Partner
Peter Stathopoulos is a Partner in Bennett Thrasher’s State & Local Tax practice and leader of the firm’s Entertainment practice. In his Entertainment practice, Peter helps clients maximize entertainment incentives for film, television and digital interactive entertainment. This includes performing audits, agreed-upon procedures and due diligence reviews of qualified entertainment expenditures to help clients claim and monetize their credits in states across the country, including but not limited to Georgia, New York, New Mexico, California, Virginia, Illinois, Utah, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. In his State & Local Tax practice, Peter helps clients resolve state tax controversies, determine nexus/filing obligations, perform apportionment studies, mitigate prior period liabilities through voluntary disclosure agreements and perform tax planning to help clients optimize their state and local tax posture. Peter also helps clients maximize both statutory and negotiable economic development incentives. Peter has worked with his clients in helping shape state tax policy, including helping draft portions of Georgia’s entertainment incentives statute and regulations. Prior to Bennett Thrasher, Peter was a Partner at a national law firm practicing in the areas of state and local tax controversy and litigation. Before that, Peter was a Principal Consultant in the state tax consulting practice of a Big 4 accounting firm. Peter also has prior experience serving as an attorney working in tax policy with the Georgia Department of Revenue. Peter is a frequent speaker and has published numerous articles or been quoted regarding entertainment incentives and state tax issues, including in Variety, Total Retail, Oz, Atlanta Business Chronicle, The Journal of Multistate Taxation and State Tax Notes.
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practice areas
industry experience
education
- Juris Doctor, University of Georgia
- Bachelor of Arts (Economics), Vanderbilt University
professional affiliations
- Georgia Production Partnership, Chair of Government Relations Committee
- Georgia Screen Entertainment Coalition, Board Member and Chair of the Policy and Political Engagement Committee
- Georgia Post Alliance, Founding Member
- American Bar Association, Tax Section
- DFK International, Past State & Local Tax Committee Chair
- Georgia Bar, Past Chair Taxation Section
- Georgia Game Developers Association