We are pleased to bring back our popular “Meet the Speaker” series, featuring interviews with speakers at the 24th Annual NASPP Conference.  These interviews are a great way to get to know our many distinguished speakers and find out a little more about their sessions in advance of the Conference.

For our first “Meet the Speaker” interview, we feature Deborah Walker of Cherry Bekaert, who will lead the session “The IRS and Treasury Speak.” Here is what Deborah had to say:

NASPP: Why is your topic particularly timely right now?

Deborah: Our presentation features IRS and Treasury speakers involved in regulatory and legislative initiatives involving equity compensation. This is a chance to hear the government’s enforcement focus and new guidance that could affect your equity plans and programs. In prior years, the session has been interactive, giving you a chance to question the government officials about an issue that concerns you and discuss their response, often giving the government ideas for ways to approach various issues that are less obtrusive than what the government may think about. We look forward to another interactive session this year in Houston.

NASPP: What is one best practice companies should implement?

Deborah: The IRS is implementing new computer audit procedures, enabling them to determine that withholding taxes are unpaid in a matter of days rather than in a matter of months. To avoid unnecessary intrusions in the form of “soft letters” from the IRS, you should review your payroll tax withholding and deposits for equity compensation, focusing particularly on the timeliness of deposits for the vesting of restricted stock and the exercise of non-qualified stock options. This should be done on a regular basis. Correction of failure to deposit amounts should be done as soon as possible.

NASPP: What is something companies should know about penalty assessments from the IRS?

Deborah:  As the IRS computer systems are becoming more modern, there is an increase in penalty assessments. If you are assessed an IRS penalty, the IRS has a program allowing for the waiver of penalties when a penalty notice is a first time assessment. The program is only available to those who have had no penalties in the prior three years.  There is no limit on the amount that can be waived. If this program is not available to someone when a penalty has been assessed, the taxpayer or their representative should always ask for waiver of the penalty for reasonable cause.

NASPP: What is something people don’t know about you?

Deborah: I had a speaking part as a terrified nun in the Three Stooges movie produced in 2012 by 20th Century Fox and directed by the Farrelly brothers.

Don’t miss Deborah’s session “The IRS and Treasury Speak” session at the NASPP Conference!

About the NASPP Conference

The 24th Annual NASPP Conference will be held from October 24-27 in Houston. This year’s program features close to 100 sessions on today’s most timely topics in stock and executive compensation; check out the full agenda and register today!