KPMG to host International Middle East and South Asia Tax Conference in Dubai

The conference will have as its main theme "The Changing Flow of Capital" and will explore the implications of changing global investment patterns from a MESA perspective.

Complementing its recent research into worldwide capital flows, KPMG International has now completed a survey investigating the international investment plans of corporates based in the Middle East. Sue Bonney, KPMG's Head of Tax for UK and EMA region, will set the scene for the conference by highlighting some of the key findings from the survey and reflecting on what these might mean from a tax perspective. The theme will be explored in greater detail throughout the conference.

Ashok Hariharan, Partner and Head of Tax for Oman and UAE, said that with a selection of dynamic and thought-leading speakers, the conference will seek to address the tax issues associated with both inbound and outbound investments in the region. It will cover local hot topics such as the development of tax regimes, the increasing importance of indirect tax and the taxation of Islamic finance.

Delegates will hear from business leaders in the lively plenary session and will have their choice of elective breakout sessions giving them the opportunity to explore a wide range of detailed tax and business issues with KPMG firms' professionals. The breakout sessions will cover topics including opportunities for energy investments outside the region, transfer pricing issues and private equity issues governing global mobility.

"MESA, as a region, remains at the epicenter of global current affairs," said Mr. Hariharan. "It is estimated that oil windfall revenues, particularly of the GCC states, may reach an estimated $9 trillion by 2020. And the region's demographics are set to transform Arab societies in the coming years with an estimated 60% of the population being under 30 years of age."

"With these factors forcing a rapid pace of development in the MESA countries, it is important that we grasp this opportunity to stand back and examine where current trends in investment and tax might take us," he added.

In addition to the main plenary and breakout sessions, KPMG firms' tax professionals from over 15 countries within the MESA region will be present to meet with clients to discuss current and future tax trends and their potential impact on businesses.