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Paul Riley became the new head of tax for Deloitte on June 1 2012. Clients commend the tax group for their expertise in transactions. "They delivered everything we needed to and more," said one. After the success of their Tax Cube product that was introduced ... [more]

Paul Riley became the new head of tax for Deloitte on June 1 2012. Clients commend the tax group for their expertise in transactions. "They delivered everything we needed to and more," said one. After the success of their Tax Cube product that was introduced in 2011, the team has now launched the Global Tax Cube that acts as a means of analysing clients' operations globally and provide tax risk management. Another new product line offered by the team, to help improve margins, is the Global Mobility Assignment Platform for companies with a global and mobile workforce.

The team has managed to secure two out of the three largest Minerals Resources Rent Tax tenders in the market, an area which has created much demand following the new MRRT legislation that took effect on July 1 2012. Fiona Craig, a transfer pricing partner, advised on one of the largest mining deals in the second half of 2011. Craig's assistance achieved a commercially advantageous outcome for the client by arranging the pricing of a debt facility to prevent scrutiny by the authorities. The Research & Development Tax Incentive introduced by the government on July 1 2012 is an area that the team has also been active in. Serg Duchini was appointed by the innovation minister, Senator Kim Carr as a member of the National R&D Tax Credit Advisory Committee of Innovation in October 2011.

Vivian Jiang became Deloitte's country tax leader on June 1 2012. Jiang is supported by Leonard Khaw as her deputy. The tax group continues to expand at a steady pace; the end of 2011 saw the launch of its 16th office in Harbin. To deal with their extensive ... [more]

Vivian Jiang became Deloitte's country tax leader on June 1 2012. Jiang is supported by Leonard Khaw as her deputy. The tax group continues to expand at a steady pace; the end of 2011 saw the launch of its 16th office in Harbin. To deal with their extensive domestic network; Kevin Ng is managing partner of Northern China, Eunice Kuo is managing partner of Eastern China, and Constant Tse is managing partner of South Mainland and Macau.

Jiang is a member of the Shanghai Municipal Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Through this channel, on behalf of Deloitte, Jiang advised the Ministry of Finance about the Shanghai VAT pilot programme in 2011. She is still active as the VAT plans are implemented in other municipals around China.

The tax group has been working determinedly towards establishing their image as a practice with local depth in the China market. On August 7 2011, Deloitte incorporated Shanghai Deloitte Tax Ltd, as a dedicated tax entity. The firm believes the implementation has been a positive step in response to clients' increased demand for local know-how with the capacity to offer a pervasive international network.

The Beijing and Shanghai tax groups collaborated to advise a Chinese client in the energy and resources industry. The team provided tax risk management consulting services to help enhance the client's tax risk management capabilities to ensure it was compliant with the requirements mandated by State Administration of Taxation (SAT).

Gangte Muer, Bill Bai, Leo Yang, Vivian Wu, and Yamakoshi An assisted an MNC client in the automotive industry in defending its tax savings amounting to the multi millions. The issue involved transfer pricing audit defence and negotiations with the tax bureau. The Deloitte team was able to come to an agreement with the tax bureau about revising the adjustment, ultimately helping the client to avoid double taxation.

Sarah Chin has succeeded as the new tax leader and is now the managing partner for Deloitte, Chin is also the national indirect tax & customs leader. Predecessor Ryan Chang continues to be part of the team and co-leads the Asia-Pacific International ... [more]

Sarah Chin has succeeded as the new tax leader and is now the managing partner for Deloitte, Chin is also the national indirect tax & customs leader. Predecessor Ryan Chang continues to be part of the team and co-leads the Asia-Pacific International Core of Excellence (AP ICE) with Lili Zheng.

Zheng is highly regarded and recommended by many clients for giving "thorough and knowledgeable tax advice". One client says: "I think she is an outstanding tax consultant for international, between China and USA, lots of tax issues and she gives me a very good perspective".

With the continued integration of the Hong Kong and China practices, the team in HK has aligned its specialised service lines into four categories: business tax, cross-border tax, indirect tax, and global employer services. The Hong Kong team acts as a regional centre for a wide variety of clients that use Hong Kong as gateway. Their client base includes multinational corporations, mainland Chinese clients and HKcompanies that are expanding overseas.

In a transfer pricing matter, the Hong Kong team collaborated with their counterparts in China and Luxembourg to advise a Hong Kong-listed energy technology company on its trading structure for North America and Europe. The integrated team achieved their client's objectives for its trading operation while also obtaining certainty on its tax positions, resulting in tax savings of$24.5 million over five years.

The Deloitte tax practice maintains growth and presence in India under the steady leadership of M Lakhsminarayanan. The team has recently launched a new tool to support global clients in managing their tax compliance and regulatory requirements and have ... [more]

The Deloitte tax practice maintains growth and presence in India under the steady leadership of M Lakhsminarayanan. The team has recently launched a new tool to support global clients in managing their tax compliance and regulatory requirements and have been educating companies about the advantages of this tool.

The changes brought about by recent tax amendments have placed more importance on compliance and planning to prevent disputes that are being pursued aggressively by tax authorities. The tax team is advising clients about how to deal with this situation. The team has set up a cross-functional team led by Sunil Shah to spread market awareness and prepare clients for the approaching US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) provisions.

Transfer pricing is an area where clients and peers regard the team's performance to be of a high quality. It has brought uncertainty to the market but has simultaneously brought new challenges and opportunities for the team. Peers recommend Samir Gandhi for his expertise in this area. He successfully defended a prominent technology company in a transfer pricing dispute before the Dispute Resolution Panel by strategically arguing on the specific facts of his client's industry and articulation of economic analyses.

C.A. Gupta advised The Walt Disney Group in its $425 million acquisition of UTV Software Communications. Advice involved tax due diligence and structuring work to enable Walt Disney acquire complete control of the operations of the listed Indian entity and integrate the Indian company's operations within its own.

The Deloitte tax team is gathering speed in regards to expanding their presence in the Indonesian tax market. One new partner, who specialises in international tax, has joined the team in the last year. Firdaus Asikin oversees the entire tax practice ... [more]

The Deloitte tax team is gathering speed in regards to expanding their presence in the Indonesian tax market. One new partner, who specialises in international tax, has joined the team in the last year. Firdaus Asikin oversees the entire tax practice and Cindy Sukiman is head of M&A tax work. The team has deep industry knowledge,particularly of the financial industry, where the group is led by Melisa Himawan, and energy & resources tax, led by Asikin, Sukiman and John Spissoy.

Roy David Kiantiong, Antonius Daril Otan, and Shivaji Das successfully built a transfer pricing model for a local subsidiary of a global oil and gas company. The model was structured to ensure that all aspects of the group's shared services were taken care of and were consistent with the objective of the group. The team conducted a simulation exercise to evaluate the appropriate level of compensation that the company should obtain from its services to safeguard itself against the possibility of litigation.

Turmanto and Danny Hamdan were involved in a appeal, where billions of rupiah were at stake,relating to the recoverability of input VAT on 3% marketing commission to an offshore entity. The two advisers convinced the authorities that a benchmarking study demonstrated that the percentage of commission was still within the range of market rates and therefore recoverable.

Deloitte Tohmatsu Tax Co has 15 offices in Japan. The tax team is one of the largest in Japan with more than 450 professionals. Clients' tax planning needs are increasingly becoming more global in nature and the team has been responding to this increased ... [more]

Deloitte Tohmatsu Tax Co has 15 offices in Japan. The tax team is one of the largest in Japan with more than 450 professionals. Clients' tax planning needs are increasingly becoming more global in nature and the team has been responding to this increased demand, focusing their efforts on strengthening their global knowledge. The team, led by Koji Nishibori, maintains a strong reputation in corporate tax, international tax strategies, and reorganisation consulting.

Clients suggest that the tax team is particularly strong in the area of transfer pricing; two highly reputable individuals for that are Koichiro Fujimori and Tomohiko Kaneko.

Fujimori assisted an MNC in developing its future business plan framed around a transfer pricing approach. Close examination of the client's marketing strategies and product concepts was required to apply an effective transfer pricing model. Based on the team's analysis, they were able to develop a business plan for the client with low transfer pricing exposure.

The team has also worked client matters that are unprecedented and novel. In May 2012, Yang Ho Kim advised a Japanese financial institution in obtaining the first indirect tax savings ruling from the Japanese tax authority.

The group provides services to a wide array of clients, including domestic Japanese companies and MNCs. Domestically, the team serves about 17% of listed companies in Japan and over 81% of Japanese groups listed in the Global Fortune 500.

Deloitte has one of the largest tax teams in the country with more than 280 professionals. Yee Wing Peng is the country tax leader and the team is also managed by 13 other partners. The large group offers all the usual tax related services that are usual ... [more]

Deloitte has one of the largest tax teams in the country with more than 280 professionals. Yee Wing Peng is the country tax leader and the team is also managed by 13 other partners. The large group offers all the usual tax related services that are usual for a big-four firm, though their transfer pricing department is perhaps the best known in the market.

The highly praised Theresa Goh is the leader of the transfer pricing practice. Many agree that the transfer pricing team of 20 is very strong and that all are well versed in applying for and negotiating advanced pricing agreements (APA). A client describes Goh and her team as "very fast in their reply and because we need to deal with the government, I am very satisfied with them. They get things done on time".

Goh and Lim Pheak Buen advised a global specialty chemicals company in using APA as a tool to provide certainty between their client and tax authorities to prevent a potential transfer pricing audit and dispute before restructuring. The difficulty for the team was to convince the tax authorities to accept their application though projected future profits of the company were expected to decrease.

Yee Wing Peng and Julie Tan helped their client, a leading Japanese multinational corporation (MNC) in the industrial sector, to save more than $50 million of withholding tax and corporate tax. The duo were advising the client on general tax matters until they spotted that their existing structure would have exposed them to a significant amount of tax that wasn't deductible. The team proceeded to mitigate this exposure by carrying out restructuring work in addition to obtaining a private ruling to give the client certainty.

In 2011, Ross Milne took over the leadership of Deloitte's tax practice. His predecessor Thomas Pippos, who remains in the team as chief executive, has been commended by a client as someone who performs particularly well in the "policy type area, dealing ... [more]

In 2011, Ross Milne took over the leadership of Deloitte's tax practice. His predecessor Thomas Pippos, who remains in the team as chief executive, has been commended by a client as someone who performs particularly well in the "policy type area, dealing with officials and lobbying for law changes".

The team provides taxation services across its general and specialists groups. They have seen a sharp decline in transactional work locally, but have been advising some of the most significant companies operating in New Zealand as well as successful owner-managed and family businesses.

Sources indicate that in addition to the range of services that the team offers, the team's expertise in indirect taxation matters is exceptional. Allan Bullot is highly regarded by his peers as a leader in this area. Teresa Farac is another notable individual for her work ranging from cross-border structuring, corporate tax and M&A. Farac has been described by a client as "quite innovative in thinking and practical".

The team continues to be active in the financial services industry and hired Campbell Rose from Russell McVeagh in June 2012. He is known for his deep knowledge of the financial services sector. The arrival of Rose will bolster the practice because of his relationships with many large New Zealand banks. Carl Church joined from the UK office and will be heavily involved in global financial services industry initiatives.

Peter Felstead represented Asahi in its acquisition of Independent Liquor. The transaction involved unwinding complex financing structures and introducing a new one. At the time of the transaction, the IRD had some concerns about the existing financing structure, so Felstead and the team advised Asahi on ensuring adequate warranties and indemnities were included within the agreement for sale and purchase and appropriate arrangements were agreed for the funding of any tax liability, penalties and interest ultimately payable.

Fredieric Landicho leads the tax team at Deloitte and is supported by Richard Lapres and 35 professionals. The team is smaller than other Deloitte tax teams around the region but it is still capable of providing corporate tax management, international ... [more]

Fredieric Landicho leads the tax team at Deloitte and is supported by Richard Lapres and 35 professionals. The team is smaller than other Deloitte tax teams around the region but it is still capable of providing corporate tax management, international tax, transfer pricing, human capital, tax audit investigation defence, compliance, indirect tax and M&A transaction work.

"They're very good, professional and I'm satisfied with their service. Richard Lapres is a very good and accommodating professional," noted one client.

Lapres and Emmanuel Cruz assisted an MNC in the steel industry in a tax investigation launched by the tax authorities. The two advised the client on the validity of the tax assessment and came to a settlement with the authorities for 5% of the original amount of $1.6 million that was deemed payable.

Landicho, Walter Abela Jr, and Cruz advised on the integration of a subsidiary and a branch office in the Philippines for a research-based pharmaceutical company. The advice involved analysing the most tax efficient jurisdiction to establish the holding company, in addition to combining the two differently-structured entities in the Philippines. The approach generated significant income and VAT savings for the client.

The Deloitte tax practice is led by Ajit Prabhu. The R&D tax service is now established as an independent service offering. David Mumford was recruited to assist Hwee Chua Low, the R&D leader, to build their capabilities in this area.To advise clients ... [more]

The Deloitte tax practice is led by Ajit Prabhu. The R&D tax service is now established as an independent service offering. David Mumford was recruited to assist Hwee Chua Low, the R&D leader, to build their capabilities in this area.

To advise clients on the gradual enforcement from 2013 of the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, Jim Calvin joined the team from the US to ensure information reporting technology, project management, and technical resources are properly supplied to clients during this preparation phase. Calvin is also the global tax leader for asset management.

Clients note the team's exceptional performance in indirect tax and international tax matters. In particular, Steve Towers, who is an international tax partner, is respected for his "global mindset and his advice is practical…Steve comes across as someone who knows business and has commercial flair, [he's] very experienced and knows how to link up foreign jurisdiction local tax laws".

Robert Tsang and Jiang Hai advised a prominent telecommunications infrastructure provider on its application for a ruling to refund overpaid GST in relation to its complex corporate structure. Tsang and Hai first had to tackle the complicated liability issues found in the client's transfer pricing methodology for telecommunications operators. After obtaining a ruling, the client requested a multimillion dollar GST refund from IRAS. The outcome was favourable and the client obtained a $1.6 million refund and a zero rating ruling on annual transactions of $48.2 million.

Deloitte Anjin advises clients on business tax, financial services, local tax, tax controversy, human capital, transfer pricing, indirect tax, M&A and cross-border tax services. Jung Hee Lee heads the large tax practice and Taehyung Kim is the national ... [more]

Deloitte Anjin advises clients on business tax, financial services, local tax, tax controversy, human capital, transfer pricing, indirect tax, M&A and cross-border tax services. Jung Hee Lee heads the large tax practice and Taehyung Kim is the national leader of the global transfer pricing group.

Ji Hyun Kim was promoted to partner. She has a strong insight into the tax authorities' methodology as she had worked as an official before joining Deloitte. Sunyoung Kim, who has vast experience in M&A, investment, cross-border M&A, tax audit defence and tax appeal cases joined the team this year from Kim & Chang. Jae Hyung Jang also joined the team taking the role of principal tax controversy leader. His relationship with the authorities and work on policy development is sure to enhance the reputation of the team in the marketplace.

Tax controversy and indirect tax have been growth areas for the firm in the last 12 months. Ji and Jee Won Kwon assisted a client in the book publishing industry in reclaiming R&D tax credits. An analysis of the business's in-house design costs and outsourcing design costs led the tax authorities to accepting the application and approving a refund of $400,000.

Deloitte maintains its position as a top-tier tax advisory firm. Al Chang is the head of a tax team of 22 partners and more than 300 professionals. The cross-border service line remains active as usual. The team has seen an influx of Japanese companies ... [more]

Deloitte maintains its position as a top-tier tax advisory firm. Al Chang is the head of a tax team of 22 partners and more than 300 professionals. The cross-border service line remains active as usual. The team has seen an influx of Japanese companies establishing their manufacturing base in Taiwan. The firm is well known for its capabilities in transfer pricing, the department is led by Mike Chang.

Ping Gwo, Amber Li, and Andrew Hsu helped a US listed company obtain a one-time transfer pricing adjustment on its Taiwan affiliates for its 2010 controlled transactions in order for the Taiwan affiliate to conduct a downward transfer pricing adjustment. The tax official accepted the team's position and pre-approved the application as conforming with the Ministry of Finance's income tax and VAT criteria.

Chang, Jerry Tang, and Saint Shen successfully reclaimed withholding tax on dividends that were attributable to a depositary receipt (DR) investment. Reclaiming investment in ordinary shares tends to be much easier than DR investments. This is due to the difficulty for tax authorities, from just looking at the withholding tax statement, to verify whether the final beneficiary actually received the dividend and to establish the link between when the investee company distributes dividends and the ultimate receiver. The team was able to use information from the Taiwan Stock Exchange to illustrate to the authorities the link from depository institution to the ultimate DR holder. They ultimately helped their client claim back $173,000 in withheld taxes.

The Deloitte tax team has been growing strongly in the past year, with new tax professionals joining the team. The national leader is Thomas McClelland who leads a team of three partners and 85 fee earners. The dynamic economic environment in Vietnam ... [more]

The Deloitte tax team has been growing strongly in the past year, with new tax professionals joining the team. The national leader is Thomas McClelland who leads a team of three partners and 85 fee earners. The dynamic economic environment in Vietnam drives the team to advise on inbound investments and cross-border transactions of multinational corporations (MNCs), including tax structuring relating to some of the country's largest-ever M&A matters.

"Deloitte has retained a very good relationship with the General Department of Taxation and Minister of Finance," says one client. The relationship the team has established with the authorities is a factor that is valued and appreciated by its clients.

McClelland and An Vo advised an inward investor on the acquisition of a majority holding in Vietnam's largest private healthcare provider. As the shares and convertible notes were acquired from three different vendors, this complicated the tax issues in the transaction since each had a different tax status. The Deloitte advisers were able to structure the acquisition to ensure that the vendors' respective tax liabilities were minimised, while minimising risk for the purchaser and ensuring that the acquisition proceeded.

Fifteen tax professionals within the team focus exclusively on transfer pricing. A client reflects that if a company has any tax risks, "Deloitte is able to use its network and manpower to solve problems".