Show Notes
Luis Nouel, Manager Latin America, Africa-Middle East and Bulletin of International Taxation Teams at IBFD, joins Tax Leaders Unplugged to discuss how tax research actually gets done and where AI fits in. We recorded at IBFD HQ in Amsterdam. Luis brings 33 years in tax, more than 18 of them at IBFD, and currently leads the Latin America, transfer pricing and VAT teams. We covered:
- How a tax research workflow runs in practice, from mapping cross-border consequences to working country chapters before opening legislation.
- Why tax authorities have been using AI for 8 to 9 years and what that means for in-house tax teams under shrinking budgets.
- The compounding complexity of BEPS, MLI and Pillar Two, and why Luis is convinced the next wave will be worse.
- Why IBFD's curated dataset is the foundation that makes the Loctax AI Assistant game-changing, instead of unreliable.
- How the Loctax and IBFD partnership turns that dataset into an AI assistant that tax professionals can trust on the specifics, so the human work shifts to judgement, audit defence and business partnering.
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Where to find Luis Nouel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luisnouel Where to find Stevi Frooninckx: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevifrooninckx
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[00:00] Introduction. Recording at IBFD HQ Amsterdam. Luis Nouel's background: tax lawyer, 33 years in tax, more than 18 at IBFD, currently leading the Latin America, transfer pricing and VAT teams. [02:10] Why tax research grabs you. Connecting dots across corporate income tax, VAT, transfer pricing, customs and individual taxation. [03:15] Tax is never binary, it's grey. Taking positions you can defend at audit. [05:55] How tax research actually runs. Step back to see the big picture, then work the deadline. [08:47] Worked example. Liquidating a Venezuelan subsidiary held by a Spanish parent: domestic consequences in both jurisdictions, exit taxation, treatment at the parent. [10:57] Why Luis goes to country chapters before legislation. IBFD covers 220+ jurisdictions. [11:49] Books and university tax libraries. Why hard copy can't keep up with the rate of change. [14:18] Why up to date matters. Free internet sources versus the risk you're willing to take. [16:34] Complexity is not slowing down. OECD models, then MLI, then Pillar Two, and the next wave Luis expects to be worse. [19:31] Tax authorities stepping up. AI in their hands for 8 to 9 years. Dispute resolution as the new normal. [22:10] Paper it up. Building a documentation defence so a 3 to 5 year audit gap doesn't sink you. [24:38] The AI elephant. Quality jump in the last 6 to 8 months when AI is applied to the right data and the right guardrails. [27:31] AI reshapes functions, not replaces them. PC and internet as parallels. [28:48] The Loctax and IBFD AI assistant. Full IBFD library across legislation, treaties, doctrine, journals and case law. [31:37] Joint mission. Spreading tax research to in-house, advisory and tax authorities. [32:17] Closing. "Don't be afraid of it. The sooner you embrace the new technologies, the better you're gonna get handling them."
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