World Tax - Home
The comprehensive guide to the world's leading tax firms

Deloitte's tax practice is led by Dave Kennedy. The firm provides advice on corporate tax, indirect tax, international tax, M&A and transfer pricing. Billy Joubert is highly regarded by his peers and heads the firm's Johannesburg based transfer ... [more]

Deloitte's tax practice is led by Dave Kennedy. The firm provides advice on corporate tax, indirect tax, international tax, M&A and transfer pricing. Billy Joubert is highly regarded by his peers and heads the firm's Johannesburg based transfer pricing practice offering services such as exposure reviews, setting transfer pricing policies, preparing transfer pricing documentation, advice regarding cost contribution arrangements and planning and re-engineering of pricing policies. Mark Silver heads the firm's indirect tax practice, offering services such as assurance reviews, compliance, savings reviews and planning and consulting. Anne Bennett has been praised by her peers and leads the firm's international tax practice, specialising in cross-border structuring. The practice assists with outbound and inbound investment as well as advising on the restructuring of international operations. Luke Barlow specialises in capital markets and financial products. One client said "Deloitte has done good work on indirect tax and some direct tax work. Luke Barlow is very good."

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Peter Dachs heads the tax department of Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs. The team's practice areas include employee tax and trusts, transfer pricing, indirect tax, international tax, financial services and corporate tax. The team has two other partners Robert ... [more]

Peter Dachs heads the tax department of Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs. The team's practice areas include employee tax and trusts, transfer pricing, indirect tax, international tax, financial services and corporate tax. The team has two other partners Robert Gad and Bernard du Plessis. Emil Brincker left the firm to join Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr. Dachs and Nikki Smit advised MWEB Connect on the restructuring of its South Africa operations. The deal involved multiple asset transfers. Du Plessis and Ana-Celia Mendes advised the retail bank Bidvest on the structuring of investment in Mumbai international airport and the restructuring of consortium funding with Old Mutual. This complex deal involved multi-jurisdictional issues and was worth $141 million. Dachs advised Absa Bank on an inter-bank lending transaction. The transaction was multi-jurisdictional, requiring advice on tax, exchange control, and regulatory and enforceability issues. The practice's impressive list of clients include Credit Suisse, Macquarie Bank and the industrial transportation company Super Group.

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KPMG's tax department is led by Alan Field, now Michael Honiball has left to join Webber Wentzel. The practice concentrates on international tax, corporate tax, transfer pricing, customs, VAT and financial services. The firm has grown substantially in ... [more]

KPMG's tax department is led by Alan Field, now Michael Honiball has left to join Webber Wentzel. The practice concentrates on international tax, corporate tax, transfer pricing, customs, VAT and financial services. The firm has grown substantially in the last 12 months, with the addition of two partners and eight associate directors. Ben-Schoeman Geldenhuys is a new partner specialising in corporate tax. Dermot Gaffney specialises in VAT. Michele Benetello is the head of international tax and specialises in M&A, capital gains tax, cross-border transactions and mining tax. The firm is involved with the Gautrain project, which represents a major contract for the firm. The firm serve both domestic and international clients.

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Paul de Chalain heads the tax practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. The firm's practice areas include corporate tax, international tax, M&A, transfer pricing, tax risk management and indirect taxes. David Lermer heads the international tax practice and ... [more]

Paul de Chalain heads the tax practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. The firm's practice areas include corporate tax, international tax, M&A, transfer pricing, tax risk management and indirect taxes. David Lermer heads the international tax practice and specialises in M&A and transfer pricing. Jacques Van Rhyn leads the firm's transfer pricing practice. The firm serve clients from a wide range of industries, including financial services, mining, technology and information, media and entertainment and the public sector.

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Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr's tax practice has grown substantially over the last 12 months. Renowned cross-border transaction expert Emil Brincker joined the firm from Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs along with Natalie Napier. Justin Liebenberg joined the firm as ... [more]

Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr's tax practice has grown substantially over the last 12 months. Renowned cross-border transaction expert Emil Brincker joined the firm from Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs along with Natalie Napier. Justin Liebenberg joined the firm as director, he was formerly head of tax at Grant Thornton and focuses on tax transactional work. The firm consists of five partners and four senior associates and is led by Patrick McGurk, who one commentator described as "very accomplished in the financial services sector". He is known for his work in capital markets and financial products. Although providing a full range of tax services, the firm's focus is on corporate consulting and large transactions. They also provide advice on tax litigation and customs and excise. McGurk and Ide Louw advised Brimstone Investment Company in a BEE transaction involving the buy out of Tiger Brands share holding in Sea Harvest. The deal was worth $100 million. Liebenberg advised Batho Bonke Capital when it bought 10% of ABSA Bank's equity. It was the first BEE deal involving one of the big-four banks. Batho Bonke Capital was provided with options to acquire the ABSA shares and the firm advised them on the tax implications of various options to finance the option prices. Liebenberg advised Eskom and Energy Poverty Action an initiative of the World Economic Forum which will allow private companies, communities and governments to participate in poverty alleviation. The firm's clients include Nedbank, Shell and Tiber Property Group. One client said "I have used Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr on share schemes and they were very good".

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Ernst & Young's tax team is led by Martin Walbeck and consists of 18 partners and 12 associates. The firm's practice areas include international tax, transfer pricing, indirect tax and M&A. Charl Niemand heads the firm's indirect tax practice while Wendy ... [more]

Ernst & Young's tax team is led by Martin Walbeck and consists of 18 partners and 12 associates. The firm's practice areas include international tax, transfer pricing, indirect tax and M&A. Charl Niemand heads the firm's indirect tax practice while Wendy Gardner leads the firm's transaction tax department. Sean Kruger is known for his work on transfer pricing and leads the department. The firm's clients include mining companies, banks, the energy sector and various industrial companies.

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Webber Wentzel's tax team provides advice on M&A, private equity and BEE transactions, private equity fund formation, cross-border investment structures for high net worth individuals, complex tax matters and resolving disputes with the tax authorities. ... [more]

Webber Wentzel's tax team provides advice on M&A, private equity and BEE transactions, private equity fund formation, cross-border investment structures for high net worth individuals, complex tax matters and resolving disputes with the tax authorities. The firm has 10 partners and is led by Mark Linington. Both he and Ian MacKenzie are known for their work on M&A. Brian Dennehy specialises in M&A and private equity transactions. The firm has greatly strengthened its international tax practice with the arrival of Michael Honiball from KPMG who is known for his transfer pricing and cross-border structuring work . Des Kruger specialises in VAT and is a very experienced practitioner. Patricia Williams specialises in litigation. Mackenzie and Dennehy advised MTN Group and the Alpine Trust on the structuring of the unwind of Mobile Telephone Networks' original BEE shareholding structure and the establishment of a new structure. This involved complex commercial and tax issues involving many parties with conflicting objectives. The deal was worth $2.5 billion. Linington and Dries Hoek advised Actis Private Equity on the structuring of a secondary buy-out of Alstom South Africa. This was one of the most important private equity transactions of the year, according to several publications. Mackenzie advised Vodafone and Vodacom on the purchase of 15% of Vodacom by Vodafone. This deal involved tax structuring to achieve an optimal tax position for multiple parties. The deal was worth $3 billion. The firm's clients include Ethos Private Equity, Anglo American South Africa and First Rand bank.

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Werksmans's tax team consists of four tax partners and six associates and is led by Ernest Mazansky who is highly regarded by his peers. The team's focus is on tax aspects of M&A, private equity, advice on BEE transactions and corporate reorganisations. ... [more]

Werksmans's tax team consists of four tax partners and six associates and is led by Ernest Mazansky who is highly regarded by his peers. The team's focus is on tax aspects of M&A, private equity, advice on BEE transactions and corporate reorganisations. The firm is involved in litigation although this represents a relatively small part of their practice. Kyle Mandy left the firm to join PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has been replaced by Lani Lombard, who focuses on corporate tax and mining tax. Mazansky advised Liberty on the take-out of minorities and de-listing. This deal involved complex stamp duty issues and was worth $1.1 billion. The firm advised Telkom on the unbundling of Vodacom. This was a very large, high-profile deal with political issues that had to be carefully handled. The deal was worth $4.3 billion. Mazansky advised Corobrik on the disposal of its business to Lexshell as a going concern and the introduction of a BEE party. This deal involved complicated interest deductibility issues and was worth $432 million. The firm's clients include Ellerine Holding, Alstom South Africa, Investec Bank, V&A Waterfront and Safika Holdings. One client described the firm as "very professional, knowledgeable and thorough".

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Bowman Gilfillan's tax team is led by Alan Keep. The firm has recently added two partners bringing the total to seven. The first new partner is Aneria Bouwer, who specialises in international tax. The second new partner is Johan Kotze who came from Cliffe ... [more]

Bowman Gilfillan's tax team is led by Alan Keep. The firm has recently added two partners bringing the total to seven. The first new partner is Aneria Bouwer, who specialises in international tax. The second new partner is Johan Kotze who came from Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr. He specialises in tax litigation. Wally Horak is widely praised for his work on international tax and heads the practice at the firm. The practice offer specialist advice on income tax, M&A, tax litigation, the effective tax structuring of BEE transactions, international taxation, capital gains tax, mining tax, group restructuring within South Africa and VAT. The firm advised the largest Indian telecom services provider Bharti Airtel in its acquisition of a significant stake in the cellular network operator MTN. This deal was complex as MTN acquired shares in Bharti Airtel at the same time. Therefore it involved cross-holding and a great deal of international tax work. The firm advised the brewery SAB Miller in a BEE transaction worth $825 million. The firm has a focus on the financial services sector and this is reflected in their client base which includes Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Standard Bank.

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Deneys Reitz's tax department is led by Ernie Lai King and consists of six partners and four associates. The team provides advice on M&A, structured finance, international tax, corporate tax, income tax, VAT, estate duty and tax litigation. John Troskie ... [more]

Deneys Reitz's tax department is led by Ernie Lai King and consists of six partners and four associates. The team provides advice on M&A, structured finance, international tax, corporate tax, income tax, VAT, estate duty and tax litigation. John Troskie is the firm's VAT specialist. The firm's clients include major banks, mining and insurance companies.

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Glyn Marais's tax practice consists of three partners: Richard Glyn, Francois Marais and Haroon Laher. Glyn specialises in income tax and structured finance. Marais specialises in M&A and private equity transactions. Haroon specialises in litigation. ... [more]

Glyn Marais's tax practice consists of three partners: Richard Glyn, Francois Marais and Haroon Laher. Glyn specialises in income tax and structured finance. Marais specialises in M&A and private equity transactions. Haroon specialises in litigation. The firm focus on capital markets and financial products. Their clients mainly come from the financial services sector and include Absa Bank, NedBank, Investec and Growthpoint.

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Bell Dewar's tax practice is led by Blaize Vance who specialises in M&A, restructuring, international tax and mining tax. The tax team consists of four partners. Partner Conor McFadden specialises in company tax, group restructurings, M&A, international ... [more]

Bell Dewar's tax practice is led by Blaize Vance who specialises in M&A, restructuring, international tax and mining tax. The tax team consists of four partners. Partner Conor McFadden specialises in company tax, group restructurings, M&A, international tax and transfer pricing. Rakhee Bhoora specialises in tax controversy. The firm's clients include Rio Tinto, AngloGold Ashanti and Barrick Gold.

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Maitland's tax practice is led by Doelie Lessing who provides advice on international tax structuring. Paul Ferreira recently retired. The firm's services include the structuring, implementation and administration of local, foreign and multi-jurisdictional ... [more]

Maitland's tax practice is led by Doelie Lessing who provides advice on international tax structuring. Paul Ferreira recently retired. The firm's services include the structuring, implementation and administration of local, foreign and multi-jurisdictional structures. The tax team was recently strengthened with the arrival of Jacques Fourie from the London office. The firm advised on the setting up of a private equity structure. That involved offshore and onshore complexities. Lessing and Fourie advised a client on internal restructuring and recapitalisation. The deal involved complex buy-back issues. Lessing and Rupert Worsdale advised on the sale of a mine. New mining laws created unforeseen tax complications in this deal. The firm's clients include South Africa's largest diary company Clover, the gold producer Anglo Gold Ashanti and the plastic mouldings company Mergon.

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