Venturing Abroad: What You Need to Know When Developing International Tax, HR, and Compensation Policies

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Sep 27, 2011, 07:15 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- It's a common occurrence as companies go global: U.S. based companies start by sending one U.S. employee to, say, the United Kingdom on a 3-year assignment commencing January 1, 2012, and then add an additional 10 a year later.  But how do you start to plan?

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"First, you need to develop an international human resource, compensation, and tax policy," says James Sabo, one of the nation's leading consultants in this arena.  September 28, Sabo will lead attendees in a new BNA webinar, Venturing Abroad: What You Need to Know When Developing International Tax, HR, and Compensation Policies and direct them through the basic steps needed to establish a foreign operations footprint.

In 60-90 minutes, Sabo will cover:

  • Human Resource 
    • Establishing a procedure for initiating the assignment
    • Determining the policy's ultimate decision maker
    • Identify additional responsibilities:
  • International assignment policy issues 
    • Medical
    • Home country residence
    • Relocation expenses
    • Annual vacation
    • Working spouse
    • Automobiles – home country
    • Automobile allowance – host country
  • Benefit plans 
    • Host country statutory benefits participation
    • Children's education
      • Language training
    • Family emergency leave
    • Bereavement leave
    • Emergency medical evacuation
    • Death while on foreign assignment
  • Employment dispute and countries employment laws 
  • Consultants and companies to be engaged 
  • International compensation package 
  • International allowances 
    • Assignment Cost
    • Tax reimbursement policy
    • Tax equalization or tax protection or laissez faire?
      • Objectives
      • Employee responsibilities
      • Employer responsibility
    • Tax equalization
    • Final home country tax computation
    • Other considerations
    • Housing equalization
  • Payroll and compliance 
    • Tracking and reporting taxable amounts
    • Method of payment of compensation, allowances and benefits
    • Tax compliance
    • Tax return preparation
    • Tax counseling
    • Foreign tax credits

About the Speaker
James Paul Sabo, President of Expatriate Tax Services LLC, has over 30 years of experience in the international tax, human resource, compensation, and benefit areas, and has served as a senior international tax partner with two of the largest international accounting firms.

His clients have included major multinational companies, such as AIG, Amerada Hess, ARCO, Bankers Trust Company, Barclays Bank, Caltex, GTE, General Dynamics, Johnson & Johnson, Loral Corp., McKinsey and Company, Mobil Oil, Morgan Stanley, Philip Morris, Salomon, Inc., Sinclair Oil, and Texaco.

Jim has worked extensively in all areas of expatriate taxation, including the development of offshore employment companies, international compensation manuals, tax reimbursement programs, and the reduction of overall corporate costs by effective local country tax planning.

Jim has spoken frequently before international tax and personnel organizations in Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the United States on such subjects as current developments in international compensation, tax problems in compensating expatriate employees, avoiding excessive and multiple taxation of expatriates, and other related expatriate tax problems and practices.

Venturing Abroad: What You Need to Know When Developing International Tax, HR, and Compensation Policies will take place September 28, 2011, from 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., ET.  To register for this webinar and obtain further information about CLE and CPE credits, go to http://www.bna.com/venturing-abroad-need-w12884903334/?open&cmpid=tmtxpr2011 or call 1-800-372-1033, menu Option 6, then Option 1.  To receive automatic, email notification of upcoming BNA webinars that may be of interest to you, go to: http://www.bna.com/emailsignup.htm

About BNA Tax & Accounting Webinars
BNA Tax & Accounting is the foremost source of tax and accounting research, news, practice tools, and guidance for tax attorneys, CPAs, corporate tax managers, estate planners, and financial accountants.  Designed for today's busy practitioners, our webinars offer the same expertise and relevance that are the hallmark of all BNA Tax & Accounting resources. Conference attendees have the opportunity to ask the speakers questions, and may be eligible to earn CLE or CPE credits - all from the convenience of their own office or conference room.

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