BUFDG Tax Conference: Wednesday 12th & Thursday 13th June 2019

The popular annual BUFDG Tax Conference is a two-day residential conference aimed at tax and payroll managers and staff, and others responsible for tax in their HEI, but would be of interest to FDs and deputy FDs as well. The conference includes plenary sessions and a choice of several breakout sessions on each day. A taster of some of the topics covered by the conference is shown below.

The price for both days, including accommodation, is £500 plus VAT, with tickets excluding accommodation/dinner available at £425 plus VAT. A small number of one-day only places are available. Early booking is recommended, as this is a popular event. If the event is already fully booked, then please do put your name on the waiting list – we can often accommodate some of the waiting list and this helps us to budget for demand in future years. 

Please note that if you are travelling a long distance and wish to book additional accommodation for the night before the conference you should book early, as Burleigh Court is only able to hold these additional rooms for us until 3 May, and then they will be released to the general public.

Sessions & Content:

Whilst the programme is yet to be wholly finalised and is therefore subject to change, with sessions still to be confirmed, an indicative list of topics on each day is shown below (NB - if you are booking based on a specific topic or topics, please contact us for confirmation of the session before booking, in order to avoid disappointment). Topics shown in italics are yet to be confirmed.

Day 1

We’ll be hearing from the HMRC HE/FE team about tax strategy, process and governance, and hearing from BUFDG central about the new suite of eLearning courses BUFDG is producing. We’ll be on top of the world (‘s tax changes), learning about board governance and we’re hoping to try to understand the high level challenges and implications for universities from Brexit in 15 minutes!

We’ll also be getting a bit more specific in our breakout sessions as follows:

 VAT:

• Making Education Digital – what’s the indirect tax impact of all those whizzy online distance learning courses?;
• Catering;
• Reverse charges and non-business activities;
• Supply, no supply & collaboration; and
• A Martin Scammell special on where the line between exempt licences to occupy and standard-rated supplies of facilities and services is drawn, where it is blurred, and where it has changed/is changing.

International:

• Learning from experience with Chinese WoFEs;
• Information from the China Britain Business Council; and
• Why is India so complicated? (with the benefit of a visit from an Indian tax partner).

Corporation Tax:

• An exploration of charitable trading and ancillary activity, and what to consider in approaching non-charitable trading; and
• A session helping to clarify where the lines between PP and NPP have become blurred for some activities.

Employer Compliance:

• Contracts vs. practice;
• A National Minimum Wage update for the sector, looking at particular pitfalls in HE;
• An adapted employment status flowchart designed for the HE sector; and
• An update to BUFDG’s HE Common Roles document, with a particular look at the category of limb ‘b’ workers in light of recent case law. 

Other:

• Tax disputes;
• Customs & import tips & pointers for universities; and
• Customs & imports post-Brexit.

Day 2

We’ll find out about the Charity Tax Group’s project to uncover the benefits of and risks to VAT reliefs for charities, as well as the true benefit/saving to society from charity-funded activities. There’ll also be more specific sessions as follows:

VAT:

• A practical guide to operating the Capital Goods Scheme and change of use of zero-rated buildings;
• An update on VAT in the Gulf States;
• A return from the QC who successfully represented SAE Education Ltd in the Supreme Court to win the argument that their education is exempt;
• Some of the practicalities of Making Tax Digital; and
• A GITC update for GITC users.

Corporation Tax:

• The latest position on Corporate Interest Restriction from discussions between professional firms and HMRC.

International:

• Focus on Malaysia;
• Global mobility: business travel implications across different taxes;
• Learning from the experiences of a university in its international activities; and
• Post-Brexit internationalisation and mobility, including a university’s direct experiences.

Employer Compliance & Payroll:

• Employment taxes round robin;
• Considering HMRC’s position on accommodation;
• Grants and fellowships involving overseas working;
• Informal cross-border working; and
• Top Tips for Payroll and Pensions Managers from the CIPP.

Other:

• Universities and their spin-out companies.

For those that want to book additional accommodation, we are giving the opportunity to book a bedroom on the night of Tuesday 11th as part of the booking process. (Please note that these rooms can only be held by Burleigh Court until 3 May, so please book early).

Please note that only the two-day with accommodation package includes accommodation and dinner for the night of Wednesday 12th June.  The other packages are day-only and DO NOT include any accommodation or the evening dinner.  If you do not require accommodation but would like to book dinner on Wednesday 12th, this can be done by clicking on the appropriate ticket combinations. 

Travel details for the venue can be found here.