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Herwig Joosten leads a team at Ernst & Young comprising around 250 fee earners. Joosten is frequently mentioned by his competitors as a leading practitioner in the field of international tax. Koen Marsoul is also mentioned for his capital markets and ... [more]

Herwig Joosten leads a team at Ernst & Young comprising around 250 fee earners. Joosten is frequently mentioned by his competitors as a leading practitioner in the field of international tax. Koen Marsoul is also mentioned for his capital markets and financial products work.

The team provides all tax services across its five lines of business: business tax, human capital, indirect tax, international tax and transaction tax. Out of these five, international tax services is the largest and has also seen the most growth over the last year. Work includes transfer pricing, tax efficient supply chain reorganisation and cross-border tax planning for some of the biggest multinationals.

The group' s list of clients is nearly exclusively made up of multinationals. The team is strong in helping clients that are looking to structure their business through either the Netherlands or Belgium, having become more of an integrated Benelux practice since it became a part of the EMEA region 3 years ago. The group is particularly strong in the retail, telecommunications, automotive and pharmaceutical industries.

Neophytus Neophytou heads a team of around 35 fee-earners at Ernst & Young. Philippos Raptopoulos, a former member of the Inland Revenue, has been appointed partner at the firm. Otherwise the group remains unchanged from previous years.The group is structured ... [more]

Neophytus Neophytou heads a team of around 35 fee-earners at Ernst & Young. Philippos Raptopoulos, a former member of the Inland Revenue, has been appointed partner at the firm. Otherwise the group remains unchanged from previous years.

The group is structured along four main service lines. Neophytou is in charge of the indirect tax team, which includes advisory on the VAT implications of transactions and support for VAT compliance outsourcing. Raotopoulos runs the tax compliance group, which includes both filing documentation for the authorities and dispute resolution.

Maarten Koper heads both the international tax and transactional tax groups. He is regularly singled out by other partners as one of the leading corporate tax advisers in Cyprus. "I've learned to know Maarten as someone who is a very thorough adviser. When he advises on transactions he always thinks about any repercussions the deal might have on the future of the company's business.

Corporate tax work makes up the bulk of Ernst & Young's fee income. Nearly all of the work they do has a cross-border element and the group is experienced in providing tax structuring where Cyprus is used as a platform, particularly in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

This year the group has been representing a private investment fund that is using Cyprus as a platform to invest in India. Other work includes tax advice for one of the largest container terminal projects, which involved a lot of customs and indirect tax issues.

The group counts many multinationals and investment funds among its client base and is particularly well-known for its experience in the financial services and oil and gas sectors. The group has also seen an increase in work over the last few years from Norwegian companies relocating to Cyprus.

Ernst & Young in Denmark has ability across the full range of tax services. Department head Niels Josephsen is recommended by competitors for his corporate tax expertise. He is still visible in the marketplace as a practitioner despite the responsibility ... [more]

Ernst & Young in Denmark has ability across the full range of tax services. Department head Niels Josephsen is recommended by competitors for his corporate tax expertise. He is still visible in the marketplace as a practitioner despite the responsibility of being a department head. With transfer pricing expected to remain a feature of the tax market this year, Thomas Bjerre, widely praised by peers for his capability in this area, is sure to be in demand. New additions to the tax practice this year have pushed the number of fee earners past 100, not including partners, meaning that it is now of a comparable size to the tax practices of the other big-four firms in Denmark. This year the practice handled the tax issues arising from the initial public offering (IPO) of a Danish media group. In particular, the firm advised on the tax treatment and implications for the company and its employees relating to an employee incentive share scheme. The team also advised on the transfer pricing matters involved in the pre-listing restructuring of a Danish food group, involving substantial liaison with the tax authorities to ensure compliance.

Ernst & Young has lost some significant members of its tax team this year, including Hannu-Tapani Leppänen, who has set up the firm Alder & Sound, and several others who joined Deloitte. However, the firm has also made additions to their tax service ... [more]

Ernst & Young has lost some significant members of its tax team this year, including Hannu-Tapani Leppänen, who has set up the firm Alder & Sound, and several others who joined Deloitte. However, the firm has also made additions to their tax service lines in Finland with eight managers coming into the indirect tax, transfer pricing or transactional tax groups. The firm now has more than 100 tax professionals in its seven Finnish offices. The tax team has a strong reputation in several areas of tax. Leena Äärilä is recommended by several competitors for her indirect tax expertise and is said to be "very thorough and very knowledgeable", while Markku Järvenoja is noted for his corporate tax advice. The firm's work this year has been characterised by advisory work for multinational entities operating in Finland. This has involved advising on the most favourable corporate structures to use and associated tax liabilities. The firm has also been involved in tax policy making, liaising with government officials to represent several companies' concerns. Department head Kari Pasanen is confident that the Finnish market will see an increase in transactions over the coming year and expects the firm's workload to increase as more companies seek to optimise their tax affairs.

Ernst & Young has cemented its reputation as having one of the strongest tax practices of the big-four this year. Eric Fourel heads a team of about 480, including legal. Cyril Maucour, formerly of Baker & McKenzie, has been appointed executive director ... [more]

Ernst & Young has cemented its reputation as having one of the strongest tax practices of the big-four this year. Eric Fourel heads a team of about 480, including legal. Cyril Maucour, formerly of Baker & McKenzie, has been appointed executive director to boost the firm's transfer pricing capabilities. Cyril Sniadower has also been appointed as a VAT partner.

The practice has a good breadth to the tax services it offers including a sizeable legal team which means that it is able to offer a complete service in transactional work. Transfer pricing work has grown this year, particularly documentation work, in response to increasing scrutiny from the authorities. Transactional work has also bounced back after a difficult few years and this has also helped to fuel the practice's growth.

This year the practice carried out structuring and legal work on an asset purchase agreement by a US group from a large telecommunications group which involved co-ordinating the purchase in more than 50 jurisdictions. Other work includes advising on the purchase of a real estate agency network by an institutional investor and a large M&A deal for a global food company. The group ahas a string of clients in the entertainment, consumer products, energy and automotive industries.

The strength of Ernst & Young's practice in Germany can be found in its integration in the firm's cross-border network. The group is headed by York Zöllkau and, numerically, is the largest of the big-four firms.The bulk of the group's work is international. ... [more]

The strength of Ernst & Young's practice in Germany can be found in its integration in the firm's cross-border network. The group is headed by York Zöllkau and, numerically, is the largest of the big-four firms.

The bulk of the group's work is international. It advises mainly German multinationals but also does a lot of inbound work, especially for US companies. The group's work is split into five service lines: transaction tax, international tax, business tax, indirect tax, and human capital.

The transaction tax service line is headed by Michael Kuntz. The group worked on the acquisition of a private bank by an international one. The group have also worked on two large carve-out deals involving an IT company and another bank.

The team has been involved in several supply chain reorganisations this year. It worked on a huge project in the logistics industry which involved the reorganisation of two different businesses. The reorganisation triggered transfer pricing questions that the team also advised on.

The practice is regularly involved in discussing and negotiating tax policy in Berlin. The group are helping pilot the use of e-balance sheets in tax returns and are advising their other clients on the impact of their proposed use from 2012 onwards.

Ernst & Young has one of the strongest tax practices in Greece. The practice comprises more than 100 fee earners and is led by Stefanos Mitsios, Anastasia Papadelli and Kostas Stergiou have joined this year from PwC and Nokia Siemens respectively.The ... [more]

Ernst & Young has one of the strongest tax practices in Greece. The practice comprises more than 100 fee earners and is led by Stefanos Mitsios, Anastasia Papadelli and Kostas Stergiou have joined this year from PwC and Nokia Siemens respectively.

The practice has seen a lot of transactional work this year. Spyros Kaminaris and Riana Zanni have been advising a client on the acquisition of a large telecommunications company for €120 million ($173 million). The target had significant historical tax issues and a debt structure which required proper analysis.

Other work this year includes advising a client on the conversion of a joint venture established by two large multinationals in the food industry to a Greek corporate vehicle and advising a listed Greek company on relocating its registered seat and tax residence, making use of EU legislation such as the Cross-Border Mergers Directive.

The practice is also known for its strong relations with the Greek authorities. The group advised on the recent tax law 3943, which introduced a participation exemption system for dividends that Greek corporations receive from other EU companies. Ernst & Young also won Greece Tax Firm of the Year and Greece Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year at International Tax Review's European Tax Awards this year.

Ernst & Young's tax practice has grown impressively over the last few years. Kevin McLoughlin leads the team, which has been stable, with no recent changes at partner level. The practice has instead sought to add to their team at executive level in certain ... [more]

Ernst & Young's tax practice has grown impressively over the last few years. Kevin McLoughlin leads the team, which has been stable, with no recent changes at partner level. The practice has instead sought to add to their team at executive level in certain niche areas, for example the recent recruitment of an R&D credits specialists, which is a part of the tax practice that has engineers as part of the staff. A number of Ernst & Young's professionals in Ireland are are prominent in the global firm. Neil Byrne leads the global strategic indirect tax team and is particularly active in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors. Joe Bollard is the Irish head of the firm's's global technology network and has a string ofclients from the US, where he spends a substantial part of his time.

The practice has experienced a substantial increase in work in a number of areas this year. Work has begun to pick up for the M&A team, which advised on the largest transaction by value in Ireland. International tax services is also a growth area, especially in transfer pricing after the new rules that came into force in January. The practice is headed by Dan McSwiney and is staffed predominantly by economists, which allows the practice to better serve their clients for documentation and benchmarking requirements.

The practice is particularly strong in the pharmaceutical and technology sectors, and to a lesser extent fast moving consumer goods and retail sectors. The group also performs strongly in financial services, where its work is a good example of the integration of the practice into the Ernst & Young network.

The tax team at Studio Legale Tributario Ernst & Young comprises 300 fee earners. Domenico Borzumato has joined from Hogan Lovells where he was the global head of transfer pricing. The group is structured across six main service lines under the leadership ... [more]

The tax team at Studio Legale Tributario Ernst & Young comprises 300 fee earners. Domenico Borzumato has joined from Hogan Lovells where he was the global head of transfer pricing. The group is structured across six main service lines under the leadership of Scott Hill: transaction tax, business tax services, international tax, indirect tax, human capital and law.

The group is particularly strong in transfer pricing work. Davide Bergami is singled out regularly by his peers as one of the best professionals in this area in Italy. The amount of work has increased this year after new guidelines were issued by the Italian authorities last year. The group has a well-regarded litigation practice, too.

The tax team at Ernst & Young is strong in cross-border tax work. The group is led by Marc Schmitz, who is recommended for his M&A work. He leads a team of about 250 feeearners. Typical of the big-four the practice is structured according to areas of ... [more]

The tax team at Ernst & Young is strong in cross-border tax work. The group is led by Marc Schmitz, who is recommended for his M&A work. He leads a team of about 250 feeearners. Typical of the big-four the practice is structured according to areas of tax and industries.

There are five sub-service lines. John Hames heads both the business tax and human capital service lines, though this is to change shortly as Sylvie Leick will take control of human capital. The indirect tax team is led by Yannick Zeippen. Katrin Lakebrink and Frank Muntendam head the transaction tax and international tax teams perspectively.

The practice advises multinationals in nearly all areas of tax and in most industries. The telecommunications team is doing well this year after Bart Van Droogenbroeck was appointed global head. The group is now close to nearly every initiative in this sector. The high tech industry is also growing, benefiting from Vincent Remy's position on the Silicon Valley desk.

International tax is the largest service-line of the five, consisting of about 100 fee earners. The group's workload has grown this year and it is seeing more cross-border reorganisation and intellectual property work. The practice takes part in global firm projects for multinationals involving up to 25 jurisdictions. The team expects to expand their international reach soon when it establishes an Asian desk.

The tax team at Ernst & Young in Malta is headed by Christopher Naudi. He leads a team of about 15 tax professionals. Sandro Grech and Amanda Scicluna have both joined this year to bolster the firm's assurance and air finance practices respectively. ... [more]

The tax team at Ernst & Young in Malta is headed by Christopher Naudi. He leads a team of about 15 tax professionals. Sandro Grech and Amanda Scicluna have both joined this year to bolster the firm's assurance and air finance practices respectively. Robert Attard is cited by his peers as one of the strongest professionals in controversy work in Malta.

Despite their relatively small size, at least in relation to some of the other big-four, the tax practice is strong across all areas of tax. The group is structured along four service lines: business tax, human capital, indirect tax, and international tax and transaction tax. The group advises mostly on cross-border issues, particularly within the EU, though they also have a number of clients in the US and Asia.

After changes in Malta's economy there has been an increase in financial services work this year. The group has advised clients on setting up banking or fund operations in Malta on several occasions over the last year.

There has also been some interesting indirect tax work this year. The group advised a client on the VAT implications of yacht leasing when the yacht was mostly used in international waters.

Ernst & Young's tax practice is led by Kees van Boxel. He oversees a team of about 1,300 professionals in both Belgium and the Netherlands, which forms one of 14 sub-areas of the Europe, Middle East, India and Africa region. Mart Van de Ven, Ted Braakman, ... [more]

Ernst & Young's tax practice is led by Kees van Boxel. He oversees a team of about 1,300 professionals in both Belgium and the Netherlands, which forms one of 14 sub-areas of the Europe, Middle East, India and Africa region. Mart Van de Ven, Ted Braakman, Ton van der Hoven and Mans Kuipers retired this year. Ingrid Allemkkinders, Daniel Kroesen and Dirk Stalenhoef became partners in 2011.

The tax practice is divided into five sub-service lines: business tax services, international tax services, indirect tax, human capital and transaction tax. Head of legal is Johan Westerhof. Business tax services, run by Anthony Van der Wilden is the largest area. The team has seen a particular increase in demand for advice on compliance.

Transfer pricing is a growth area, particularly in the form of alternative dispute resolution . Here, the practice benefits from the firm's global reach, being able to advise their clients in nearly every jurisdiction where the implications are felt. The indirect tax team, led by John Sloot has also seen a lot of growth, particularly in the form cash tax management where they were recently able to save a company $500 million in VAT.

The practice has also seen a lot of M&A work this year, for private companies particularly. The practice has also seen a lot of growth in the oil and gas and pharmaceutical sector, while financial services remains "a strong suit".

The tax practice of Ernst & Young in Norway is headed by Christin Bøsterud and is capable across a full range of tax issues in its 16 Norwegian offices. There has been more transfer pricing and cross-border structuring in particular. In response to the ... [more]

The tax practice of Ernst & Young in Norway is headed by Christin Bøsterud and is capable across a full range of tax issues in its 16 Norwegian offices. There has been more transfer pricing and cross-border structuring in particular. In response to the increased focus on transfer pricing by the revenue authorities, the firm established a specialised controversy management team to handle the workload generated by transfer pricing controversies. The firm has helped many clients through transfer pricing audits and some through litigation too. It has managed to avoid any upward adjustment in taxable income in all of the client matters examined by the tax authorities. The firm has also been active in ensuring transfer pricing compliance for its clients. This year a specialised financial services transfer pricing (FSTP) team was established to address the concerns of companies around intra-group finance, such as the stricter attitude the tax authorities are adopting about taxpayers' cash pooling arrangements.

Ernst & Young has more than 20 fee earners in Portugal with five partners completing the team led by João Sousa. Sousa is well regarded by his contemporaries and admired for his ability to provide solutions tailored to clients commercial needs. "He is ... [more]

Ernst & Young has more than 20 fee earners in Portugal with five partners completing the team led by João Sousa. Sousa is well regarded by his contemporaries and admired for his ability to provide solutions tailored to clients commercial needs. "He is quite competent, clear and pragmatic in his approach and knows how to create value for the client," said one competitor. This year, the team has been bolstered by the addition of former secretary of state for tax Carlos Lobo which equips the firm with good links to the tax authorities. The team offers a full range of corporate tax services and has been especially active in restructuring, VAT and transfer pricing in Portugal in the past year. While its clients include companies from a broad range of industry sectors, the firm considers heavy industry, consumer products and manufacturing to be areas of particular expertise. The firm has started organising conferences to keep clients up to date with the most recent developments in tax. The inaugural conference in May 2011 concerned the Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base and the proposals under consideration by the European Commission. Both former and current members of the Portuguese government participated in the conference alongside tax advisers from Ernst & Young. Many advisers at the firm are noted by their peers for both their visibility in the market and their skill. In transfer pricing Paulo Mendonça is commonly cited as one of the leaders in that field in Portugal. António Neves is respected by his competitors in several areas of tax, but is most frequently recommended for his work in corporate tax and cross-border structuring.

Federico Linares leads the tax department of Ernst & Young and is said by his competitors to be one of the best advisers in Spain for cross-border structuring and international tax. "He has done better than his competitors in the international tax practice," ... [more]

Federico Linares leads the tax department of Ernst & Young and is said by his competitors to be one of the best advisers in Spain for cross-border structuring and international tax. "He has done better than his competitors in the international tax practice," said one of his peers. The tax practice offers clients a full range of tax services. The firm has made six additions at senior associate and partner level this year and competitors note them to be more visible than in previous years. Most of the firm's work this year involved cross-border tax advice for Spanish companies investing abroad and multinationals investing in Spain. Examples include the initial public offering (IPO) of an international green energy company in Spain and the pre-sale restructuring of cargo and logistics company Swissport. The firm's other clients include Spanish oil company Repsol and telecommunications company Telefonica.

Ernst & Young's Swedish tax practice is headed by Antoine Van Horen, who is noted by peers for his ability in cross-border structuring. The firm is capable in all practice areas, but is noted by competitors for its strength in corporate tax and transfer ... [more]

Ernst & Young's Swedish tax practice is headed by Antoine Van Horen, who is noted by peers for his ability in cross-border structuring. The firm is capable in all practice areas, but is noted by competitors for its strength in corporate tax and transfer pricing in particular. For corporate tax, Gunnar Thuresson is commended by his peers as an able tax adviser while in transfer pricing Mikael Hall is identified by other practitioners as highly knowledgeable. This year the firm has expanded its M&A and corporate tax advisory service lines and Van Horen noted that those areas have seen the biggest rise in demand from clients. The firm has also been engaged in several private equity deals, both investments and exits, in the last year. These matters most often involve a significant amount of tax structuring work, particularly given the high number of foreign private equity houses with investments in Sweden. The firm has also been active in restructuring this year. Van Horen identified the highlight of such work as the matter completed on behalf of the Royal Bank of Scotland to restructure its financing of a real-estate investment fund's purchase of a portfolio of Swedish properties. Since the transaction was highly leveraged and funded by a consortium of banks based in different countries the team from Ernst & Young had to consider the interaction of different structures in a number of jurisdictions to ensure the new arrangements were both tax efficient and commercially viable.

Dominik Burgy is the head of Ernst & Young's Swiss tax practice. The firm has an especially strong reputation in M&A, cross border structuring, transfer pricing and indirect tax with competitors recognising the firm's practitioners as market leaders ... [more]

Dominik Burgy is the head of Ernst & Young's Swiss tax practice. The firm has an especially strong reputation in M&A, cross border structuring, transfer pricing and indirect tax with competitors recognising the firm's practitioners as market leaders across those areas. Philip Robinson, Ernst & Young's global head of indirect tax, is highly rated in the market for his ability in that area of the practice. Similarly for M&A tax advice several practitioners recommend Flurin Poltera and he is said to be "not only really knowledgeable but also very good to work with". In transfer pricing Edvard Rinck is well regarded by competitors while both Reto Gerber and Georg Lutz are highly rated for cross-border structuring. The firm has this year acted on many M&A projects as this service line rebounds significantly after a quiet 2010. A highlight of the firm's M&A work this year was their role in CVC's acquisition of telecommunications group Sunrise which required close attention to structures and cross-border tax issues. The tax team also won a project to handle the tax compliance and reporting obligations of a Swiss bank.

John Dixon leads the tax practice of Ernst & Young which provides clients with comprehensive services across a full range of tax issues, though competitors note that its international tax and cross-border structuring services are particularly strong. ... [more]

John Dixon leads the tax practice of Ernst & Young which provides clients with comprehensive services across a full range of tax issues, though competitors note that its international tax and cross-border structuring services are particularly strong. Matthew Mealy heads the international tax services team and is noted by his peers to be a highly able practitioner. The firm is also well regarded for transfer pricing and competitors recommend John Hobster for his ability in that area. Three partners have joined the tax practice this year and 15 advisers have been promoted to partner level from within the department, providing the firm with 155 partners and 2200 fee earners. The firm notes that there has been a rise in demand across all of its service line for cross-border advice as both inbound and outbound investments have picked up. This may be due to the fact that a significant proportion of the firm's client base is made up of multinational companies. Significant work for the firm this year has included assisting global companies with relocation of business activity to the UK to take advantage of the proposed tax reforms designed to make the UK more attractive to international investment. This work has included headquarter redomicilisations to the UK and the relocation of intellectual property development for companies involved in scientific innovation. According to Mealy, such work is indicative of the impact the changes to the corporate tax regime will have for the UK.