Horizon Scanning

As regulators across the UK and Europe ramp up their scrutiny of green claims, businesses face increasing pressure to ensure their environmental messaging is transparent and compliant. Join Slaughter and May partners, Tim Blanchard and Lisa Wright, as they explore the key points businesses need to be aware of when making green claims.

How will competition authorities shape the future of AI for businesses and consumers? Partner Jordan Ellison and Senior PSL Annalisa Tosdevin discuss the current focus of competition authorities on the AI sector, and what this could mean for businesses and consumers in practice.

Join Tanja Velling, co-host of our Tax News podcast and Tax Partners, Dominic Robertson and Charles Osborne, as they discuss the unallowable purpose rule, one of the UK's restrictions on companies deducting interest when calculating profits subject to corporation tax. This episode dives into: How this rule disallows interest deductions where a company’s borrowing is for a main tax avoidance purpose; andrecent Court of Appeal decisions on what constitutes a main tax avoidance purpose and what this means for taxpayers, particularly in an M&A context.

In this podcast, Rob Sumroy and Natalie Donovan speak to leading AI experts Faculty AI. They discuss, with Rupert Edwards (Faculty’s Legal Director and GC) and Kat James (their Technical Director) what good AI regulation looks like, how they approach regulatory concerns like transparency and explainability from a technical perspective and what AI developments we can expect over the next 12 months.

Amy Merrill is the CEO of The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), an independent, non-profit governance body for the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), which aims to maximise its potential to finance climate solutions. In the second part of our episode on the Voluntary Carbon Market, Amy, Samay and Aaron dive into the issue of carbon credit quality and ‘integrity’, with a focus on assessing and differentiating the quality of carbon credits, and how the ICVCM works with stakeholder groups and the demand-side standard setting bodies.

Amy Merrill is the CEO of The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), an independent, non-profit governance body for the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), which aims to maximise its potential to finance climate solutions. In the first part of this episode, Samay Shah, Infrastructure and Energy Partner, and Aaron Wu, Senior PSL in our Infrastructure and Energy Group, are joined by Amy to delve into the key drivers behind the growing interest in Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCMs), the opportunities they offer, and their convergence with compliance markets. They also cover ICVCM’s role in building consensus on global thresholds to enhance the integrity of VCMs.

The UK General Election on 4 July 2024 resulted in the first Labour Government in 14 years. This in turn heralds the biggest reform of employment law for a generation. Labour’s proposals in their ‘Plan to Make Work Pay’ promise wide-ranging changes, including introducing day 1 employment rights, expanding pay gap reporting, repealing the last government’s anti-strike laws, and introducing rights for employees to disconnect and to work flexibly. These are fundamental changes which will require businesses to rethink many aspects of their employment practices. In this podcast, Philippa O’Malley and Clare Fletcher from our Employment team discuss Labour’s proposals, and what steps employers can take to prepare for them.

Join partner Harry Hecht and our Head of Business and Human Rights Moira Thompson Oliver as they sit down with Michael Arnold, Partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, to discuss the politicisation of ESG against the backdrop of elections in the UK, US and Europe this year.  They cover the big picture for ESG and how the regulatory agenda is evolving, dive into examples of ESG issues that are coming up in election cycles, and discuss what it means for companies navigating these challenges across their global markets.  Other key impacts discussed in this podcast include:  The main factors driving the ‘ESG-backlash’ and how companies are responding on either side of the AtlanticHow activism and novel litigation techniques might affect how companies view ESGThe key sectors in the regulatory hotseatThe continued and increasing focus on good governance

What does the recent trend of criminalisation of transfer pricing matters in France mean for businesses operating in the country? What tools are tax authorities in France using to obtain information and to enforce the rules? What action can be taken to minimise French transfer pricing risk and what options are available to resolve disputes? Julien Gayral, Partner at Bredin Prat, joined Charles Osborne and Zoe Andrews to discuss these questions and more. This is the final episode in a series on tax disputes risks. In addition to France, the series covers Brazil, the USA, Australia, India and Nigeria.

What to do about the EU AI Act? Partners Laura Houston and Jordan Ellison explore the EU AI Act, discussing what it covers, how to approach compliance and what lessons we can take from implementing other new legislation from the EU’s Digital package, including the Digital Markets Act.

How do Nigerian tax disputes generally proceed? Should taxpayers continue to comply with the transfer pricing regulations although their validity is in question? How are plans for a tax amnesty likely to develop? Lolade Ososami, Partner at Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, joined Sarah Osprey and Tanja Velling to discuss these questions and more. This is the fifth of six episodes in a series on tax disputes risks. In addition to Nigeria, the series covers Brazil, the USA, Australia, India and France. Episodes are released weekly. Subscribe to the Tax News show to be notified of new episodes.

Why is India's tax disputes landscape unique? How should taxpayers best approach dealings with the Indian tax authority? What is the impact on taxpayers of the recent case concerning the most favoured nation clause in Indian tax treaties, including for multinationals taking dividends out of India? Mukesh Butani, Founder and Managing Partner of BMR Legal Advocates, spoke with Sarah Osprey, Partner in Slaughter and May’s Tax Practice, and Zoe Andrews, Head of Tax Knowledge at Slaughter and May, to answer these questions and more. This is the fourth of six episodes in a series on tax disputes risks. In addition to India, the series covers Brazil, the USA, Australia, Nigeria and France. Episodes are released weekly. Subscribe to the Tax News show to be notified of new episodes.

What impact could nature degradation, both domestically and internationally, have on the UK’s economy and financial sector? First-of-its-kind analysis, led by the Green Finance Institute (GFI), in a report “Assessing the Materiality of Nature-Related Financial Risks for the UK”, references that the deterioration of the UK’s natural environment could lead to an estimated 12% loss to GDP by the 2030s. Samantha Brady, Head of Environment and Climate Change at Slaughter and May, is joined by Helen Avery, GFI’s Director of Nature Programmes, to explore what the report's findings mean for corporates and financial institutions.

What is the Australian Taxation Office’s approach to tax compliance for multinationals? Does the ATO take into account a wider range of factors than HMRC when considering a settlement? What does the PepsiCo decision mean for the ATO’s expansive definition of “royalties”? Angela Wood, National Practice Group Leader of Clayton Utz Tax Practice, joins Richard Jeens, Co-Head of Slaughter and May’s Tax Disputes Practice, and Tanja Velling, Tax PSL Counsel at Slaughter and May, discuss these questions and more. This is the third of six episodes in a series on tax disputes risks, their prevention and resolution. In addition to Australia, the series covers Brazil, the USA, India, Nigeria and France. Episodes are released weekly. Subscribe to the Tax News show to be notified of new episodes.

What are current trends in US tax disputes? How can you reduce litigation risk? What is the Supreme Court likely to make of Moore, a case that could call into question large swathes of the US tax system?  Clark Armitage, Transfer Pricing Advisor and Member at Caplin & Drysdale, joins Dominic Robertson, Co-Head of Slaughter and May’s Tax Disputes Practice, and Tanja Velling, Tax PSL Counsel at Slaughter and May, to delve into these questions and more. This is the second of six episodes in a series on tax disputes risks, their prevention and resolution. In addition to the USA, the series covers Brazil, Australia, India, Nigeria and France. Episodes are released weekly. Subscribe to the Tax News show to be notified of new episodes.

Brazil has a highly litigious tax environment; companies rarely have fewer than ten ongoing disputes. To what extent is the environment improving through the introduction of a settlement process, legal reforms undertaken with a view to future OECD membership and the overhaul of Brazil’s complicated indirect tax system? To find out, listen to this episode with Ricardo Bolan, Co-Head of Lefosse Advogados’ Tax Practice, Dominic Robertson, Co-Head of Slaughter and May’s Tax Disputes Practice, and Zoe Andrews, Slaughter and May’s Head of Tax Knowledge. This is the first of six episodes in a series on tax disputes risks, their prevention and resolution. In addition to Brazil, the series covers the USA, Australia, India, Nigeria and France. Episodes are released weekly. Subscribe to the Tax News show to be notified of new episodes.

Phase 1 Complete; Phase 2 to come!  Join the Slaughter and May FIG team as they reflect on the lessons learned from Phase 1 of consumer duty implementation, and the challenges that face firms for closed books ahead of 31 July 2024.  As part of our Consumer Duty podcast series, this time we deep dive and look closely at how the Duty will apply to the Asset and Wealth Management and Consumer Investments sector. Nick Bonsall and Heather Broadbent are joined by Charles Randell CBE (the former Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority) to share their views.

Phase 1 Complete; Phase 2 to come! Join the Slaughter and May FIG team as they reflect on the lessons learned from Phase 1 of consumer duty implementation, and the challenges that face firms for closed books ahead of 31 July 2024. As part of our Consumer Duty podcast series, this time we deep dive and look closely at how the Duty will apply to the Banking sector. The FIG team is delighted to be joined by Charles Randell CBE (the former Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority), whose insights are particularly illuminating.

Phase 1 Complete; Phase 2 to come! Join the Slaughter and May FIG team as they reflect on the lessons learned from Phase 1 of consumer duty implementation, and the challenges that face firms for closed books ahead of 31 July 2024. As part of our Consumer Duty podcast series, this time we deep dive and look closely at how the Duty will apply to the Insurance sector. The FIG team is delighted to be joined by Charles Randell CBE (the former Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority), whose insights are particularly illuminating.

Following our Governance & Sustainability episode, this is a bonus episode in which you can listen to the full conversation with Smriti Sriram and Moira Thompson Oliver on Business and Human Rights and hear more about the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.  The Horizon Scanning 2024 Launch Series is hosted by Slaughter and May’s Chief Commercial Officer, Michelle Holford, and the Editor of Slaughter and May’s Horizon Scanning Programme, Mercedes Galindez. Subscribe to the show to receive alerts about every new episode released. The Horizon Scanning 2024 Launch Series will release one episode per theme this week.