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

Baker & McKenzie maintains an experienced and well-established tax practice in Hong Kong, with the team consisting of five partners, one special counsel and 15 associates. The firm has continued to work in private practice and at major accounting firms ... [more]

Baker & McKenzie maintains an experienced and well-established tax practice in Hong Kong, with the team consisting of five partners, one special counsel and 15 associates. The firm has continued to work in private practice and at major accounting firms and banks.

Peers and clients recommend partner Michael Olesnicky for his prompt service and "appreciating the pressures that clients are under" and "standing out from the crowd". The firm's tax practice has grown over the past 12 months thanks to the appointment of two new partners, Steven Sieker and Richard Weisman, both of whom worked for the firm in Hong Kong before. Sieker joins from a Canadian law firm and specialises in corporate tax and litigation. Weisman transferred from the firm's New York office and will focus on international tax. Two further associates also joined.

Despite the downturn, partner Jacqueline Shek has been kept busy and has been involved in some of the firm's larger transactions. Shek acted for a Hong Kong property developer in its successful appeal against the commissioner of inland revenue's determination that the profits from the sale of all units in a premium residential building were taxable.

Olesnicky and Shek worked together in representing a Hong Kong company in a tax penalty hearing at the Board of Review. This ground-breaking case was the first case in Hong Kong to consider the applications of human rights issues in respect of the tax penalty provisions of the Inland Revenue Ordinance.

Deloitte's tax managing partner for Southern China, Ryan Chang, leads the firm's Hong Kong tax team, part of Deloitte China. The practice provides a range of tax compliance and consulting services, international tax, transfer pricing, mergers & acquisitions ... [more]

Deloitte's tax managing partner for Southern China, Ryan Chang, leads the firm's Hong Kong tax team, part of Deloitte China. The practice provides a range of tax compliance and consulting services, international tax, transfer pricing, mergers & acquisitions and indirect tax advice.

Patrick Yip and Yvonne Law are regularly involved in discussions with government bodies for the development and interpretation of new rules and regulations. Yip, deputy tax managing partner for Greater China, is a member of Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce's Taxation Committee, and has been engaged with policy discussions with the Hong Kong and Chinese governments. Law has been a prominent figure in both the tax and non-tax field. She has been appointed as a member of the HK Hospital Authority and a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), and the HK Film Development Council Committee to provide advice on public affairs.

In recognition of the rapidly changing tax environment, increased information sharing by tax authorities and the focus by governments around the world on compliance and enforcement, Ernst & Young has established a global tax policy and controversy (TPC) ... [more]

In recognition of the rapidly changing tax environment, increased information sharing by tax authorities and the focus by governments around the world on compliance and enforcement, Ernst & Young has established a global tax policy and controversy (TPC) advisor network under the control of country tax leader, Michael Sanders. The network is designed to address the needs of clients by providing advice on how legislative and administrative developments are likely to impact their business. The TPC team members in Hong Kong, many of whom have worked in the tax authorities in Hong Kong or China, are well versed with the law, practice and procedures of the tax authorities. Recently, the Hong Kong TPC team successfully assisted a client to defend a non-taxable capital gains claim on disposal of a real estate property with the Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department, resulting in a saving of about $80 million.

Like its big-four rivals, KPMG's tax practice is integrated with the firm's China practice. Lloyd Deverall is the partner-in-charge for tax and oversees the team from the Hong Kong office. More than 200 tax professionals work in the tax practice which ... [more]

Like its big-four rivals, KPMG's tax practice is integrated with the firm's China practice. Lloyd Deverall is the partner-in-charge for tax and oversees the team from the Hong Kong office. More than 200 tax professionals work in the tax practice which has seen growth over the past year despite the slowdown in the markets.

Vaughn Barber has been recognised for his outbound international tax work and has been involved in some of the firm's larger transactions.

Partner Chris Abbiss has been advising large insurance companies, while partner John Gu is a "real expert" in private equity and M&A work. The competition recognises Ayesha Macpherson as a "tax market leader".

To help cope with the changing transfer pricing regulations in the country, the firm have brought in two transfer pricing directors from overseas.

While the downturn has affected professional tax services, during 2009 PricewaterhouseCoopers continued to provide advice for clients on numerous projects and transactions. The firm boasts 42 partners in the Hong Kong and Macao offices and over 340 tax ... [more]

While the downturn has affected professional tax services, during 2009 PricewaterhouseCoopers continued to provide advice for clients on numerous projects and transactions. The firm boasts 42 partners in the Hong Kong and Macao offices and over 340 tax professionals.

Services related to transfer pricing, particularly in connection with China's new documentation requirements, continue to be in high demand. The firm's transfer pricing team includes a number of specialists with international experience, including David McDonald who joined from the UK firm. He will focus on the transfer pricing issues within the financial services industry both in Hong Kong and China.

US corporate tax services remain in high demand and the firm operates with the largest US corporate tax practice in Hong Kong. The team comprises two partners, Tony Tong and Paul Ho, and over 20 dedicated US tax staff.

Clifford Chance's Hong Kong tax capability was significantly enhanced by the arrival of litigators Brian Gilchrist and Elaine Chen, who joined the firm as partners in the litigation and dispute resolution practice. They joined Kenneth Leung in leading ... [more]

Clifford Chance's Hong Kong tax capability was significantly enhanced by the arrival of litigators Brian Gilchrist and Elaine Chen, who joined the firm as partners in the litigation and dispute resolution practice. They joined Kenneth Leung in leading the tax practice.

Chen, Gilchrist and senior associate Joseph Chu acted successfully for a Hong Kong based conglomerate in an appeal before the Board of Review (a fact finding tribunal) that some of its profits were offshore, though unsuccessfully as regards the claim that some of its expenses were allowable deductions. A lengthy hearing (three weeks of full day hearings) took place before the board where more than 30 witnesses from different jurisdictions were called to give evidence. This breaks the board's record in terms of the number of witnesses being called to give evidence. The case is expected to be eventually heard by the Court of Final Appeal.

The downturn in M&A work has not affected Grant Thornton. Gary James leads the tax practice for the Asia-Pacific region and has made sure that the firm has been kept busy in a quiet market. Restructurings and reorganisations have been the order of the ... [more]

The downturn in M&A work has not affected Grant Thornton. Gary James leads the tax practice for the Asia-Pacific region and has made sure that the firm has been kept busy in a quiet market. Restructurings and reorganisations have been the order of the day as clients struggle to cope with the slowdown. With the ever-changing corporate tax law in China, the firm is beginning to establish a strong transfer pricing department to meet the demands of their clients as they get to grips with the new contemporaneous documentation requirements.

Over the past 12 months, DLA Piper's tax lawyers in Hong Kong have been involved in tax matters ranging from corporate restructuring to transfer pricing, from compliance to dispute resolution and from supply chain structuring to business integration. ... [more]

Over the past 12 months, DLA Piper's tax lawyers in Hong Kong have been involved in tax matters ranging from corporate restructuring to transfer pricing, from compliance to dispute resolution and from supply chain structuring to business integration. It has clients from a wide spectrum of entities from individuals to investment funds, start-ups to SMEs and Fortune 500 and Fortune 20 companies, from a range of sectors including manufacturing, retail, banking and technology.

The tax practice is led by partners Daniel Chan and Patrick Marceau, who have been providing regular advice for large multinationals struggling to handle the ever-changing regulations in Hong Kong and China.

Latham & Watkins's position as a US law firm has benefitted their Hong Kong tax practice over the past year. The firm regularly takes advantage of their US-based lawyers to secure work.Co-chairs of the firm's Asia tax practice Samuel Weiner and Jiyeon ... [more]

Latham & Watkins's position as a US law firm has benefitted their Hong Kong tax practice over the past year. The firm regularly takes advantage of their US-based lawyers to secure work.

Co-chairs of the firm's Asia tax practice Samuel Weiner and Jiyeon Lee-Lim both worked together in Latham's representation of Zhongwang in their $1.2 billion initial public offering. The transaction required the application of complex US tax rules to a complicated organisational structure, all in the context of an ever-changing, and often convoluted, Chinese regulatory scheme. The pair also represented Trina Solar in the $138 million public offering of convertible senior notes.

Lee-Lim and Weiner are both capital markets experts, but regularly draw on the expertise of Rob O'Shea who, from the Los Angeles office, handles complex Asian M&A matters.

In a year since joining White & Case, Linda Ng has built a solid reputation as a leading tax counsel in Hong Kong. Ng advised a leading Asian investment bank on Hong Kong tax issues regarding various onshore and offshore structures for investing in real ... [more]

In a year since joining White & Case, Linda Ng has built a solid reputation as a leading tax counsel in Hong Kong. Ng advised a leading Asian investment bank on Hong Kong tax issues regarding various onshore and offshore structures for investing in real property in mainland China and also advised on tax issues related to the proposed spin-off and sale of global lines of business of one of the world's largest multinational conglomerates.

Like other law firms, White & Case uses its Hong Kong offices to act as a gateway for investors into China and the firm regularly creates tax-efficient structures and tax-advantaged vehicles for multinationals looking to take advantage of Chinese markets.