Ljubljana Summer School 2011

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Ljubljana Summer School 2011

Ljubljana Summer School 2011

In the days of July 4 - July 23rd, the Ljubljana Summer School took place. Prof. Balco was invited to teach a course on Taxation and Corporate Tax Burden. Over 15 students from all over the world - e.g. Brazil, Mexico, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Slovenia and Kazakhstan studied the intricacies together for 3 weeks. The course included special country presentations on selected country tax systems and also tax technical sessions dedicated to the industry specifics - such as tax challenges of Multinational Companies, Wealthy Individuals, Investment Funds, Joint-Venture projects and other. The course was concluded by a special conference - the 1st Adriatic International Tax Round-table, which brought together the tax specialists from Adriatic region and also allowed the students to interact with true tax professionals from private and public sectors. The very end of the course was dedicated to competitive case studies dedicated to challenging tasks, where students acted as tax advisers, investors and tax authorities.

Words from Prof. Balco: " I enjoyed teaching this course in Ljubljana. The variety and background of students made this course truly global. Students took the course really seriously and benefited from both the in- and out of the class discussions and tax related event we managed to organize together."

Around july 2012 this course will be given again as a part of Ljubljana Summer School in Slovenia. The exact dates and further information will be provided later this year at http://www.ef.uni-lj.si/summerschool. If you are a student and want to make an informed decision on whether to participate in the upcoming course around July 2012, read these evaluations by students who took part in the course on Taxation and Corporate Tax Burden in 2011 and see some of the presentations they did underneath:

Julia Helfer from Italy
I decided to participate in Ljubljana Summer School to use my summer break efficently. At the beginning of the course I thought it would be an easy way to earn some ECTS, but soon I discovered that it wouldn't be that easy. The work load was very high. However, the topics discussed in class were interesting and therefore the required assignments were manageable. Prof. Balco was able to present the tax-issue (which at first glance may seem boring and complicated) in a way to make me curious. Hearing about, and comparing the different tax systems of the participants' countries, in combination with gathering background knowledge, was a convenient way to get a global overview of tax regulations regarding cross-border transactions, and taxes in general.
Most interesting was the variety of possibilities to reduce and even evade taxes. Since I'm always curious about ingenious and artful ways to outflank unloved expenses, I liked this topic most. Together with a colleague from Kazakhstan, I did a presentation about VAT fraud. The nested and complicated approach of this, clearly illegal, way to evade taxes and the creativity of some people did really impress me.
Furthermore it was very informative to hear about tax treaties and to learn about their application, as well as being introduced how to read and interpret them. I'm sure that I will benefit from my skills acquired through this summer course in my near future.

Daan van Alem from the Netherlands

My enrollment in the course on corporate taxation turned out to be a very good choice. The teacher had a lot of experience in the private sector from which he was able to provide a lot of content during his teaching. This provided us with insight into the way international corporations try to minimize their tax burden by using complicated structures.
Another prominent topic was formed by the tax treaties which countries negotiate. I found it very interesting how these treaties can promote corporate establishments and attempt to prohibit illegal practices. Especially since my own country uses such aggressive policy measures on this field.
Lastly, we were being offered to take part in a conference with local tax professionals and government officials, which gave you a view of new factors that come into play when treaties are negotiated.
The summer school itself was also very enjoyable. A lot of oppurtunities to interact with international students during events and parties, which were very fun.

Matic Hribar from Slovenia

I found Tomas Balco’s teaching really good. He was always available to help with issues that occurred and his constant planning and organizing events and the many ideas he had during the summer school really gave me a lot of enthusiasm about the topic and also a lot of energy and excitement to work for the class. And the thing I found best in his teaching was the fact that he did not only lecture in theory but also gave examples from practice and could explain things better than just a theorist would. However, I found it a little bit difficult to work with other students, not only because of our language barriers, but also finding time with our different schedules was a bit of a problem but in the end we figured it out. But the overall experience was very good and the knowledge I gained will come really helpful.

Madina Abdibayeva from Kazakhstan
When I was studying in my home university, I was thinking about having a semester abroad. Especially, I wanted to study in a European country. And now I'm really happy that I've chosen the Ljubljana Summer School. Because, I did not only used my summer efficiently, but also had an unforgettable time there. One of the courses I participated in was Taxation & Corporate Tax Burden. I really liked the course, as I've gained a lot of useful information, which will be helpful in my future career. Also, I liked this course, because our professor Tomas Balco was explaining us so interesting with different examples. What I really appreciate in him is that he made our classes really enjoyable, as he was constructing various cases from life and we had many practical issues of Multinational Enterprises during class-time. Now we have some knowledge about the interpretation and application of tax legislation in the international perspective. Moreover, we have gained some information about the complex rules of different jurisdictions, the role of international double tax treaties and the limitations of a certain jurisdiction in a cross border transaction. What is really good about this course is that we had several presentations in groups of different nationalities from different countries. This was very beneficial, because we now we know about various countries and about their tax legislation. Plus it was very exciting, as it helped us to know each other better. Overall, I can say that this summer school program was really beneficial for me and full of excitement, with its memorable moments! It was a good experience, which I am sure will be useful in the future!