PHILIP M. ZUKOWSKI, CPA

Experience
Phil has 18 years of experience consulting with clients of all sizes on tax matters.   He began his career with the Boston office of KPMG LLP (the international “Big Four” accounting firm) in 1986, transferred from KPMG Boston to KPMG Miami in 1992, and was promoted to partner at KPMG in 1999.  From 1999 through 2003, he performed three key leadership roles with KPMG: (1) Partner-in-Charge of the International Corporate Services group in South Florida; (2) National Partner-in-Charge of the Export Tax Management Group; and (3) Professional Practice Partner-Tax for South Florida.  In 2004, Phil left KPMG to join Ribotsky Levine & Co., a rapidly-growing local South Florida firm, as partner-in-charge of its tax practice.

Over his 18 year career in the tax field, Phil has served as the tax advisor for clients in a wide range of industries, with particular emphasis on information technology, manufacturing, distribution, and financial services companies.  He has also served clients of many different sizes, from major multinational corporations such as IBM, Gillette, Acer, and Federal Express, to small and middle-market companies, including S-corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships.  Throughout his career, whether serving large or small clients, Phil has maintained a strong specialty in international tax matters, such as advising non-U.S. companies and individuals on the structuring of U.S.  operations, and advising U.S. companies on establishing and maintaining foreign operations.

Professional Credentials and Organizations
Phil is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Florida.  He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA).  In addition, he is an active member of the Harvard Club of Miami, and the Aventura Marketing Council.

Throughout his career, Phil has been very active in speaking and writing on tax technical issues.  He is a regular speaker at seminars sponsored by the Council for International Tax Education (CITE), and he has conducted numerous technical tax training courses within KPMG, including two national distance learning conferences.  He has also published articles in Tax Notes Today, Tax Notes International, and the Journal of Taxation on various topics including “FSC Benefits for U.S.-Manufactured Property” and “U.S. Taxation of Internet Export Sales”.

Education

• Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, B.A. Summa Cum Laude, Psychology, June 1983
• Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, M.S. Accounting, Graduate School of Professional Accounting, September 1986
• Amherst Central High School, Buffalo, New York, Valedictorian, June 1979
• Florida International University, Miami, Florida, M.S. Taxation, Expected Completion Date December 2004
• Completed six courses in Personal Financial Planning curriculum (introduction, investments, insurance, retirement planning, estate planning, income taxation) (2003 – 2004)

Personal
Phil is married with no kids, and lives in Aventura, FL.   He was born and grew up in Buffalo, New York, while his wife, Rupal, was born and grew up in Bombay, India.  Fate brought them together when she came to the U.S. to attend the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale.

Both Phil and Rupal are very happy living in South Florida and hope to remain here for the rest of their lives, enjoying South Florida’s beautiful weather, political stability, and dynamic international climate with people from all over the world.  They are avid sports fans, and play many racquet sports including tennis, racquetball and squash, but their greatest passion is golf.   Phil is also an avid jogger and jogs 3 miles around the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort and Club in Aventura every morning.

Although Phil is not a native Spanish speaker, he has a strong interest in Latin American and other Spanish speaking countries, and is somewhat fluent in Spanish.  He studied Spanish for four years in high school, and has taken several other Spanish self-study courses since moving to Miami.  He also spent three weeks in Salamanca, Spain in 1994 as part of an exchange program, living with a Spanish family.  He also reads El Nuevo Herald every morning (instead of The Miami Herald) and listens to Spanish radio news and talk shows during his daily commute.  Phil has become competent in both spoken and written Spanish (both colloquial and business), and hopes that one day he will be able to consider himself truly fluent in Spanish!