professionals working remotely and how to properly respond and mitigate new tax risks.

In a roundtable format, participants will share and discuss the current issues in their respective jurisdictions.

A practical panel covering the benefits of trust structures as well as some of the key issues to be aware of when advising international families in today’s world.

Carine Tohme and Ajay Wiltshire lead a lively round table discussion on the nature of work, clients, regulation, jurisdiction and the meaning of life itself.

Nowadays, we are trusted advisors to our clients, living in interesting times where privacy is breached via a multitude of repeated leaks which do not seem to end. These leaks are often organised via individuals and organisations who may or may not intentionally release information to the broad public, information which may affect our clients.

These clients merely seek the use of perfectly legitimate structures within the rule of law. Such breach of privacy should be clearly distinguished from the European Union (EU) obligation to report so-called potentially aggressive tax structures, which entered full force in early 2021.

The panel will discuss the symbiosis between both types of ‘shared information’. The framing of released information versus the legally foreseen yet forced sharing of information on tax advice, which is defined as potentially tax aggressive, will be drawn into a comparison thereby critically focusing on how clients may be advised to react.

This panel will look at the role and design of wealth taxes, in particular in OECD jurisdictions. 

• Are wealth taxes the right, also an efficient, way to address inequality?  
• What are issues encountered across the various jurisdictions, how do you deal with value volatility, especially acute in the crypto category? 
• Should there be a tax on luxury goods? 
• And what about inheritance tax – is that a double taxation where there’s already a wealth tax?  

Also, the case for and against relief for business assets. Wealth tax, perhaps fool’s gold after all?

A marriage will end by death or divorce, but have we sufficiently planned for both events? What are the challenges of preparing mainly for death or mainly for divorce for couples of different countries and/or with assets in different jurisdictions?

Can remedies be found when future spouses mainly planned for divorce, but one dies prematurely? Or when both spouses were convinced that it would be their last marriage but finally divorce?

Our speakers, covering both common law and civil law jurisdictions, will consider the pitfalls to avoid and debate on solutions.