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The comprehensive guide to the world's leading tax firms

The tax team at PwC, led by Tom Seymour, has recruited more people and added to their revenue at the same time, while maintaining their strength in energy, financial services and property sectors.Several key hires in the past year are expected to bolsterthe ... [more]

The tax team at PwC, led by Tom Seymour, has recruited more people and added to their revenue at the same time, while maintaining their strength in energy, financial services and property sectors.

Several key hires in the past year are expected to bolsterthe team's reputation: John O'Reilly has joined as a resources partner for the Asia-Pacific region. Matthew Budge and Jonathan Malone strengthen the international tax aspect and both possess a background in M&A deals. Rob Hines is a specialist on Australian and UK tax law.

The team has been involved in substantial transactions in Australia over the past 12 months, and successfully closed a substantial coal case in relation to a large energy company's acquisition transaction. Specialisation on tax controversy from advisers has been in high demand, becoming one of the stronger areas for the team in recent years.

Cassie Wong is the regional tax leader for PwC, which makes her responsible for China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. The firm has been catering to the increased trend of Chinese companies that want to expand into global markets. The international ... [more]

Cassie Wong is the regional tax leader for PwC, which makes her responsible for China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. The firm has been catering to the increased trend of Chinese companies that want to expand into global markets. The international tax services (ITS) team focuses on this area and the existence of value chain transformation (VCT) services allows PwC arrange integrated solutions for their clients. The VCT team focuses on structuring businesses for MNCs to optimise their businesses' entire supply chain by considering tax and non-tax issues.

Matthew Wong and Oliver Kang focus on providing assistance to private equity houses in China and overseas those who are looking to make investments into and outside of China. The PRC corporate tax work relating to indirect transfers and corporate restructuring activities is undertaken by Cathy Jiang, Amy Cai, Jeremy Ngai and Alan Yam. Advice on M&A services is provided by Tony Kwan and May Zhou who have worked on significant transactions during the year. The transfer pricing team, led by Spencer Chong, includes 14 partners and directors who have been busy with concluding a vast majority of bilateral APA applications and transfer pricing disputes. General tax disputes are supported by the tax controversy services (TCS) team established in 2011. This group provides tax controversy advice, ruling applications, litigation procedures advice and mutual agreement procedure support.

The large tax team at PwC of more than 60 partners and directors, in addition to more than 400 fee earners, continues to be led by Peter Yu. Recently, the team in HK undertook an internal restructuring to combine their expertise and work towards a model ... [more]

The large tax team at PwC of more than 60 partners and directors, in addition to more than 400 fee earners, continues to be led by Peter Yu. Recently, the team in HK undertook an internal restructuring to combine their expertise and work towards a model where each practitioner would have the opportunity to be exposed to both Hong Kong and China tax issues to better cater their clients. This move is to further integrate the HK and China practices as many deals that include one increasingly tend to overlap with the other.

Kaiser Kwan is a new partner that joined the team in April 2012. He heads the field audit and tax investigation team and assists clients in handling increasingly challenging tax audits and investigations from the Hong Kong tax authorities.

Tim Leung, an experienced partner specialising in retail and consumer products, regularly helps clients carry out value chain transformation (VCT) studies which help MNCs clients to deliver optimised operational performance and establish a robust base for efficient growth in Asia and beyond. The team consists of various industry specialists such as Rex Ho, who advises many of leading financial institutions on emerging tax issues and KK So is a real-estate tax adviser.

David Smith is now a senior adviser who contributes his in-depth experience on Hong Kong and international tax matters. The international tax team has grown and many practitioners from PwC in the UK have joined the Hong Kong practice.

Well known for his expertise in cross-border transactions, Ketan Dalal, another member of the expert committee on the GAAR, leads the tax team at PwC. The team comprises 54 partners and about 1,100 fee earners spread across nine offices in India, with ... [more]

Well known for his expertise in cross-border transactions, Ketan Dalal, another member of the expert committee on the GAAR, leads the tax team at PwC. The team comprises 54 partners and about 1,100 fee earners spread across nine offices in India, with more than 350 international professionals.

Vishal Gada is highly regarded for his work on M&A and cross border matters. S Madhavan has received praise from peers for his indirect tax expertise and Shyamal Mukherjee is commended for his transfer pricing skills. One client notes that "PwC has a distinct edge in financial services and transfer pricing," and the team possesses "good individuals" that drive their continued excellence.

A large number of PwC's more than 220 professional tax staff work on corporate tax, tax disputes and transfer pricing matters. Ay Tjhing Phan, a transfer pricing adviser, became head of tax in July 2012. Ray Headifen, her predecessor, will continue to ... [more]

A large number of PwC's more than 220 professional tax staff work on corporate tax, tax disputes and transfer pricing matters. Ay Tjhing Phan, a transfer pricing adviser, became head of tax in July 2012. Ray Headifen, her predecessor, will continue to advise clients on international tax, cross-border structuring and M&A.

Brian Arnold, an international tax specialist, particularly in the financial services industry, has joined the team this year, as has Adi Poernomo, a highly respected retired tax court judge, who will be assisting with tax dispute matters.

Transfer pricing has become a hot topic for taxpayers in Indonesia as the ITA's officers in this area become more knowledgeable and aggressive . As a result, the team has been particularly active in tax disputes over the past year, most of which they have managed to resolve for their clients at the tax audit level. Engeline Siagian is one individual that peers single out to be reputable for tax litigation work.

The team has continued to advise on many significant M&A transactions in Indonesia. In particular deal activity in the energy and mining sector has remained strong. One client says: "PwC has an edge over other firms in petroleum taxes."

Khoo Chuan Keat leads the highly respected tax team at PwC. A client notes the team's ability to carry out tax matters from a commercial perspective. There are more than 300 tax professionals under Khoo Chuan Keat's leadership, with 32 holding the position ... [more]

Khoo Chuan Keat leads the highly respected tax team at PwC. A client notes the team's ability to carry out tax matters from a commercial perspective. There are more than 300 tax professionals under Khoo Chuan Keat's leadership, with 32 holding the position of partner or director.

Their corporate tax and transfer pricing division comprises the largest part of the team. A majority of clients are in the top 20 companies listed on the Malaysian stock exchange as well as top MNCs.

The group has been undergoing internal restructuring over the past 12 months to refine their industry focus to cater to the economic sectors that are projected to drive the highest possible income for the country over the next 10 years. The industry focused team now heavily concentrates on financial services and business services, education, palm oil, communications, healthcare, consumer market, oil, gas and energy sectors.

With the proposed introduction of GST in Malaysia, the team has been engaged by an industry association to provide advice on the appropriate GST treatment for various technical and complex issues being faced by the industry. This involved the team in discussion with both the regulator and the authorities to finalise the GST treatments. Raja Kumaran in particular is known among peers for his knowledge on indirect tax matters.

Other work the team has been involved in the past 12 months includes advising on a proposed $120 million secured revolving credit facility. The deal concerned the setting-up of a special purpose vehicle to acquire the trade receivables of a major player in the retail industry in Malaysia. There is a lack of guidance provided by the Malaysian tax authorities in such situations concerning the divergence between the tax treatment and accounting treatment, consequently there could have been serious income tax issues for the client in implementing the financing arrangement. To pre-empt the potential adverse tax implications that could have arisen, the team assisted the client in obtaining an advance ruling from the Malaysian tax authorities.

The PwC tax team is led by Tony Gault. John Shewan, a tax practitioner, is chairman of the firm and is held in the highest regard by the market for his work in corporate tax, cross-border transactions and M&A. Clients often regard PwC's tax team as one ... [more]

The PwC tax team is led by Tony Gault. John Shewan, a tax practitioner, is chairman of the firm and is held in the highest regard by the market for his work in corporate tax, cross-border transactions and M&A. Clients often regard PwC's tax team as one of the best among the tax firms established in New Zealand. Peers similarly consider Eugen Trombitas to be a leading indirect tax practitioner.

The team spends their time helping clients with anything from day-to-day income tax and indirect tax matters to restructuring multimillion dollar property portfolios, international tax, transfer pricing and other specialist areas.

The tax team at PwC works with MNCs, offering a full range of tax services ranging from compliance and monitoring assessments to mitigating tax risks. In the past year, the team has worked on more international tax, transfer pricing, and APA matters. ... [more]

The tax team at PwC works with MNCs, offering a full range of tax services ranging from compliance and monitoring assessments to mitigating tax risks. In the past year, the team has worked on more international tax, transfer pricing, and APA matters. Alan Ross leads the team of more than 400 tax practitioners.

The team has seen some key hires over the past year to strengthen its core team. Tan Ching Ne joined the team with 20 years of experience in the technology industry, including a spell at Microsoft in Asia, under her belt. Tan Ching Ne's experience encompasses income tax compliance, structuring, tax dispute resolution and negotiation of country tax incentives.

Tan Tay Lek has been promoted to partner and will continue to provide corporate and international tax advice to a range of clients including banks, private-equity firms, securities firms and treasury companies. Gavin Helmer's addition to the team will enhance its financial services work. Helmer's forte is transfer pricing, though he covers other areas such as compliance and structuring, too.

Samil PwC has the largest tax team in Korea, with 45 partners and 530 tax professionals and the service line leader is Soo Hwan Park. The size of the team enables them to provide a full range of tax services, each area with an experienced leader. One ... [more]

Samil PwC has the largest tax team in Korea, with 45 partners and 530 tax professionals and the service line leader is Soo Hwan Park. The size of the team enables them to provide a full range of tax services, each area with an experienced leader. One client says their transfer pricing excellence is "very specialised compared to other firms". Henry An has been singled out by peers as a leading individual in this area.

The team makes good use of the global PwC network to advise leading Korean and foreign companies. Sang Tae Moon advised a Korean subsidiary of a multinational food and beverage company in a challenge to the Korean customs authority on imposing additional customs duties on products imported by the Korean subsidiary from its foreign holding company. Sang analysed the transactions and financial data of comparable companies to convince the authorities that a feasible taxable value – and $1 million in customs duties savings – should be available to the client.

Jin Young Lee and Chan Woo Chung challenged the tax authorities' $400 million capital gains tax assessment against a Korean entrepreneur residing overseas. The challenge can be considered risky taking into account the global trend of tax authorities' moving to aggressively combat offshore tax evasion. The issue was whether the individual who sold his shares in a mineral mining company while abroad can be treated as a Korean resident under domestic tax law. Through thorough review of tax treaties, OECD guidelines, and court precedents in Korea and foreign jurisdictions, Jin and Chan secured the authorities' support that the individual should be construed as a non-resident.

Howard Kuo has taken over from the experienced Steven Go as PwC's national tax leader. The team is affiliated with PuHua & Associates (PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal) which act as their legal counterpart. The law firm is highly regarded for its ability ... [more]

Howard Kuo has taken over from the experienced Steven Go as PwC's national tax leader. The team is affiliated with PuHua & Associates (PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal) which act as their legal counterpart. The law firm is highly regarded for its ability in M&A and tax dispute resolution services. During the year the team added Peter Su who is a tax lawyer who will focus on international tax, cross border issues, and US tax issues.

Elaine Hsieh provided tax advice to one of the largest multinational companies (MNC) in the consumer products industry on the first bilateral advance pricing agreement (APA) application in Taiwan. The success in this matter is viewed as an important milestone in the promotion of Taiwan's tax environment in respect of the mitigation of cross-border tax risks, and thus was welcomed not only by the taxpayer but also by the NTA and the taxpayer company.

After the Financial Supervisory Commission of the Executive Yuan required several leading foreign banks to convert their branches in Taiwan to subsidiaries, the team advised four out of five of the major banks with the successful conversion, saving significant tax costs in the process. These are the first few bank conversions to occur in Taiwan and the team believes their conversion method will become a benchmark for future conversions of this type in the banking industry.

The tax team at PwC has an exemplary reputation in Vietnam for their thorough knowledge of local customs and law. Richard Irwin leads the expanding group which consists of four partners and 138 fee earners. He has 17 years of experience in advising major ... [more]

The tax team at PwC has an exemplary reputation in Vietnam for their thorough knowledge of local customs and law. Richard Irwin leads the expanding group which consists of four partners and 138 fee earners. He has 17 years of experience in advising major foreign investors, his expertise being in M&A, an area that is increasingly important in Vietnam.

Clients single Irwin out for his industry specific knowledge and competence in applying this in a commercial way. "He has been in the tax industry for many years, his opinion is highly valued," said one client

Quynh Van was promoted to senior partner in 2011 and now heads the tax practice in Hanoi. PwC also operates a law firm which allows it to provide a one-stop tax service for clients.

The team advised a 100% foreign owned company in its dispute that was appealed to the Ministry of Finance on the imposition of withholding tax on its total recharges, including the remuneration paid overseas to its expatriates. Through extensive negotiations and technical analysis, the team obtained a favourable response, resulting in substantial tax savings of more than $4 million for the years under tax audit and further savings for subsequent years.

The group liaises with the local government by conducting workshops about the introduction of APAs and the development of an internal process for the implementation of the APA pilot. To facilitate discussions effectively, the team has a specialised government relation teams located in both offices in Hanoi.