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Deloitte's tax practice in the Baltic States is headed by Piotr Zarski. The Tallinn office is the smallest of their Baltic operations, with three full-time tax professionals active there. Tatjana Vaiciuliene is recommended for her cross-border structuring ... [more]

Deloitte's tax practice in the Baltic States is headed by Piotr Zarski. The Tallinn office is the smallest of their Baltic operations, with three full-time tax professionals active there. Tatjana Vaiciuliene is recommended for her cross-border structuring work and is a well known figure in the Lithuanian tax market. This year, for example, she has obtained approval from the Lithuanian Ministry of Finance for a new method of calculating corporate income tax for a client. The client has since been able to recover overpayments from the previous two years and make significant reductions in their corporate tax liability. Structuring was at the fore of the firm's service for a multinational company operating in Latvia. The team led by Arturs Breicis implemented a structure to allow group companies to supply goods through the Latvian company to use its tax losses. This involved the transfer of a number of assets between companies, requiring close attention to transfer pricing issues throughout. The firm's clients include several multinational entities, companies from the Baltic States and a number of financial institutions. The firm highlights its international capacity and consistent quality as features it of its Baltic States practice.

Jelena Semionova heads the tax department of Ernst & Young in the Baltic States. The firm has tax capabilities across the Baltics, with four partners in Lithuania and one partner in both Estonia and Latvia. The firm has a particularly strong transfer ... [more]

Jelena Semionova heads the tax department of Ernst & Young in the Baltic States. The firm has tax capabilities across the Baltics, with four partners in Lithuania and one partner in both Estonia and Latvia. The firm has a particularly strong transfer pricing team, led by Leonas Lingis in Vilnius. The firm emphasises its close coordination with tax authorities across the region as central to its ability to aid companies with their pan-Baltic operations. Ernst & Young has been closely involved in the Lithuanian government's programme Sunrise, which has sought to improve the business environment in the country and make it a more attractive place for investment. One of the most significant pieces of work for the firm this year was representing Nidera Handelscompagnie in the first Lithuanian VAT case to be heard by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). the. The firm was successful in defending the client's position, demonstrating that the company satisfied the conditions for the right to deduct input VAT , though it was unregistered for VAT purposes. Lingis expects the case to represent an important precedent in Lithuanian law. The firm has also been involved in some substantial transactions in the region. Earlier this year it handled the tax aspects of one of the largest real estate acquisitions in Estonia. The firm continues to advise the buyer in that transaction on the tax implications of the purchase. Services provided have included tax due diligence and tax structuring to ensure beneficial treatment for the buyer after the completion.

PwC has tax capability in its offices across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The firm is strong in tax structuring, transactional support, transfer pricing, indirect tax and customs and has improved its ability in tax controversy. Villi Tõntson, who leads ... [more]

PwC has tax capability in its offices across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The firm is strong in tax structuring, transactional support, transfer pricing, indirect tax and customs and has improved its ability in tax controversy. Villi Tõntson, who leads the firm's tax team in Estonia, is commended by his peers for his work in M&A and recognised as one of the market leaders in that area. "He is very experienced, very thorough and well respected," said one peer. In Latvia, Zlata Elksnina-Zascirinska is head of the tax practice, which has a good reputation in corporate tax. Vita Sakne is recommended by competitors in Latvia for her ability in that practice area, too. In Lithuania, Kristina Krisciunaite leads the tax practice and is well regarded by her peers in more than one practice area. Several of her competitors recommended her work in both transfer pricing and in corporate tax matters. The firm's transfer pricing practice appears to be particularly strong across the region, as Hannes Lentsius has also been noticed by other Estonian practitioners for his skill in that area.

Borenius is an alliance of three separate firms , Luiga Mody Hääl in Estonia, Liepa Skopina in Latvia and Foigt & Partners in Lithuania. The firm is respected by competitors for a range of tax skills in all three countries. Egon Talur is identified for ... [more]

Borenius is an alliance of three separate firms , Luiga Mody Hääl in Estonia, Liepa Skopina in Latvia and Foigt & Partners in Lithuania. The firm is respected by competitors for a range of tax skills in all three countries. Egon Talur is identified for his strength in corporate tax advisory work and Marti Hääl is recommended for tax controversy. The firm has bolstered its Estonian tax practice this year with the recruitment of Elise Kõiv from the Revenue Department of the Tax and Customs Board where she was the head of legal. The firm's clients include multinationals such as the energy group LIBRA, Frazer Food, Abbott Laboratories and the Puratos Group. There were several cross-jurisdictional tax issues for the firm to deal with in work done for a consortium of banks implementing a joint ATM network across the Baltics this year. This was the first such ATM network in the region and its establishment involved close liaison with tax authorities across all three countries to ensure the most favourable tax treatment possible for the clients was obtained. They also advised a Swedish bank operating in Estonia on the gross VAT regime for financial services. Using an innovative approach, the firm was able to obtain a partial VAT deduction for the client in a manner that had never been used or attempted in Europe previously. The Estonian tax authorities examined and evaluated the system before approving its application, saving the client a significant amount of VAT. The application of VAT charges to certain services was also the most salient issue in for the firm to consider in advice provided to Lufthansa on the taxes applicable to its Lithuanian operations.

KPMG is capable across indirect tax, international corporate tax, M&A, transfer pricing and tax controversy in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Noted adviser Steve Austwick leads firm's tax practice in the region from their office in Tallinn. Their practice ... [more]

KPMG is capable across indirect tax, international corporate tax, M&A, transfer pricing and tax controversy in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Noted adviser Steve Austwick leads firm's tax practice in the region from their office in Tallinn. Their practice in Estonia has been reinforced this year by the arrival of Tõnis Jakob from Ernst & Young. The firm's client base consists of multinationals such as GlaxoSmithKline, British American Tobacco and DSV, as well as financial institutions such as Nordea Bank and Nordea Finance. Their work this year included advising the city of Tallinn on establishing a municipal sales tax system. The team led by Joel Zernask assisted in creating the relevant laws, administrative capacity and structure to implement the tax. KPMG also advised Wizz Air Hungary on the relocation of the group's holding company to Vilnius. This was a tax driven operation which required detailed analysis of the interaction between Hungarian and Lithuanian tax regulations and careful structuring to ensure compliance in a tax efficient manner. In Lithuanaia, the firm note that they have seen a significant increase in the number of their clients seeking advice on transfer pricing with documentation requirements shortly to be made compulsory there.

The tax practice of Sorainen is led by Janis Toukacs who is noted by his peers for his ability in tax controversy. The firm has expertise across a full range of tax issues and have tax personnel in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. Their clients include ... [more]

The tax practice of Sorainen is led by Janis Toukacs who is noted by his peers for his ability in tax controversy. The firm has expertise across a full range of tax issues and have tax personnel in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. Their clients include multinational companies operating in the Baltics such as Swedbank, Statoil Latvia and DHL Latvia and they represent several financial institutions active in the region. Toukacs' litigation expertise was crucial to the Industrialais Terminals case heard before the Constitutional Court of Latvia this year. This was the first VAT case ever heard before this court . The revenue authorities had denied the company a VAT refund for overpayments made since 2000, citing a change in law in 2003 which meant that refunds could not be claimed more than three years after the year to which the refund relates. At first instance, this had prevented the company from recovering tax overpaid before 2003 though the company had applied for the refund before the change in law. However, Toukacs cited the Latvian constitution to convince the court that the client should be entitled to the refund. The court declared part of the law incompatible with the Latvian constitution and invalid. The firm's capability in cross-border structuring is reflected in its advice to Heidelberg Balticum in the restructuring of their group. Subsidiaries across the Baltics were merged into an Estonian entity, leaving branch operations in the other countries. The firm had to ensure that carry forward losses were maintained for the benefit of the new entity as well as ensuring efficient tax treatment for all of its Baltic operations, particularly in respect of VAT charges.

Tark Grunte Sutkiene is the latest incarnation of TLS Alliance. The group of formerly independent law firms now operates under the common name of Tark Grunte Sutkiene and hasoffices in Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. Rolan Jankelevitsh leads the tax department ... [more]

Tark Grunte Sutkiene is the latest incarnation of TLS Alliance. The group of formerly independent law firms now operates under the common name of Tark Grunte Sutkiene and hasoffices in Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. Rolan Jankelevitsh leads the tax department and is the sole partner in Tallinn, and is supported by four fee earners in that office. Their operations in Lithuania were bolstered by the addition of Dainius Daugirda, the former deputy head of the state tax inspectorate. The department has been active in corporate tax advisory and M&A work this year but note that tax controversy has been particularly fruitful recently. In Estonia they successfully represented an oil company in a dispute related to double tax treaties and tax avoidance. They were also engaged in a dispute between the Tax and Customs Board in Estonia and an Estonian wholesale and retail group. The firm's tax department also supports the work done by its banking and finance department, as a client list including the European Investment Bank, Swedbank and Hermis Capital attests. Vilius Bernatonis heads their banking and finance department in Lithuania and is commended by his peers for his commercial approach to tax issues in the capital markets and financial services practice area. The firm's ability in M&A is illustrated in its involvement in Thermo Fisher Scientific's acquisition of Fermentas. The tax aspects of the transaction were complicated by the involvement of a private equity house, requiring thorough due diligence and planning by the firm to avoid any unnecessary tax charges.

Glimstedt operate throughout the Baltics and their tax department is led by Priit Lätt from Estonia. The firm is particularly strong in tax controversy and M&A tax matters. Marko Saag arrived from Borenius last year to boost its transfer pricing capability. ... [more]

Glimstedt operate throughout the Baltics and their tax department is led by Priit Lätt from Estonia. The firm is particularly strong in tax controversy and M&A tax matters. Marko Saag arrived from Borenius last year to boost its transfer pricing capability. He is well regarded by peers in Estonia for his transfer pricing work and his ability in indirect tax. One competitor said: "He is very knowledgeable and has a very good reputation among other tax advisers here." Competitors note that while the firm is highly visible in tax matters in Lithuania and Latvia, they are not seen as much in Estonia, though their Baltic tax department is coordinated from Tallinn. The firm has an especially good reputation in Lithuania for its financial services tax work. Arturas Baksys is singled out by his peers for his experience in capital markets and financial services and is also well regarded for his ability in cross-border structuring matters.

The tax department of Lithuanian law firm Juridicon is led by Laimonas Marcinkevicius, who is also the firm's managing partner. The firm has particular strength in transactional work. Many of their matters encompass cross-border structuring requiring ... [more]

The tax department of Lithuanian law firm Juridicon is led by Laimonas Marcinkevicius, who is also the firm's managing partner. The firm has particular strength in transactional work. Many of their matters encompass cross-border structuring requiring the firm to obtain a tax efficient solution for each client's needs. Though the tax department is relatively modest in size, with just two partners and five fee earners, the firm has a good reputation in Lithuania especially. Marcinkevicius is identified by his peers as one of the best Lithuanian tax advisers in more than one area. Several of his competitors recommend him for tax controversy matters, but he is also recognised for his ability in indirect tax, especially in VAT.

VARUL has extended its capacity in the Baltic States after the merger with Devyzis & Partners WILL in Lithuania. The firm is particularly noted for its tax controversy expertise, with department head Helmut Pikmets singled out by competitors for his ... [more]

VARUL has extended its capacity in the Baltic States after the merger with Devyzis & Partners WILL in Lithuania. The firm is particularly noted for its tax controversy expertise, with department head Helmut Pikmets singled out by competitors for his ability in litigation. Highlights of their litigation practice this year include representing Nordea Bank Finland in their dispute with authorities over issues of double taxation and PE in Estonia relating to their branch operations there. The firm have also been active this year in tax planning and restructuring, with cross-border work representing an area of growth for the Estonian office. They advised Unibet Group on establishment of online gambling operations in the region. The need to have servers in the country posed the interesting question of whether PE could be construed from their presence. This required a close liaison with Estonian tax authorities and posed unusual issues e-commerce taxation issues which the firm were able to overcome to the client's satisfaction by consulting the tax authorities throughout.

LAWIN covers a range of corporate tax issues across the Baltic States. Their tax department is coordinated from Latvia by Egons Pikelis and the firm also has tax professionals in Estonia, and Lithuania. The firm is known for its M&A work and as such ... [more]

LAWIN covers a range of corporate tax issues across the Baltic States. Their tax department is coordinated from Latvia by Egons Pikelis and the firm also has tax professionals in Estonia, and Lithuania. The firm is known for its M&A work and as such the tax department has a strong transactional ability and focus. Many members of the department also practise in other teams within the firm and there is overlap between the tax department and the corporate, real estate and finance groups in particular. The firm was recently appointed to act for GE Capital in the sale of GE Money Bank in Latvia and has been involved in several similar transactions in the Baltics recently. For example, their Estonian office advised mining company Molycorp on its acquisition of a majority stake in metals group Silmet including the tax implications of the transaction.

The tax team of Raidla, Leijins & Norcous is particularly capable in Latvia and Lithuania and can also provide transactional support and indirect tax advice in Estonia. Marek Herm is highly rated by his peers for his work in indirect tax in Estonia. ... [more]

The tax team of Raidla, Leijins & Norcous is particularly capable in Latvia and Lithuania and can also provide transactional support and indirect tax advice in Estonia. Marek Herm is highly rated by his peers for his work in indirect tax in Estonia. Elina Bedanova and Sandija Novicka together lead the firm's Latvian tax practice while Jolita Rima Puskoriene heads the practice in Lithuania. The firm has a number of clients in real estate development, the pharmaceutical industry and IT as well as companies using the Baltic States as holding company jurisdictions. The firm is especially well regarded by other tax practitioners in Lithuania. Peers recommend Irmantas Norkus for his strength in M&A tax advice while Elijus Burgis is identified as being highly capable in capital markets and financial products.

Gencs Valters, new to the rankings this year, was founded in Latvia in 2000 and expanded into Estonia in 2007 and Lithuania in 2008. The firm's tax department is led by Valters Gencs with 10 other fee earners making up the department. They have a strong ... [more]

Gencs Valters, new to the rankings this year, was founded in Latvia in 2000 and expanded into Estonia in 2007 and Lithuania in 2008. The firm's tax department is led by Valters Gencs with 10 other fee earners making up the department. They have a strong transactional ability, particularly in the media sector, as well as indirect tax and tax controversy expertise. Energy company Alstom is relying on Gencs' litigation skills in their effort to obtain VAT refunds in a case which has gone all the way to the ECJ. The firm has also been active in crossborder M&A, acting for Swedish media company MTG in its merger with the Korsnas group.

Two former big-four advisers, Vineta Cukste and Valters Kronbergs, founded and lead Latvian law firm Kronbergs & Cukste. Their key expertise is tax controversy where Cukste is well known for her aptitude. The firm is also capable in M&A and indirect ... [more]

Two former big-four advisers, Vineta Cukste and Valters Kronbergs, founded and lead Latvian law firm Kronbergs & Cukste. Their key expertise is tax controversy where Cukste is well known for her aptitude. The firm is also capable in M&A and indirect tax and customs, especially in the energy, real estate, technology and banking sectors.

Inguna Abele is the head of the tax practice of LetLaw. The firm is active in Latvia and its work this year has involved a number of cross-border structuring and advisory matters. For example, Abele provided a major European bank with extensive analysis ... [more]

Inguna Abele is the head of the tax practice of LetLaw. The firm is active in Latvia and its work this year has involved a number of cross-border structuring and advisory matters. For example, Abele provided a major European bank with extensive analysis of cross-border merger possibilities for their Baltic operations and the tax implications of each. Structuring was also a central issue in the firm's work for Unicredit Bank. LetLaw considered a number of corporate structures to be used in the bank's repossession of distressed loans in the Baltics to establish the most advantageous solution for tax purposes. The firm has a broad client base ranging from banks such as DnB Nord to Baltics companies such as South-Ural Industrial Company, as well as some multinational entities.

Ramunas Audzevicius leads the dispute resolution boutique Motieka & Audzevicius. The firm is active in Lithuania and has grown its practice to four partners and 10 other fee earners since last year. The firm has some multinationals among its clients ... [more]

Ramunas Audzevicius leads the dispute resolution boutique Motieka & Audzevicius. The firm is active in Lithuania and has grown its practice to four partners and 10 other fee earners since last year. The firm has some multinationals among its clients and a high number of financial sector companies such as Hermis Capital, SNORAS and Orion Securities. Their work this year included appealing VAT deductions disallowed on behalf of a Lithuanian energy company. They successfully cited ECJ case law to demonstrate that the relevant goods and services were not comparable to those cited by the tax authorities and obtained the deductions for their client. The firm also has capability across indirect tax, corporate tax and transactional tax.