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The Cragus Group collaborates with local Arabic law firms in providing international corporate tax planning and contentious tax advice in the GCC. Competitors note that in the past year the firm has developed its practice and is now recognisable as "a ... [more]

The Cragus Group collaborates with local Arabic law firms in providing international corporate tax planning and contentious tax advice in the GCC. Competitors note that in the past year the firm has developed its practice and is now recognisable as "a strong independent player in the region". The firm has used the approach of using local connections to aid smooth relations with tax authorities and eliminate cultural barriers since beginning its practice in the GCC. Though independent, the firm acts as a correspondent in the Middle East for several large international firms, with many engaging the firm directly to work for its clients or in other cases referring clients to the firm. Notable clients include financial service providers and even governments seeking advice on new legislation. The presence of former Shell executive Reggie Mezu as an international corporate tax adviser provides the group with strong connections to the oil industry in which it has many clients. Mark Stevens is recognised by competitors in the region for his transfer pricing expertise. He has more than 20 years experience in big-four firms before joining Cragus. He has practised for more than16 years in the GCC. Tax controversy matters are dealt with by Robert Peake, who is highly rated in the market and has good links to tax authorities in the region. Cragus was instrumental in starting the UAE branch of the International Fiscal Association.

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Deloitte has a tax practice in the GCC led by Nauman Ahmed from the firm's Saudi Arabian office. Clients of the practice include multinationals in several sectors, including oil and gas company Saipem, glass manufacturer Guardian Glass and infrastructure ... [more]

Deloitte has a tax practice in the GCC led by Nauman Ahmed from the firm's Saudi Arabian office. Clients of the practice include multinationals in several sectors, including oil and gas company Saipem, glass manufacturer Guardian Glass and infrastructure and finance company GE. The firm this year coordinated the tax aspects of the investment by a number of private equity firms in Islamic finance products in Saudi Arabia. This was a challenging matter as the tax law does not cater for Islamic finance products. Ahmed and John Belsey also handled the private equity buy-out of a Saudi Arabian business which required close attention to the structuring to ensure tax efficiency for both parties. And the firm advised on a Qatari investment fund on its investment into 14 countries across South America, Asia and Africa. They had to ensure that the holding companies making the investments had sufficient presence in Qatar to qualify for the double tax treaties with the countries where each investment was made. The firm has a relatively large practice across the GCC with five partners and 41 fee earners and is capable across a range of tax issues.

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Mubeen Khadir leads Ernst & Young's tax practice in the GCC. The firm has one of the largest practices in the region, which is coordinated from Manama in Bahrain, and has advisers in Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Riyadh. They can deal with the full ... [more]

Mubeen Khadir leads Ernst & Young's tax practice in the GCC. The firm has one of the largest practices in the region, which is coordinated from Manama in Bahrain, and has advisers in Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Riyadh. They can deal with the full range of tax issues. Their work this year has involved both inbound and outbound investments requiring the firm to coordinate tax issues across several jurisdictions. One professional notes that their tax compliance work is among the best in the region, stating that "certainly in Saudi Arabia I would choose Ernst & Young for tax compliance". The firm has compensated for the departure of Howard Hull with the arrival in the region of highly regarded international tax specialist Tobius Lintvelt. With his expertise, the firm have signalled that they are dedicated to providing a comprehensive tax service in the GCC.

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PwC's GCC tax practice, which is part of the broader Middle East group of the firm, is run from Dubai by department head Dean Rolfe, who is highly rated in the market as an international specialist. "He is very good tax adviser on the M&A and structuring ... [more]

PwC's GCC tax practice, which is part of the broader Middle East group of the firm, is run from Dubai by department head Dean Rolfe, who is highly rated in the market as an international specialist. "He is very good tax adviser on the M&A and structuring side of things," said a peer. Though its presence and ability in the GCC is strong, well developed links to its other Middle East offices are a strength when the practice are advising multinationals on cross-border projects. They are retained by investors in the region and commonly provide structuring advice to ensure tax efficiency for their local operations.

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Allen & Overy is one of many international law firms with a presence in the GCC. However, the majority of their tax advisers do not live in the region and most of the tax work is run from offices elsewhere. They coordinate and advise on the tax issues ... [more]

Allen & Overy is one of many international law firms with a presence in the GCC. However, the majority of their tax advisers do not live in the region and most of the tax work is run from offices elsewhere. They coordinate and advise on the tax issues of companies investing in the GCC from other countries,in particular the UK. They have a strong reputation for M&A and transactional tax work.

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Herbert Smith has an office in Dubai. While they are capable of advising on tax matters tax capability in the region, most of their work is limited to support for work and transactions generated by the firm's other departments. The firm's finance, real ... [more]

Herbert Smith has an office in Dubai. While they are capable of advising on tax matters tax capability in the region, most of their work is limited to support for work and transactions generated by the firm's other departments. The firm's finance, real estate and corporate departments are particularly active and so much of the tax team's work is tied into the work carried out by those teams. They also have an office in Abu Dhabi and in 2009 entered an alliance with Al-Ghazzawi Professional Association in Saudi Arabia. It is one the largest and best known law firms in Saudi Arabia and provides the firm with tax capabilities there, especially in controversy matters.

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KPMG has several offices across the GCC including practices in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. Its tax practice there is run as part of its Middle East and South Asia group, headquartered in Pakistan and has different tax practice leaders ... [more]

KPMG has several offices across the GCC including practices in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. Its tax practice there is run as part of its Middle East and South Asia group, headquartered in Pakistan and has different tax practice leaders in each GCC country. Ashok Hariharan leads the firm's tax practice in Oman and the UAE while Eugen Straub has replaced Phillip Marwood in Doha as head of the firm's international tax service line for the Middle East and South Asia region. In Saudi Arabia, the practice is led by former deputy commissioner of taxes in Egypt Ashraf Alarabi. KPMG's Kuwait tax practice is headed by Rasheed Al-Qenae, a former Kuwaiti tax official and member of the Tax Appeal Committee at the Ministry of Finance while the Qatari practice is headed by Ahmed Hussain.

The firm's work across the GCC involves tax due diligence, structuring, transaction support, transfer pricing assignments, group reorganisations and tax risk management. Clients include multinationals in the oil and gas, real estate, telecommunications and technology sectors while sovereign wealth funds also rely on the firm for tax advice. In response to client demand, this year the firm established its global Islamic finance centre in the UAE under Neil Miller. This equips the firm to coordinate Islamic compliant investment and commercial activity in the region. Competitors note that the tax practice of KPMG is closely linked to its accountancy practice, which is very strong in the region. One rival commented that, "They seem to have concentrated more on their accounting practice and somewhat on the audit side of things," though Hariharan said the firm was looking to increase the numbers in its tax practice.

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Stibbe established a permanent tax presence in the GCC this year with Emile Bongers now practising from Dubai. Support is provided by Amsterdam partner Michael Molenaars who is often in the area. The firm also cooperates with Alliance partner Herbert ... [more]

Stibbe established a permanent tax presence in the GCC this year with Emile Bongers now practising from Dubai. Support is provided by Amsterdam partner Michael Molenaars who is often in the area. The firm also cooperates with Alliance partner Herbert Smith in much of its work. Their deals this year have been characterised by acquisitions, but the firm has also handled cross-border structuring and restructuring matters. Their advice to Japanese oil company Idemitsu Kotsan on the restructuring of its interest in the Ras Laffan refinery in Qatar presented a challenge to ensure tax efficiency. Stibbe overcame the problems posed by using a Dutch holding company. The firm also worked alongside Herbert Smith on the acquisition of Dutch entity Zain Africa from Mobile Telecommunications Company of Kuwait. This presented a series of cross-border tax issues, complicated by the purchaser's presence in Holland and necessitated extensive coordination with the firm's offices there.

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Cramer-Salamian is new to the World Tax rankings for 2012. The firm is a corporate tax planning and structuring boutique and is active primarily in the UAE. The firm cooperates with local law firm Abdulla Al-Ali & Associates and this link provides the ... [more]

Cramer-Salamian is new to the World Tax rankings for 2012. The firm is a corporate tax planning and structuring boutique and is active primarily in the UAE. The firm cooperates with local law firm Abdulla Al-Ali & Associates and this link provides the firm with tax controversy skills. The firm picks up plenty of referral work from US and UK law firms as structuring counsel in cross-border M&A. This year, highlights of their work have included use of special purpose vehicles (SPVs) in the UAE to get the benefit of double tax treaties to limit tax paid by investors in the region. A notable example was the use of a UAE SPV as part of the holding structure for a Swiss mining company investing in Mozambique. By using this structure, the firm was able to streamline the tax payable under the investment. Use of an SPV was also central to the work done for a fragrance producer seeking to set up a production unit in Gujarat in India. By using the SPV, the firm was able to obtain the import tax exemptions available under the Greater Arab Free Trade (GAFT) agreement for the client.

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Latham & Watkins's practice in the GCC has offices in Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai and Riyadh. The firm now has almost 60 lawyers in the region and has been involved in some major transactions. Its tax practice has been characterised by advisory work on M&A ... [more]

Latham & Watkins's practice in the GCC has offices in Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai and Riyadh. The firm now has almost 60 lawyers in the region and has been involved in some major transactions. Its tax practice has been characterised by advisory work on M&A deals in the region and recently cross-border structuring and restructuring work. It countsmultinationals investing in the GCC and GCC entities among its clients, including the Qatar Investment Authority. Though it does not have tax practitioners in the region on a full-time basis, partners in London such as Sean Finn often coordinate the tax issues on activities in the GCC. Daniel Friel, an international tax specialist and vice-chairman of the firm's global tax and benefits practice group in Europe, Daniel Friel also advises on GCC tax issues.

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Simmons & Simmons has a tax capability in the GCC that is coordinated largely from the firm's London office.  However, the firm does have offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar and its real estate and corporate departments are active in the region.  ... [more]

Simmons & Simmons has a tax capability in the GCC that is coordinated largely from the firm's London office.  However, the firm does have offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar and its real estate and corporate departments are active in the region.  They are capable in transactional tax issues and as such their work in corporate support matters is said by their peers to be capable.  They have considerable experience working for sovereign investors in the region and are skilled in advising on Shariah finance [hide]