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Ernst & Young's tax team in Austria is headed by Andreas Stefaner. Christina Khinast-Sittenthaler is a new partner this year and specialises in transaction advisory services. Alexander Wlasto has also made partner and focuses on assurance work. Competitors ... [more]

Ernst & Young's tax team in Austria is headed by Andreas Stefaner. Christina Khinast-Sittenthaler is a new partner this year and specialises in transaction advisory services. Alexander Wlasto has also made partner and focuses on assurance work. Competitors mention Roland Rief as a leading partner in international tax.

The group is structured across five main service lines. Rief heads the international tax services department, which includes a lot of cross-border advisory work. Ingrid Rattinger is head of the indirect tax group, focusing mostly on VAT. Stefaner leads the transfer pricing group and is joint-head, with Ferdinand Pillhofer, of the business tax services group. Markus Schragl is head of the transactions group.

The tax team has worked on a lot of structuring work this year where an Austrian holding company is used. This involves making sure that a favourable group tax regime is in place so that losses can be offset against the parent company. Transfer pricing work has increased this year too and this is something the practice plans to build on the next few years.

The group represents multinationals and financial institutions, particularly subsidiaries of US companies.

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.

The practice at Ernst & Young is headed by Trevor Link, who took over from Laszlo Szakal after he returned to Hungary. Link leads a team of about 45 fee-earners. Evguenia Tzenova and Milen Raikov are both singled out by their peers for their strengths ... [more]

The practice at Ernst & Young is headed by Trevor Link, who took over from Laszlo Szakal after he returned to Hungary. Link leads a team of about 45 fee-earners. Evguenia Tzenova and Milen Raikov are both singled out by their peers for their strengths in transactional and indirect tax work respectively.

Much like elsewhere within the network the practice is structured along four main groups: tax advisory, compliance, legal services and human capital. About half of the fee-earners in the Bulgarian practice are based in the tax advisory group; compliance is the second largest group which has about 15.

The practice has seen an increase in tax litigation work, totalling about €30 million ($43 million) of successful claims over the last year. The bulk of these cases concern VAT matters, though there have been a few about withholding tax and the application of treaties. The group represented a large retailer in a VAT dispute concerning the building of a shopping mall which is now pending a decision from the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

After a brief hiatus transactional work has begun to increase again. Most of the work the team deals with is inbound, typically from other European countries though more investment is coming from less typical jurisdictions such as China. Transfer pricing work is an area that is expected to increase next year following the introduction of guidelines 18 months ago.

The practice advises mostly multinationals and advises companies from a number of different sectors. The group has seen an increase in work in the alternative energy sector.

Ernst & Young benefit from a good spread of tax capabilities across each of their service lines. The group has more than 100 fee earners and is headed by Libor Fryzek.The practice is made up of five different service lines. The international tax group ... [more]

Ernst & Young benefit from a good spread of tax capabilities across each of their service lines. The group has more than 100 fee earners and is headed by Libor Fryzek.

The practice is made up of five different service lines. The international tax group is led by Fryzek and deals with cross-border advisory and transfer pricing issues. The business tax service line is led by Ondrej Janecek. Their work includes advisory, compliance and tax planning. The transaction tax team is headed by René Kulínsky. The work here is mainly cross-border and the group are comfortable advising on transactions that involve several jurisdictions.

Martina Kneiflová is head of the human capital group and regularly advises clients on benefit and compensation schemes. Jan Capek leads the indirect tax group, which involves advising on supply chain issues, taking into consideration both VAT and customs issues.

The group advises clients from a range of different sectors such as financial services, entertainment, technology, energy, real estate, construction, and consumer products on both domestic and cross-border tax issues. This year the tax team advised a large company on the disposal of part of the Czech group. This was a complex matter which involved setting up a tax structure with tax implications in five jurisdictions. The group's advice included the disposal and also the distribution of sales revenue to the parent company in the most tax efficient manner.

The group also successfully represented a client in a well-known tax dispute with the authorities. This centred on the deductibility of financing costs after dividend distributions. Other work this year included advising a large client on transfer pricing issues regarding the flow of goods and provision of services within a group.

The market views Ernst & Young as possibly the strongest tax practice in Hungary. The group is led by Botond Rencz and has about 150 fee earners. This year 36 new hires have helped to bolster the firm's ranks as its revenue grows. Péter Király is singled ... [more]

The market views Ernst & Young as possibly the strongest tax practice in Hungary. The group is led by Botond Rencz and has about 150 fee earners. This year 36 new hires have helped to bolster the firm's ranks as its revenue grows. Péter Király is singled out by his rivals as one of the best in Hungary for transfer pricing.

The practice is structured across five different service lines: international tax, corporate tax, indirect tax, transfer pricing and human capital. The team is often commended for its strength in transfer pricing work. The group is structured along industry lines too and is particularly strong in the energy sector.

There is a good balance among the practice's clients between foreign and domestic companies. Locally-run projects make up the majority of their revenue though in most cases there is a cross-border element. The group does a lot of structuring work for US and Chinese clients that seek to use Hungary as a way to invest into Europe.

Besides their work, the practice has worked hard to make sure its views are regularly represented in the media. Szabolcs Vámosi-Nagy, a member of the Hungarian tax administration for decades and now with Ernst & Young, is perhaps the most famous tax professional in Hungary and is often cited in the media.

Jacek Kedzior is the head of Ernst & Young's tax department in Poland which has many well-known practitioners in the market. Krzysztof Sachs is highly regarded for his work in indirect tax, while Agnieszka Talasiewicz is singled out for her capability ... [more]

Jacek Kedzior is the head of Ernst & Young's tax department in Poland which has many well-known practitioners in the market. Krzysztof Sachs is highly regarded for his work in indirect tax, while Agnieszka Talasiewicz is singled out for her capability in tax controversy and litigation. The firm has been active in transactional tax work this year too and advised a mobile phone operator on one of the largest M&A deals ever in Poland. Kedzior notes that there has been a significant increase in demand for cross-border structuring work from clients, requiring the firm to devise tax efficient structures which also suit the commercial requirements of each client. Tax controversy has also been a good source of work this year, with many cases relating to VAT. A Polish leasing company in dispute with the tax authorities over the deductibility of input VAT relied on the firm for advice in the matter. The firm is capable of advising on all areas of tax. The firm has tax capability in six of its Polish offices which ensures clients have access to tax advice wherever it is needed.

Ernst & Young's tax team is headed by Venkatesh Srinivasan. The team consists of about 80 tax professionals including five partners and 25 senior managers. Alexander Milcev is frequently mentioned as a leading transfer pricing and international tax practitioner ... [more]

Ernst & Young's tax team is headed by Venkatesh Srinivasan. The team consists of about 80 tax professionals including five partners and 25 senior managers. Alexander Milcev is frequently mentioned as a leading transfer pricing and international tax practitioner . He drew up the VAT part of the Romanian fiscal code that came into being in 2007.

About 60% of the practice's work is self-generated. The group is structured along six main service lines: Srinivasan heads the transaction tax, human capital and business tax teams; Milcev is head of international tax services and transfer pricing and the indirect tax and legal services teams are led by Jean-Marc Cambien and Eirinikos Platis respectively.

The practice has seen plenty of restructuring and compliance work this year as the Romanian market recovers from the recession. The advisers worked on the restructuring of a big manufacturing company into a toll manufacturing company to reduce its tax burden and also on the centralisation of the treasury functions of a big bank outside Romania.

Around 80% of the group's clients are multinationals. The group has particular strength in the real estate, energy, consumer goods, retail and telecommunications sectors.

Petr Medvedev leads Ernst & Young's tax department in Moscow. Three new partners have been added this year, providing the firm with a greater spread of expertise. Many of the firm's advisers are respected by peers for their ability. For cross-border ... [more]

Petr Medvedev leads Ernst & Young's tax department in Moscow. Three new partners have been added this year, providing the firm with a greater spread of expertise. Many of the firm's advisers are respected by peers for their ability. For cross-border structuring, Vladimir Gidirim is commended for his ability to see connections and opportunities missed by others. The practice has been closely involved with the Russian government in their effort to develop tax policy and legislation this year, advising in a number of different capacities. They are involved in the Foreign Investment Advisory Council (FIAC) which seeks to make Russia a more attractive place for foreign investment. The firm have also been working as advisers to the Ministry of Economic Development and Federal Migration Service's working group examining possible changes to immigration and tax legislation. They were consulted on changes designed to make Russia a more appealing place for highly skilled foreign workers with the aim of attracting investment and business talent. The firm provides clients with a full range of tax services in Russia and is one of the largest tax practices in the country, with more than 300 fee earners and 26 partners making up the practice.

Ernst & Young's tax practice in the Slovak Republic is led by national director of tax Stan Jakubek. Günter Oszwald is the only other partner in a team of about 43 professionals.Though the practice is not organised into separate service lines like elsewhere ... [more]

Ernst & Young's tax practice in the Slovak Republic is led by national director of tax Stan Jakubek. Günter Oszwald is the only other partner in a team of about 43 professionals.

Though the practice is not organised into separate service lines like elsewhere in the Ernst & Young network the group can offer the same breadth of services as elsewhere. International tax services is the largest, counting for about 35% of fee income. Transfer pricing has grown rapidly since the government introduced new guidelines in 2009 and this is something the practice expects to continue.

The group has seen an increase in M&A activity from the second half of 2010 onwards. The practice worked on the first retroactive merger since the laws were changed last year. The entire value of the transaction was about €30 million. Contentious work has increased this year and the group is representing two large clients in transfer pricing disputes.

The group has clients from most of the key global industries, particularly the energy sector, and also advises the largest telecommunications operator in the Slovak Republic. A lot of clients are referred from other member firms in the Ernst & Young network, particularly Austria and Germany, though the practice is also active in the local market and has seen a steady increase in outbound work this year.

Ernst & Young was one of the first of the big-four firms to establish a practice in Slovenia. Today the tax practice comprises 16 professionals operating from one office in Ljubljana and is led by Denes Szabo.The practice offers a complete range of tax ... [more]

Ernst & Young was one of the first of the big-four firms to establish a practice in Slovenia. Today the tax practice comprises 16 professionals operating from one office in Ljubljana and is led by Denes Szabo.

The practice offers a complete range of tax services including VAT advisory and compliance, human capital services, transfer pricing and corporate income tax. The practice has worked on a number of important projects recently including a group restructuring for a client which resulted in savings through the use of R&D credits, and transfer pricing advice to a major global company.

Other work this year includes advising on a major domestic restructuring with significant VAT implications. The practice, which is integrated into the other service lines, advises clients in industries such as automotive, financial services, life sciences, mining and metals, oil and gas, private equity, technology and telecommunications sectors.

Vladimir Kotenko is very highly regarded by his contemporaries for his ability in several areas of tax and heads Ernst & Young's tax practice in Ukraine. His peers single him out for his skills in corporate tax, M&A, capital markets and indirect tax. ... [more]

Vladimir Kotenko is very highly regarded by his contemporaries for his ability in several areas of tax and heads Ernst & Young's tax practice in Ukraine. His peers single him out for his skills in corporate tax, M&A, capital markets and indirect tax. The firm's tax team has expanded this year with the addition of 12 fee earners. Most of the new personnel have been recruited into corporate and M&A tax services as these represent areas of growth for the firm. The firm's M&A service has been particularly busy this year despite difficult market conditions. The firm is well equipped to handle both inbound and outbound investment because of the team's cross-border structuring expertise and Ernst & Young's international network. The firm has both Ukrainian and multinational companies as clients most of which are in the oil and gas, manufacturing and financial services industries. The firm also highlights its close connection to the tax authorities in the region as one of the team's partners was elected as chairman of the tax committee of the European Business Association in Ukraine for the seventh consecutive year.