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PwC has strong presence in the market and remains among the leading tax law firms in the Baltic States. The firm is among the largest in the region employing 70 full time tax consultants across all three states.The tax practices in the Baltic countries ... [more]

PwC has strong presence in the market and remains among the leading tax law firms in the Baltic States. The firm is among the largest in the region employing 70 full time tax consultants across all three states.

The tax practices in the Baltic countries are led by two local tax partners and one tax director. The firm's business capabilities cover M&A, indirect tax, personal tax and corporate tax business lines.

In December 2011, the team assisted one of the largest telecommunication services providers, in Lithuania and Latvia, on the preparation of complex transfer pricing documentation for inter-company transactions. The firm has also been active working on dispute resolution cases representing clients in the course of transfer pricing tax audits.

The practice also works closely with legislators and regulatory bodies on areas of improvement in tax law. PwC lobbied, with success, for change to the holding company regime in Latvia. As a result, from 2013 the time limit for the carryforward of tax losses will be removed.

The firm also has specialist advisors working in industries including energy, real estate, financial services and pharmaceuticals. Its Lithuania practice is among the fastest growing in the region with its transfer pricing department showing annual growth of revenue at 15-20%.

Sorainen has had a strong year with new hires, new clients as well as revenue growth for the tax department. Jānis Taukačs is the regional head of the tax & customs team, which consists of 14 professionals.New hires include Sabīne Vuškāne and Dace Everte ... [more]

Sorainen has had a strong year with new hires, new clients as well as revenue growth for the tax department. Jānis Taukačs is the regional head of the tax & customs team, which consists of 14 professionals.

New hires include Sabīne Vuškāne and Dace Everte who both joined the firm this year from Deloitte Latvia. Vuškāne has 10 years experience with Deloitte with the last four years there spent as head of the indirect tax department. Before this, Everte worked as a senior tax inspector at the State Revenue Service.

The firm is well regarded in the market. "I think the quality and the response time is very fine and we are satisfied with all the cases we have been with them. There was one case with the State Revenue Service, we got a penality from them for corporate income tax and VAT treatment and Sorainen helped us with this and we won the case. It was a unique case because it is not often a company beats the State Revenue Service," said one client.

Some of Sorainen's work over the past year included excise and customs duties, VAT and corporate income tax analysis, as well as tax risk evaluation in circumstances were there was a lack of legislation. Other work consisted of transfer pricing advice to mitigate tax risk.

Clients include Barclays Capital, British American Tobacco Latvia, DHL, Ericsson, Global Blue Holdings, Huawei Technologies, Twitter and Unilever.

Helmut Pikmets manages the tax department of Law Firm VARUL of 13 specialists across the Baltics and Belarus.The team welcomed new member Dmitri Teplõhh, who joined in May 2012 from the North District Prosecutor's Office, in Tallinn, where he worked ... [more]

Helmut Pikmets manages the tax department of Law Firm VARUL of 13 specialists across the Baltics and Belarus.

The team welcomed new member Dmitri Teplõhh, who joined in May 2012 from the North District Prosecutor's Office, in Tallinn, where he worked as a district prosecutor in tax matters.

In February 2012, Pikmets, Ramon Rask and Sergei Jegorov were hired to analyse the tax and transfer pricing aspects of sales of property and associated services between a Dutch parent company and the Estonian subsidiary.

The team has also been active in advising the Estonian branch of Nordea Bank from Finland in a high-profile tax matter and constitutional review proceedings at the Office of the Chancellor of Justice. The case concerned matters of permanent establishment and income taxation between the branch and the parent company.

The team also advised Loginpost, a leading automated parcel delivery and automated post box operator in Lithuania on the tax treatment of the provision of services and loans. The firm also advised Loginpost on trade mark exploitation between the Lithuanian-based headquarters and the Estonian subsidiary as well as between the owners of the Lithuanian entity.

Ramunas Audzevicius manages a team of three partners and seven fee earners as head of tax for Motieka & Audzevicius.Audzevičius is experienced in tax controversy resolution, audits, appeals as well as M&A and restructuring."They were perfect, their service ... [more]

Ramunas Audzevicius manages a team of three partners and seven fee earners as head of tax for Motieka & Audzevicius.

Audzevičius is experienced in tax controversy resolution, audits, appeals as well as M&A and restructuring.

"They were perfect, their service was good and everything was always on time," says one client about Audzevičius.

"We used them for financial litigation on several large real estate deals. They are extremely good in the financial aspects and each was extremely well carried out. In my view, it was the best firm I had dealt with in Lithuania. Their financial requests are steep but worth it. I would not hire another company any more especially in tax authority negotiations. For anything of significance I would hire them again."

Audzevicius and Mantas Juozaitis advised a Lithuanian agribusiness conglomerate in a dispute with the Danish tax authorities about a cost sharing agreement and the profit apportionment mechanism embedded in it. The dispute related to joint business activities performed by Lithuanian and Danish companies.

The team also advised AB Agrowill Group on its corporate restructuring before a cross-border initial public offering (IPO) on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

The tax team also has experience of working on public and private mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganisations, joint ventures, business sales, capital markets transactions and investment funding.

Borenius's tax team covers all three Baltic States and has a strong emphasis on transaction structuring, tax planning and dispute resolution. Indrikis Liepa leads the practice in Latvia, Marti Hääl is head of the tax team in Estonia and Tomas Rymeikis ... [more]

Borenius's tax team covers all three Baltic States and has a strong emphasis on transaction structuring, tax planning and dispute resolution.

Indrikis Liepa leads the practice in Latvia, Marti Hääl is head of the tax team in Estonia and Tomas Rymeikis is in charge of the group in Lithuania. The firm is well respected by competitors who see it as having international recognition, experience and size. "It deserves to be recognised as leading," says an adviser from another firm.

The firm represents international and local businesses as well as private individuals. In an ongoing deal, Hääl and his team are representing an affiliate of one of the largest banks in the Baltic States. The team is advising on several VAT issues relating to input VAT deduction restrictions.

Ieva Azanda advised GE Money Bank AB in a tax dispute with the authorities, who declined to refund overpaid tax to the bank's liquidated branch in Latvia. The first instance hearing took place in May 2012.

Other clients this year include Abbott, BDA Consulting OÜ, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, Citigroup Global Markets Limited and Credit Suisse Securities.