The Certified General Accountants Association of B.C. Hosts Public HST<br>Seminar on March 4

VANCOUVER, March 1 /CNW/ - On March 4, the Certified General Accountants Association of British Columbia (CGA-BC) will host a breakfast seminar on the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). The seminar is designed to assist businesses who are still uncertain about the new tax, including those British Columbians who are still unaware that, subject to both provincial and federal legislative approval, the HST will be implemented on July 1, 2010.

The seminar will feature a keynote presentation by David Baxter, Executive Director of the Urban Futures Institute. As a futurist, demographer and economist, David Baxter will challenge some misconceptions about the HST in his presentation, 'Evolution or Extinction: HST in a British Columbia That Works.'

His presentation will be followed by a panel of Certified General Accountants who will address the most pressing issues B.C. businesses will face in the transition to the HST. CGA-BC Past-President Stephen Spector, FCGA, will act as moderator and the panelists will include:

    
    -  CGA-BC President John Pankratz, FCGA, who is a partner in the
       Abbotsford-based CGA firm of Friesen Pankratz & Associates LLP, where
       he is the lead engagement partner for 150 corporate clients and 500
       personal client accounts.

    -  T. Charlotte Hoggard, CFI, CGA, who has more than 20 years of tax
       experience in Ontario, and five years in Victoria leading a sales tax
       practice. Ms. Hoggard is a National Director with the Association of
       Certified Forensic Investigators of Canada.

    -  Candace Nancke, CGA, who is the Managing Partner with the CGA public
       practice accounting firm Loren, Nancke & Company. The firm serves
       approximately 500 corporations and 2,000 individual clients mostly in
       small business, incorporated or proprietorship. Before she joined the
       firm she spent several years in the financial services industry. She
       joined the CGA-BC Board of Governors in 2009.

    The panel will focus on the following practical topics:

    -  BC PST to HST transition planning
    -  Implications for real estate
    -  Thresholds and out-of-province implications
    -  Questions from the audience
    

The seminar will be held on Thursday, March 4, 2010, from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver. Those who wish to attend the seminar must pre-register and can do so at www.cga-bc.org.

In coming weeks, CGA-BC will also be publishing an educational brochure on the HST.

About CGA-BC

As the province's largest professional accounting association, CGA-BC represents more than 14,000 CGAs and CGA students. Members work in industry, commerce, government and in public practice. The Association promotes the excellence of its members and advances the accounting profession through education, certification and the protection of the public interest.

The Association offers a wide range of employment services and programs to its members, students and the business community. These services include CGAjobs.org, a job postings website for finance and accounting professionals, and the Partners in Employment Program (PEP), which recognizes leading organizations that provide an effective working and training environment for CGAs and CGA students. PEP employers enjoy a range of benefits by partnering with the Association at career fairs and on-campus recruiting events.

For further information: Edward Downing, Director of Communications, Telephone: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]