Oranjestad – Deloitte Dutch Caribbean with Prof. Dr. Peter Kavelaars organized a seminar on the latest tax developments at the Aruba Surfside Marina on August 18th. Immediately after the seminar, attendees had the opportunity to network informally during a social mixer.
Prof. Dr. Peter Kavelaars, who is a partner at Deloitte, and a Professor of Fiscal Economics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, as well as a professor at the University of Curaçao, gave an interesting lecture on the latest tax developments in the Netherlands and Europe.
His audience was made of professionals from local accounting firms, local businesses, and included entrepreneurs, employees of the Aruba Tax Department and several colleagues of the Deloitte Aruba office.
The program took off with Rudie Teerling, a colleague from the Deloitte Aruba office who gave a brief presentation about the latest tax developments here, focusing on the effects of AirBnB and the possible tax implications for local entrepreneurs.
Then Professor Kavelaars spoke. He first discussed the so- called Dutch capital gains tax, explaining the increasing pressure against it, resulting in changes in European tax law.
He then highlighted the issues regarding dividend tax which exist under European law and reported on the verdicts of the Court of Justice of the European Union allowing cross-border tax agreements. He also reviewed the progress regarding the introduction of a system of mandatory, automatic exchange of information between the EU member states.
While he had his audience’s undivided attention professor Kavelaars examined country by country, reporting how much profit multinationals made and how much tax they paid. He also touched on the so-called UBO register where the ultimate beneficiary owner of a company gets registered, an instrument used to handle issues relating to the Panama Papers. Finally he discussed the effects of the Brexit vote and its tax consequences.
At the end of the seminar guests enjoyed a casual sunset cocktail hour on the lovely deck overlooking the Caribbean with butler-passed hors’ d’oeuvres, where the professor continued to interact with lecture-goers, in a warm friendly atmosphere. As a special surprise, Deloitte cupcakes were served with the new logo, introducing the forum to the new look!
Pictured here, snapshots from a very interesting seminar and cocktail party.