Kenneth J. Vacovec, the founding partner of Vacovec, Mayotte & Singer, LLP, practices in all areas of tax law including tax planning for businesses and individuals, estate planning, representation before Internal Revenue Service and state tax authorities, international tax planning for individuals and businesses, international estate planning, and tax compliance.
Ken, who is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, has extensive experience in advising clients on the tax aspects and planning opportunities for structuring domestic and cross border transactions and business relationships involving U.S. and foreign individuals and businesses. He graduated from Tufts University (BA 1969), Suffolk University Law School (JD, cum laude, 1975) and the Boston University Law School (LL.M in Taxation, 1976).
Ken is a member of the bars of Massachusetts and the United States Federal District Court of Massachusetts and the United States Tax Court. He has been an active participant in the Massachusetts Bar Association, most recently as President (1996-97). He is currently a Trustee and President of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation and a Trustee and executive Vice President of Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc. He is also a member of the Boston Bar and American Bar Associations where he was a Massachusetts Delegate to the ABA house of Delegates 1996-2001 and is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He is a member of the International Fiscal Association and member of the United States Branch Council.
He is the National Reporter for the IFA world congress Oslo Norway 2002 Reporting on U.S. Tax Residency.
Ken speaks regularly on tax topics before both business and professional groups. He was one of the original seminar presenters for Massachusetts Partners for Trade.
Publications
Co-author of U.S. Foreign Tax Credit for Corporate Tax payers IBFD Bulletin special Issue IFA 55 Congress San Francisco, CA. USA.
Co-author, “Taxation in the United States,” International Taxation of Employment Manual, F.T. Law and Tax (U.K.), 1995;
Presentations
“Annual Meeting International Fiscal Association”, International Taxation of Stock Options, March 2000;
“International Corporate Taxation”, Boston Tax Institute, June 1998;
“International Taxation of Individuals”, Boston Tax Institute, June 1998;
“Divorce Taxation”, Massachusetts Association of Public Accountants, May 1998;
“Taxpayer Relief for 1997: Year-end Tax Planning – Capital Gains Matter Again, Capital Gains and Losses”, Massachusetts Association of Public Accountants,” December 1997;
“Estate Planning-No Longer Only for the Rich”, Investor Discovery Institute, April 1997;
“International Taxation of Individuals”, Boston Tax Institute, June 1996;
“Retirement Plan Distributions”, Massachusetts Association of Public Accountants Continuing Professional Education, June 1996;
“Divorce Taxation”, Bentley Tax Institute, January 1996;
“The Effect of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 on Taxation of Minor Children, the Kiddie Tax, the Generation-skipping Transfer Tax and Other Considerations”, Bentley Tax Institute, January 1996;
“International Taxation of Individuals”, Boston Tax Institute, July 1995;
“Divorce Taxation”, Massachusetts Association of Public Accountants, May 1995;
“Sub S Corporation Taxation”, Bentley Tax Institute, January 1995;
“Sale or Rental of the Expatriate’s Residence”, Boston, MA, January 1995;
“Tax Traps and Opportunities-Consequences of Divorce and Remarriage”, Norfolk and Plymouth Estate and Business Planning Council, November 1994;
“International Tax Planning for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens”, Boston Tax Institute, June 1994;
“Divorce Taxation”, Massachusetts Association of Public Accountants, June 1994;
“Investments and Exporting into Canada and Mexico; How NAFTA Changes Existing Ways of Doing Business,” Suffolk University Continuing Legal Education, Boston, MA, March 1994;
“Minimizing Expatriate Program Costs Through Foreign Tax Planning”, Partners for Trade, Bedford, MA, February 1994;
“Danger Signals for the S Corporation”, Bentley Tax Institute, January 1994;
“New Tax Law and IRS Trends Affecting Your Expatriates”, The Overseas Taxation Company Limited, London, October 1993;
“International Taxation of Individuals”, Boston Tax Institute, June 1993;
“S Corporations-Built in Gains Tax, Installment Sale Reporting of the Sale, and Renegotiations of the Installment Sale Note”, Bentley Tax Institute, January 1993;
“Asset Protection in the 90’s”, Commonwealth Group, Waltham, MA, September 1992;
“International Taxation of Individuals”, Boston Tax Institute, June 1992;
“Divorce Taxation”, Massachusetts Association of Public Accountants, May 1992;
“Advising Small Businesses”, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE), Boston, MA, February 1992;
“Compensation, Dividends and Other Distributions From S-Corporations”, Bentley Tax Institute, January 1992;
“International Taxation of Individuals”, Boston Tax Institute, June 1991;
“Trends and Developments in the Europe of the ’90s”, International Tax Management of Expatriates, London, October 1991;
“Divorce Taxation”, Massachusetts Association of Public Accountants Continuing Professional Education Seminar, May 1991;
“Things a Probate/Estate Planning Attorney Needs to Know About. Individual Income Tax”, MCLE, February 1991;
“How to Make Offshore Payments to Individuals Resident in the U.S.”, International Tax Management of Expatriates, London, October 1990;
“Keeping the Tax Man at Bay”, The Overseas Taxation Company Limited, London, October 1989;
“Reviewing a Will or Trust and the Estate Tax Law & Qualified Retirement Plans in Estate Planning”, Massachusetts Association of Public Accountants, June 1989;
“Levy and Lien Provisions”, Bentley College Center for Tax Studies, Waltham, MA, January 1989;
“Tax Planning for Professional Corporations”, Massachusetts Association of Public Accountants, November 1988 – January 1989;
“Real Estate Tax Planning”, Institute for International Research, Inc., November 1988;
“Developing Checklists for Reviewing the Financial Aspects of a Will or Trust”, LAFP Fourth Annual New England Regional Conference and Exposition for Financial Planning, May 1988;
“S Corporations After the Tax Act of 1986 and the Revenue Act of 1987”, Levine, Zeidman & Daitch, P.C., January 1988;
“Passive Losses”, Massachusetts Association of Public Accountants, November/December 1987;
“The Effect of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 on Taxation of Minor Children, the Generation-skipping Transfer Tax Employee Business Expenses, Business Meals, Travel and Entertainment Expenses and Other Considerations”, Bentley Tax Institute, January 1987;
“Short Term Assignment-United States Income Tax Aspect”, The Overseas Taxation Company Limited, London, October 1987;
“International Tax Management of Expatriates”, The International Business Center of New England, Inc., September 1987;
“Relocation to the United States: Employment Related Tax Points”, the Overseas Taxation Company Limited, London, October 1986;
“Financing Multi-Family Projects”, Northwest Center for Professional Education, May 1986;
“Clients’ Funds Accounts: What Every Practitioner Needs to Know”, MBA Law Practice Section and the Board of Bar Overseers, March 1986;
“Investment Planning”, Massachusetts Association of Public Accountants, December 1985;
“Fundamentals of Income Tax Preparation with Related Planning Considerations”, MCLE, February/March 1985;
“Automating the Estate Planning Practice”, New York University 43rd Annual Institute on Federal Taxation, 1984;
“Model Partnership Agreement”, Massachusetts Bar Association Fall Educational Conference, 1983;
“Expatriate Death Overseas-Tax Consequences”, Greater Boston International Personnel Association, March 1980.