John P. Napoli, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP to Speak at TKG’s event

New York, NY, September 30, 2016 --(PR.com)-- The Knowledge Group/The Knowledge Congress Live Webcast Series, the leading producer of regulatory focused webcasts, has announced today that John P. Napoli, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP will speak at the Knowledge Group’s webcast entitled: “Significant Changes to the REITs and FIRPTA Rules in 2016 and Beyond Live Webcast.” This event is scheduled for October 04, 2016 from 3:00pm – 5:00pm (ET).

For further details, please visit: https://theknowledgegroup.org/event-homepage/?event_id=1747

About John P. Napoli

Mr. Napoli is co-managing partner of the firm’s New York office. He practices in the areas of federal, state and local taxation and co-chairs the firm’s national Tax practice group. He represents both public and private clients and regularly advises clients on tax issues relating to corporate mergers and acquisitions, international transactions, restructurings, consolidations, financing, real estate (including REITs), tax free like kind 1031 exchanges, subchapter S corporations, partnerships, joint ventures, and limited liability companies. Mr. Napoli has been instrumental in structuring numerous tax-efficient real estate transactions, including the formation, operation and liquidation of REITs and UPREITs. Mr. Napoli also represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service, United States Tax Court, and various state and local authorities on a variety of controversy matters.

About Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Seyfarth Shaw LLP provides thoughtful, strategic, practical legal counsel to client companies and legal teams of all sizes. With more than 850 attorneys in the U.S., London, Shanghai, Melbourne and Sydney, they offer a national platform and an international gateway to serve your changing business and legal needs in litigation, employment, corporate, real estate and employee benefits.

The firm have gained acclaim for their innovative SeyfarthLean client service model, which incorporates the core principles of Lean Six Sigma to the delivery of legal services, and continue to develop new reporting and project management tools for greater transparency and collaboration with their clients.

Event Synopsis:

In December 2015, President Obama signed into law the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015 that contains significant changes relevant to the rules governing real estate investment trusts (REITs) and the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA). The modifications, including the new FIRPTA exemption for qualified foreign pension funds, are highly significant to certain classes of non-U.S. investors.

Other key changes include, among other modifications, an enhanced FIRPTA exemption for holders of small interests in publicly traded REITs; a new exception for certain qualified foreign shareholders of REITs; elimination of the FIRPTA "cleansing rule” for REITs; and an increase in the rate of withholding now required under FIRPTA.

In a two-hour Live Webcast, a panel of thought leaders and practitioners assembled by The Knowledge Group will provide an in-depth discussion of tax rules governing investments in U.S. real estate, including FIRPTA and REITs. They will also discuss significant issues and provide the latest insights relevant to the reforms made to REITs and to the FIRPTA rules by the new PATH Act as they relate to foreign investors in U.S. real estate. The speakers will offer their expert thoughts and opinions on how best to take advantage of these changes.
Some of the major topics that will be covered in this course are:

Overview of U.S. tax rules applicable to foreign investors
Specific tax rules for real estate, including FIRPTA and use of REITs
FIRPTA exceptions
Comparison of structural alternatives
Recent reforms affecting REITs and FIRPTA
New rules applicable to “Qualified Foreign Pension Plans”
Other available FIRPTA exemptions
The “cleansing rule”
Impacts on and advantages to investments in U.S. real estate
Current legislative and other developments

About The Knowledge Group /The Knowledge Congress Live Webcast Series

The Knowledge Group was established with the mission to produce unbiased, objective, and educational live webinars that examine industry trends and regulatory changes from a variety of different perspectives. The goal is to deliver a unique multilevel analysis of an important issue affecting business in a highly focused format. To contact or register for an event, please visit: http://theknowledgegroup.org/