On February 17, 2017, the “5th Uruguay Tax Conference” was held in the conference room of the Barradas Parque Hotel in Punta del Este. Seven distinguished speakers addressed a packed audience. The conference was divided into six sessions throughout the day, covering both international and regional tax issues.
The central theme of this fifth edition was “Tax Planning and Compliance in a Changing International Landscape,” prompted by the number and variety of recent regulatory changes at the international level, which have also affected Uruguay and the region.
The conference was organized by the Academic Coordination Office for the graduate programs in accounting and taxation at Universidad ORT Uruguay was sponsored by PwC and SMS, both professional firms that provide services in taxation, auditing, accounting, economics, and finance.
The event was opened by Dr. Nicolás Gambetta, academic coordinator of the graduate programs in accounting and taxation at the Graduate School of the Faculty of Administration and Social Sciences, who welcomed all attendees and speakers.
Dr. Gambetta expressed his satisfaction that most of the lecturers are members of the faculty of the tax graduate programs at Universidad ORT Uruguay. The Graduate School has tax graduate programs: theMaster’s in Taxation and Accounting Standards and the Specialization Diploma in Taxation. Through a series of elective courses, students can give their graduate program a significant focus on international taxation.
The university has number of agreements with prestigious universities abroad that allow students to take courses at those universities as part of their graduate program.
Following that, Hugo Aguirregaray, CPA, the assistant academic coordinator for graduate tax programs, provided a brief overview of the topics covered in the various sessions of the conference.
The first presentation was given by Dr. Carlos Gutiérrez Puente, who is currently a senior research fellow at the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (IBFD), based in the Netherlands, and a professor in the graduate tax programs at Universidad ORT Uruguay.
Gutiérrez spoke about new types of multilateral agreements, their implementation, and various developments in the areas of international tax transparency and the exchange of information.
Next, Eliana Sartori, CPA, head of the Legal and Tax Department at PwC Uruguay and professor in the tax graduate programs at Universidad ORT Uruguay, along with her colleague Luciana Ávalo, CPA, manager of the Legal and Tax Department at PwC Uruguay and a specialist in transfer pricing, presented the measures adopted by our country to fulfill its commitments regarding mutual administrative assistance.
They also discussed the new transfer pricing regulations and, finally, the recent changes aimed at discouraging the use of entities located in zero- or low-tax jurisdictions, as well as their practical application.
To kick off the afternoon sessions, Federico Otegui, who led the presentation, and Nicolás May, both professors in the tax graduate programs at Universidad ORT Uruguay, discussed—from a technical and academic perspective—the potential impact of Action 5 of the BEPS plan on the Free Trade Zone regime and Resolution 51/97 of the General Tax Directorate.
Félix Abadi, Ph.D., a professor of taxation, instructor in the graduate tax programs at Universidad ORT Uruguay partner at SMS Uruguay and the Rueda Abadi Pereira law firm, analyzed recent changes to Uruguay’s domestic tax system, reviewing the impacts of the approved changes.
The event concluded with a presentation by Adriana Piano, a partner at SMS Latinoamérica and professor at the University of Buenos Aires, who spoke about the tax amnesty in Argentina and its recently announced results, as well as Argentina’s position on the changes proposed by BEPS.
Finally, attendees had the opportunity to enjoy a coffee break, during which they were able to share experiences and discuss the topics covered at the conference with the speakers.
The Uruguay Tax Conference is a technical and academic event that has become a fixture on the February calendar for business leaders, tax advisors, academics, students, and regulators in Uruguay and the region.