Happy New
Year from the Tax Intelligence Report!
The January 2006 issue of the Tax Intelligence
Report highlights the professional career
of William Ramirez, Director, Asia Taxes
for Altria Group, Inc. in Hong Kong. William
Ramirez has demonstrated his dedication
to the tax community through his involvement
as a founding member of the European Chapter
of Tax Executive Institute and the Asia
Chapter of Tax Executive Institute. William
Ramirez is currently President of the
Asia Chapter of Tax Executive Institute.
We are proud to dedicate this issue to
William Ramirez as he has given a considerable
amount of time to help others advance
themselves in the tax profession. He believes
that the promise of the next decade lies
in this region of the world. He states
an old Chinese proverb that says, "may
you live in interesting times". William
Ramirez is living in an interesting region
of the world where the future of international
tax continues to emerge for the entire
profession.
Respectfully,
Kathleen Jennings
President, ET Search, Inc. |
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IN
THIS ISSUE |
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Happy
New Year! |
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"A
Leader In The Tax Profession"
- Wiliam Ramirez,
Director - Asia Taxes - Altria Group,
Inc. - Hong Kong |
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Verbal
Intelligence |
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"A Leader In The Tax Profession"
William Ramirez,
Director
- Asia Taxes - Altria Group, Inc. - Hong
Kong |
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William Ramirez
has more than twenty-eight years
of tax experience and over the last
seventeen years of his professional
tax career he has worked outside
of the United States. He started
his tax career with Price Waterhouse
in Chicago and then worked for a
variety of companies including Sunbeam,
Hughes Tool Company and PMI. Levi
Strauss sent him to Brussels, Belgium
in 1987 where he worked for six
years before joining PMI in Lausanne,
Switzerland in August 1993. William
then moved to Hong Kong in January
2003 which was the same month that
Phillip Morris, Inc. |
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name to Altria Group, Inc. William earned
his BBA from Texas Tech University, Lubbock,
Texas in 1973, a JD from the University
of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 1976 and an LLM
in Taxation from De Paul University, Chicago,
Illinois in 1980. William is a lawyer
admitted to practice in the state of Illinois
and a Certified Public Accountant in Illinois.
While in Singapore in October 2005, I
had the pleasure of interviewing William
“Bill” Ramirez and want to
share his thoughts with you. |
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KJ-
What is one of the greatest difficulties
of working in Asia as compared to Europe?
WR- One of the greatest difficulties
of working in Asia as compared to Europe
is the distances, both in geography and
time. I am responsible for the tax affairs
throughout Asia for our organization.
Our office in Tokyo is a five hour flight
to the East; our office in Melbourne is
a nine hour flight to the South and office
in Delhi is a six hour flight to the West.
I work in Hong Kong, my boss is in Switzerland
and many of my colleagues are in New York.
This means that conference calls for me
are frequent and start very early in the
morning or late at night to accommodate
the time difference among participants.
KJ- What is the biggest challenge facing
the tax professional today?
WR- The biggest challenge facing tax
professionals today is the pace of change.
Developments seem to occur more frequently
today not only with tax laws but with
business models that are evolving. This
means a professional must continue to
learn, develop and enhance their tax skills.
KJ- What have you enjoyed most about
being a tax professional?
WR- The tax profession has given me
the opportunity to fully utilize my skills
both as an accountant and as a lawyer.
It has also given me the opportunity to
work with some of the best and brightest
individuals in the business community.
When working with my colleagues, it gives
me a feeling of accomplishment and success
when we can take an idea from a concept
and take it all the way through implementation
and defense upon audit.
KJ- Why are you active in the Tax Executive
Institute?
WR- I have basically two reasons.
First, it helps me maintain and enhance
my professional skills and my professional
network. This is important given the pace
of change and the increasing globalization
of economies. Secondly, it gives me the
opportunity to help return something to
the profession that given so much to me.
KJ- Was it always your intention to
move your family and yourself to an international
location?
WR- I have always had wanderlust.
My mother was Australian and she moved
to Texas to marry my father. I think I
inherited my wanderlust from her. Early
in my career I had a desire to work abroad.
I thought I had the opportunity in 1983
when I was looking in Houston in the oil
industry but the recession hit and my
opportunity to work in London disappeared.
A few years later after working for a
year with Levi Strauss in San Francisco,
the company asked me to move to Brussels,
Belgium. I jumped at the opportunity and
left the US in March of 1987 and have
lived outside the US ever since.
KJ- What are the career advantages
of being an expatriate?
WR- The advantages of being an expatriate
is the opportunity to be engaged in a
challenging and interesting job. I have
the opportunity to work with people who
are among the best in their respective
professions. In my leisure time, it is
an advantage to have the opportunity to
visit locations that many people dream
of visiting but only see in movies.
KJ- How much do you travel on business?
WR- I travel on business about one
third of the time. Travel can vary from
almost five weeks straight on various
trips to two or three months with no travel.
However, it really depends upon the project
on hand.
KJ-
William, I want to personally thank
you for the time you have taken to answer
our questions. Your perspective will undoubtedly
be very valuable to anyone considering
an international tax career abroad. Kathleen
Jennings Kathleen Jennings (KJ)
Editor, The Tax Intelligence Report
kitty@etsearch.com
William
Rameriz (WR)
Director, Aisa Taxes, Altria Group, Inc.,
Hong Kong
william.ramirez@ap.altria.com
We welcome any comments you may have
regarding The Tax Intelligence Report!
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VERBAL
INTELLIGENCE |
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Supererogatory
Above and beyond the call of duty; more
than is needed or required; superflous.
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Tax Intelligence Report is published by
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recognized search firm that specializes
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by U.S. multi-nationals to locate tax professionals
in most major cities around the world. For
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Happy New Year! |
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The tradition of the New Year's Resolution goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical King of Early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar. With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future events of the coming year. Janus became the ancient Symbol for resolutions and to this day we look forward to the beginning of each New Year. We want to share with our readers traditions and rituals around the world as we welcome the 2006 New Year!
Austria - The pig is the symbol for good luck for the New Year. It is often seen on a table decorated with tiny edible pigs. Dessert often consists of ice cream in the shape of a four-leaf clover.
China - For the Chinese New Year's, every front door is adorned with a fresh coat of red paint, red being a symbol of good luck and happiness. All knives are put away for 24 hours to keep anyone from cutting themselves which is thought to cut the families good luck for next year. It is important to note that the Chinese New Year is based on a lunar year and not a calendar year.
England - The British place their fortunes for the coming year in the hands of their first guest. They believe the first visitor of each year should be male and bearing a gift. Traditional gifts are coal for the fire, a loaf for the table and a drink for the owner of the home. The guest should enter through the front door and leave through the back door. Guests who are empty-handed or unwanted are not allowed to enter first.
Greece - A special New Year's bread is baked with a coin buried in the dough. The first slice of bread is for the first child, the second slice is for the father of the household and the third slice is for the house.
Haiti- In Haiti, New Year's day is a sign of the year to come. Haitians wear new clothing and exchange gifts in the hope that it will bode well for the New Year.
Japan - The Japanese decorate their homes in tribute to lucky gods. One tradition is kadomatsu which consists of a pine branch symbolizing longevity, a bamboo stalk symbolizing prosperity and a plum blossom showing nobility.
Peru - The Peruvian New Year's custom is a spin on the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes at the turn of the New Year. However, in Peru a thirteenth grape must be eaten to assure good luck for the coming year.
Sicily - An old Sicilian tradition says that good luck will come to those who eat Lasagna on New Year's day but any other noodle can bring you bad luck.
Spain - When the clock strikes midnight in Spain, the Spanish eat 12 grapes with every toll to bring good luck for the twelve months ahead.
Wales - At the first toll of midnight, the back door is opened and then shut to release the old year and lock out any bad luck from the previous year. Then at the twelfth stroke of the clock, the front door is opened and the New Year is welcomed with all of its luck.
Obviously, there are many more traditions and rituals around the world to discover and if you have any you would like to share with us we would like to hear from you. However, The Tax Intelligence Report is establishing a tradition of sharing with you the professional profiles of tax executives around the world and the impact they are making on their organizations and the tax community. Thank you for all of your wonderful words of support!
Happy New Year to you all!
Kathleen Jennings
Editor, The Tax Intelligence Report
kitty@etsearch.com
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