TEI and Vinson & Elkins Present: What Every Tax Department Needs to Know About Tariffs

TEI and Vinson & Elkins Present: What Every Tax Department Needs to Know About Tariffs

Tuesday, April 15, 2025 - 12:00 – 1:00 PM EST

This live webinar will be held via Zoom.

This webinar will cover recently implemented and announced tariff actions imposed by the White House, how the collection and enforcement of taxes is similar and different to that of tariffs, the intersection between income taxes and tariffs, and management of tariff disputes.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the Latest Tariff Proposals: Participants will hear an overview of proposed tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China; steel and aluminum; auto imports; and “reciprocal” tariffs, including their potential impact on businesses and international trade.

2. Overview of Tariff Collection and Enforcement: Attendees will learn the differences and similarities in income tax and tariff collection and enforcement.

3. Identify Issues at the Intersection of Income Tax and Tariffs: This panel will survey areas, like transfer pricing and customs valuation, where income taxes and tariffs intersect.  

4. Navigate Tariff Disputes: Participants will explore the legal processes involved in litigating tariff disputes, including key strategies and considerations for successful resolution.

Speakers:

Stephen Josey - Counsel, Tax, Vinson & Elkins LLP

Stephen Josey is an experienced tax controversy attorney who represents taxpayers in civil and criminal matters involving the Internal Revenue Service, the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, and the United States Department of Justice Tax Division. He has extensive experience representing taxpayers during audits and administrative investigations, and has litigated a wide range of tax disputes including Tax Court matters (deficiency proceedings, collection due process cases, and reviews of innocent spouse claims), tax refund suits in federal trial courts, summons enforcement matters, collection actions, and bankruptcy disputes involving tax claim priority and dischargeability. Stephen also has experience litigating tariff-related disputes in the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, including matters involving the classification of merchandise, customs valuation, and free trade agreement eligibility. 

Prior to joining private practice, Stephen held positions as a trial attorney with both the Tax Division and Civil Division (International Trade Field Office) of the United States Department of Justice, where he was hired through the Attorney General’s Honors Program and received the Tax Division’s Outstanding Attorney Award. Immediately after law school, Stephen served as a law clerk for the Hon. J. Daniel Breen of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.

Stephen received his B.A. with High Distinction from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Kathy Pakenham - Partner, Tax, Vinson & Elkins LLP

Kathy is Co-Head of the firm’s Tax Controversy Practice. She is one of the nation’s most sought-after tax controversy lawyers. She has represented clients in major tax controversies relating to a full range of tax issues, with particular emphasis on partnership tax, transfer pricing, valuation, and tax procedure. Kathy has extensive experience advising clients at the pre-litigation phase, in particular examinations and administrative appeals under the centralized partnership audit regime under the Bipartisan Budget Act. She also represents clients involved in internal and governmental investigations, in addition to state and federal trial and appellate matters. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies and large partnerships in diverse sectors such as banking, energy, private equity, technology, and pharma.

Adriana Wirtz - Partner, Tax,  Vinson & Elkins LLP

Adriana focuses her practice on tax controversy and litigation. She represents clients at all phases of a tax controversy from audit through litigation, including before the IRS Office of Appeals, US Tax Court, and US district courts of appeal, as well as before state taxing authorities and state courts. Adriana represents large corporate taxpayers and partnerships and has particular experience in advising clients in audits and disputes arising under the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA) and more recently the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BBA). She has represented clients in the energy, real estate, life sciences, mining and software industries. She has particular experience in matters involving tax insurance.

This is a free webinar for TEI Members and qualifying non-members.  

Eligibility: TEI events are open to TEI members and other in-house tax professionals. Individuals engaged in private law, accounting, or other consulting practices, as well as government employees, are ineligible.

If you would like to join TEI please visit https://www.tei.org/join-tei and put in your application today!

Click the blue register button above to attend.