Africa Tax Conference 2012
2012 Ernst & Young Africa Tax Conference, held at Arabella hotel and spa, Hermanus, 16 - 19 September 2012 We are pleased to bring you news from the EY Africa Tax Conference. With 30 countries and over 130 companies in attendance joined by representatives of governing agencies and the press, Day 1 was opened by the newly appointed Ernst & Young Tax Leader, Africa, Jim Deiotte. Jim enthusiastically stepped onto the podium and declared the conference rightly themed, ‘Tax certainty in Africa,’open.
In his opening remarks Jim said, ‘This conference aims to excite business about the prospects of investing in Africa, whilst advising on the mechanisms that can be employed to manage tax risks and compliance obligations. This is important because currently our collective GDP is approaching USD 2 trillion, our consumer spending is nearing USD 1 trillion, we are experiencing a huge boom in telecommunications and the list goes on.’ He further said, ‘Ernst & Young surveyed 500 senior tax and finance executives and audit committee members in 18 countries and the survey showed that tax risk and tax controversy are both rising rapidly and this gathering will go a long way in sharing best practices to mitigate those risks.’
Jim concluded by challenging participants to learn from each other of the challenges each face and to create healthy dialogue, with solution possibilities that balance the needs of business and governments that ultimately support the needs of the people in the communities they represent.
The first day of the conference went without a glitch as all attendees fervently engaged each other on how to positively contribute to the positive development of the Africa growth story through the understanding of the African legal and tax landscape.
The first day of the conference was focussed on delegates engaging with each other on how to positively contribute to the development of the Africa growth story through the understanding of the legal and tax landscape.
Below are some of the varied topics discussed on Day1:
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