Value Added Tax in Europe and Other Countries

Britta Eriksson

President & CEO

Euro VAT Refund, Inc.

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Value Added Tax (VAT) is a tax that is levied on goods and services in almost all countries around the world except the U.S. 15-25% VAT will be assessed to the goods imported to the European Union, and it is very important for the U.S. company to understand how this works and what effect it will have on the goods they sell. Will it be a cost to their customer? Does it matter if they sell to a company or to a private customer.

If the U.S. company acts as the importer, then it will in most cases be required that they register for VAT in the EU country of import, and that they charge VAT to their customers. How does this work? Can we register without having an establishment? How much will this cost our customers and us? What are the procedures and what help do we need?

VAT is also added to sales of services within the EU. How does this work? Does the U.S. company that sells to customers in the EU have to register for VAT and charge VAT to the customers?

Belgium in the Heart of Europe - Tax Incentives for Foreign Investors

Michela Ritondo

Senior Tax Official

Fiscal Department for Foreign Investments

Federal Public Service Finance of Belgium

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Michela Ritondo, Senior Tax Official at the Belgian Ministry of Finance, will give a presentation on tax incentives to encourage foreign companies wishing to invest in Europe using Belgium as a tax gateway.

The EU "e-customs initiative"

Paul V. Oliva

Founder and Principal

OlivaGlobal Communications

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Europe is embarking on a grand experiment with paper-free import and export shipments. The rules are changing. What should you know? Will these changes affect your business, and how will you communicate with your customers? Do you have problems you've already experienced with rules changes? Should you tell U.S. trade officials? Paul Oliva has been navigating the changing world of policy issues and will offer provocative insights and interaction regarding policy impacts on your international business.

Trade and Investment in Hungary and new States in the European Union

Istvan A. Molnar

Investment and Trade Commissioner

Consulate General of the Republic of Hungary, Los Angeles

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Why invest in Hungary. Location, location and location, key benefits of having an office in the absolutely Heart of Europe.

What are the Investment Incentives offered by the Hungarian Government. Tailor made Incentive Packages for smaller investments within the Priority Sectors.

Foreign Trade & Trends - Easier Trade within the European Union. Trade agreements between the USA and Hungary.

Entering European Markets in a Challenging Environment

Edmund Hain

Founder and Managing Director

Business Consulting Network International, LLC

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How to “translate” U.S. products and services to solutions for European business and consumer needs? With the 27 EU countries (plus Switzerland) U.S. companies are faced not only with 20+ languages, but with basically different markets, industries and consumer behaviors. Plus different levels of economics development, and EU regulations on the one hand and local laws on the other. The idea of Europe as a uniform market can make “business trips” to Europe an adventure with critical risks for U.S. companies.

Liquidity and Growth Opportunities for European Companies in U.S. Capital Markets

Mona DeFrawi

CEO and Founder

Equidity

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The US capital markets lead the world in providing capital for the growth companies that are building our future generations. Despite the market structure issues that have developed over the past ten years and contributed to the deflationary economics that we are experiencing today, the US capital markets still present strong opportunities for European companies to access US capital and resources for ways to grow their opportunities and businesses.

Equidity was created to provide corrections for market infrastructure issues that are limiting growth. Equidity has partnered with leaders of the private and public equity industries to offer liquidity and valuation solutions specially designed for today’s structure issues, helping create healthy capital markets that support long-term growth and success. Supported US capital markets offer enhanced channels for European companies to consider additional equity liquidity, growth financing, or other capital opportunities. These large-cap, sustained growth companies are attractive to US investors seeking large-cap, growth opportunities while also offering diversity, currency opportunities, and other attractive features. The US investment banking and investment community, along with other industry leaders welcome the opportunity to support great European companies. With the right solutions to control for quality, integrity and structural support, we anticipate stronger capital markets in the US to support growth and success worldwide.

Trade And The Transatlantic Relationship - Is There A Crisis?

Caroline Krawiec Brownstone

President & CEO

International Management and Marketing Associates (IMMA) Ltd.

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Even in these challenging economic times, the EU-US partnership is the most important economic relationship in the world.

Combined, the EU and the US represent around half of the world’s GDP (54 % in 2008), and are each other’s most important trade and investment partners.

Bilateral trade in goods alone is worth $610 billion every year, which is more than one billion dollars a day – with total commercial exchanges across the Atlantic Ocean amounting to $4.4 trillion annually.

How does this relationship affect US and specifically California owners, managers, manufacturers, innovators, financiers, suppliers, researchers, developers and especially firms which are currently competing in this global import/export arena?

How can we, not only maintain business development and improve productivity, but expand our horizon to astutely capture business opportunities before the threshold of competition surfaces or re-surfaces?

We will consider both macro and micro conditions questioning this topic of “Trade and The Transatlantic Relationship – Is There a Crisis” and discuss these topics at our MBITA luncheon meeting before for the November 20, 2010 European Union-United States Summit meeting In Lisbon, Portugal when the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission welcome President of the United States for the purpose of enhancing the transatlantic partnership.