LONDON, April 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The tax increase imposed by the UK government has invoked wide spread condemnation from the oil and gas industry with the threat of major North Sea projects being halted.

SMi Group's Taxation in Oil and Gas conference will investigate the effect that this increase could have on North Sea oil and gas ventures as the tax implications are factored into exploration and production companies' financial forecasts and the economics of these projects are reassessed.

Leading authorities on tax will provide expert insight and a forum for thorough debate to guide the industry through the changing fiscal landscape. Representatives from the in-house tax departments of Shell, BP and Premier Oil as well as from the 'Big 4' auditing firms will provide specialist insight into the issues affecting one of the largest contributors to the economy's tax revenue.

Included within the speaker line up is Jim Hannon, founding partner of Hannon Westwood Associates who are UK continental shelf (UKCS) intelligence and business experts, who will investigate the impact and consequences the new tax increases will have on the UKCS E&P projects. Hannon will also investigate the challenges of net portfolio value, tax take, CAPEX and OPEX and take a look at the assets likely to be drilled or dropped.

Taxation in Oil and Gas will also showcase case studies into the key issues of profitable accounting, methods of evaluating the latest industry trends and developments and examining what the future holds post-recession in a changing fiscal landscape.

The conference will provide personnel responsible for tax management from oil and gas companies with a detailed understanding of tax law, examine recent changes and initiatives and what this means for oil and gas companies working in the UK.

Taxation in Oil and Gas will take place on Monday 9th - Tuesday 10th May 2011 at the Crowne Plaza - The City Hotel in London.

Full information and the conference programme can be found at http://www.smi-online.co.uk/2011oilgas-taxation33.asp