10TH ATHENS TAX FORUM

The American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and its Taxation Committee organized the 10^thAthens Tax Forum, marked by great success and participation, under the title: Taxation-at the turning point of the Greek economy, on March 28, 2014 at the Athenaeum Intercontinental Hotel.

Speakers shared and discussed with participants “smart” proposals in view of planned tax measures, both temporary (radical) and structural, aimed to secure fiscal stabilization and trigger economic growth in Greece, entrenched in a deep and prolonged economic crisis.

The Athens Tax Forum 2014 was designed to offer delegates first-hand knowledge of crucial taxation issues and provided the decisive platform for high-level dialogue between the public and the private sectors in Greece. Delegates included distinguished State officials, taxation experts, accountants, consultants, professors, decision and policy makers, and members of the Greek business community. Greece’s Deputy Minister of Finance was present at this event.

This year’s Forum, coinciding with Greece’s EU Presidency, addressed the decisive role of taxation policies at this crucial turning point of the Greek economy, in concurrence with present EU taxation policy platforms, which focus on, among other synergies, reinforcing economic governance within a single, coherent, and competitive EU Market.

The Forum produced constructive dialogue, craft practical suggestions, and highlighted valuable proposals to overcome current weaknesses of the national tax system. The Forum, attended by over 300 delegates, focused on those tax policies to be followed that will lead to healthy fiscal positions and economic growth.

Speeches:

Stavros Costas, Chairman, Taxation Committee, American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce

Dr. Christiana Hadjipanayi, BA BCL PhD, Senior Lecturer in Tax Law, Queen Mary University of London

Harry Theoharis, General Secretary of Public Revenue, Ministry of Finance

Dr. Alexandros Karakitis, EY Transfer Pricing Leader for Central & Southeast Europe

Frank Van Driessche, Head of Sector, Tax administration and fight against tax fraud, Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission

Panagiotis Pothos, Partner, Kyriakides Georgopoulos Law FirmIoannis Stavropoulos, Managing Partner, Stavropoulos & Partners Law Firm

George Kerameus, Partner, Law Offices Kerameus Papademetriou Papadopoulos (KPP Law)

Marios T. Kyriacou, Senior Partner, KPMG in Greece

George Panagiotidis, Financial & Human Resources Manager, Playmobil Hellas

George Samothrakis, Certified Public Accountant, Chairman Audit Services S.A.

Nikos Karavitis, Associate Professor of Public Finance, Panteion University, Research Associate, Head of the Public Sector Observatory, Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research

Stelios Kyriakides, Partner Tax, Deloitte

Mary Psylla, Partner, Head of Tax Advice & Legal, PwC

Vassilis Govaris, Group CFO, Hellenic Exchanges

Dr. Constantinos Caramanis, Associate Professor of Accounting, Department of Business Administration, Athens University of Economics and Business – AUEB

Britta Balden, Managing Director, Retail@Link