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The comprehensive guide to the world's leading tax firms

It has been a busy year for Rosheen Garnon, national managing tax partner at KPMG. After a handful of internal promotions and new additions, the firm now employs 76 partners and more than 630 fee earners. Partner Scott Olding joined from KPMG New Zealand ... [more]

It has been a busy year for Rosheen Garnon, national managing tax partner at KPMG. After a handful of internal promotions and new additions, the firm now employs 76 partners and more than 630 fee earners. Partner Scott Olding joined from KPMG New Zealand in July 2010, and is focusing primarily on R&D.

Geoff Girvan, Adam Gibbs, Gary Howard, Deborah Jenkins, and William Arudsothy teamed up to advise in the AMP group's $14.5 billion acquisition of AXA Asia Pacific, in what was the largest M&A acquisition in Australia during 2010. The team advised AMP in relation to Australian income tax, GST, state taxes, as well as other aspects of the transaction. The deal brought together two of the industry's leaders and resulted in the creation of the largest provider in Australia and New Zealand of financial advice, personal insurance, retail managed funds, and superannuation.

The firm also explored the boundaries of M&A tax relief through detailed discussions with the ATO. The process revealed significant inadequacies in the existing scrip for scrip rollover law.

The last year has seen partner growth in KPMG's tax practice, with the addition of John Kondos and Abe Zhao from Ernst & Young, and Amy Rao from PwC.Lloyd Deverall retired as head of tax at the end of December 2010. Khoon Ming Ho, who specialises in ... [more]

The last year has seen partner growth in KPMG's tax practice, with the addition of John Kondos and Abe Zhao from Ernst & Young, and Amy Rao from PwC.

Lloyd Deverall retired as head of tax at the end of December 2010. Khoon Ming Ho, who specialises in investment and funding structures, repatriation and exit strategies, M&A and restructuring has taken over,.

Ho advised a leasing company on the structuring and implementation of an aircraft leasing platform located in a free trade zone in China. The idea was to make use of the special customs bonded territory status of free trade zones and adapt it for aircraft leasing operations. Since big-ticket leasing transactions were put through the free trade zone platform, the structure helped the client save hundreds of millions of dollars.

Besides VAT and customs duty, the new structure required careful consideration of transfer pricing and financial subsidies, as well as foreign exchange and regulatory issues.

Chi Cheng oversees the transfer pricing practice for both China and Hong Kong, and frequently advises on issues involving advance pricing agreements (APAs) and dispute resolution for complex transactions.

Lloyd Deverall retired as the head of tax at KPMG at the end of December 2010. He has been replaced by Khoon Ming Ho, well regarded for his experience in investment and funding structures, M&A and restructuring.Ayesha Macpherson Lau oversees the tax ... [more]

Lloyd Deverall retired as the head of tax at KPMG at the end of December 2010. He has been replaced by Khoon Ming Ho, well regarded for his experience in investment and funding structures, M&A and restructuring.

Ayesha Macpherson Lau oversees the tax practice in the Hong Kong office. John Kondos, a financial services and transfer pricing specialist, joined the firm from Ernst & Young in January 2011.

Chris Abbiss advised on the structuring of a co-investment and carry structure in the Asia-Pacific region. The structure addressed the tax exposures of the investor stakeholders in several jurisdictions, and had to be capable of use in future transactions involving multi-jurisdictional investments. The structure also takes into account anti-treaty shopping rules and anti-avoidance rules, such as Circular 698, in China.

KPMG has had an impressive year on the back of several years of expansion, firmly cementing its spot as a tier 1 tax firm. The tax practice is led by the experienced Dinesh Kanabar and Uday Ved, both highly recommended by peers for their corporate tax ... [more]

KPMG has had an impressive year on the back of several years of expansion, firmly cementing its spot as a tier 1 tax firm. The tax practice is led by the experienced Dinesh Kanabar and Uday Ved, both highly recommended by peers for their corporate tax work.

Girish Vanvari is leading a team advising Cairn Energy on the proposed Rs312.5 billion ($6.88 billion) sale of a bulk of its stake in Cairn India, an Indian listed company, to Vedanta Resources. The team is advising on the Indian income tax aspects of the deal, reviewing the share purchase agreement and related documents, and dealing with the tax authorities.

National transfer pricing leader Rohan Phatarphekar has helped strengthen the firm's reputation in this area. Phatarphekar's team comprises more than 175 professionals spread across seven locations in India.

Senior partner KR Girish and Hardev Singh assisted a client strategise and file a mutual agreement procedure (MAP) application in relation to a transfer pricing dispute. The MAP offered an effective alternate dispute resolution mechanism and also alleviated the immediate financial burden that arose from tax demands. Girish and Singh sought to resolve the dispute through a MAP under the India-US tax treaty. The application was successfully filed within the defined time-frame and the client obtained a stay on its tax liabilities.

Abraham Pierre replaced Ahmadi Hadibroto as KPMG's head of tax on July 1 2011. Hadibroto is now concentrating on the firm's business development and marketing divisions.In addition to the regular tax compliance service provided by KPMG, the team of eight ... [more]

Abraham Pierre replaced Ahmadi Hadibroto as KPMG's head of tax on July 1 2011. Hadibroto is now concentrating on the firm's business development and marketing divisions.

In addition to the regular tax compliance service provided by KPMG, the team of eight partners and 85 fee earners also advises on specific investments and industries, including mining, power generation and financial services.

The team has worked with several domestic and foreign clients, creating innovative tax structures, providing tax advisory services and conducting acquisition due diligence assistance.

Hiroaki Sasaki is the head of KPMG's tax department, which has 38 partners and 390 other fee earners. The firm's services are strong in transfer pricing, financial services, M&A, and real estate investments.The tax specialists offer advisory and compliance ... [more]

Hiroaki Sasaki is the head of KPMG's tax department, which has 38 partners and 390 other fee earners. The firm's services are strong in transfer pricing, financial services, M&A, and real estate investments.

The tax specialists offer advisory and compliance services to large Japanese and multinational corporations.

Since 2010, the firm has provided US tax services to Japanese financial institutions and is working closely with the regulatory and advisory teams to offer comprehensive advice on the new US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) rules.

The Chin Guan Khoo-led tax practice at KPMG employs 15 partners and 230 fee earners in 10 offices in Malaysia.The firm offers the full range of tax services expected from a big-four accounting firm, including international corporate tax, M&A, tax incentives, ... [more]

The Chin Guan Khoo-led tax practice at KPMG employs 15 partners and 230 fee earners in 10 offices in Malaysia.

The firm offers the full range of tax services expected from a big-four accounting firm, including international corporate tax, M&A, tax incentives, indirect tax, transfer pricing, and tax risk management. The team works with about one-third of the top 100 listed groups in Malaysia.

Bob Kee is the lead partner of the firm's growing transfer pricing team, while partners Neoh Beng Guan and Ong Guan Heng are recognised for their corporate tax work.

Ross Buckley heads the tax team of 17 partners and 120 fee earners at KPMG. Gwenan Riley was promoted to partner in January 2011.The firm regularly works closely with large domestic and multinational clients, advising on a whole range of tax issues ranging ... [more]

Ross Buckley heads the tax team of 17 partners and 120 fee earners at KPMG. Gwenan Riley was promoted to partner in January 2011.

The firm regularly works closely with large domestic and multinational clients, advising on a whole range of tax issues ranging from corporate tax, indirect tax and global tax, to the R&D tax credit regime, superannuation and transfer pricing. The team is also assisting clients in dealing with the tax authorities.

KPMG is the official supplier of tax and accounting services to the Rugby World Cup 2011. Partner Paul McPadden is analysing a large number of complex tax issues to do with the organisation of the event. Key issues include domestic and international legal structures, cross-border flows of commercial revenue, consideration of athlete tax provisions, double-tax agreements, VAT and working with local tax authorities.

Transfer pricing leader Kim Jarrett and her team have been busy working on unilateral and bilateral advance pricing agreements.

Advice for clients on the productivity and innovation credit schemes, R&D schemes, and the increase in transfer pricing compliance requirements, have been keeping KPMG's tax advisers busy. The firm now has an R&D incentive unit for clients, aimed to ... [more]

Advice for clients on the productivity and innovation credit schemes, R&D schemes, and the increase in transfer pricing compliance requirements, have been keeping KPMG's tax advisers busy. The firm now has an R&D incentive unit for clients, aimed to help clients benefit from the tax incentive schemes.

Tay Hong Beng, a local and international corporate tax specialist, heads the tax team. He has overseen an aggressive expansion of the team in the last year, including the addition of five new partners in October 2010.

The strength of Singapore's tax practice is bolstered by the presence of Asia-Pacific regional tax partner Brahma Sharma, who excels at handling cross-border transactions and other tax issues for multinational companies.

Six of the top 10 banks in the world use KPMG for tax advice so this keeps the team in Singapore occupied, too.

Jae Won Lee heads the tax practice at KPMG, consisting of 17 partners and 294 fee earners. Strengthening the firm's ties with the tax authorities, Lee hired three directors from the National Tax Service in March 2011.Kyeong Mi Kim helped the Korean branch ... [more]

Jae Won Lee heads the tax practice at KPMG, consisting of 17 partners and 294 fee earners. Strengthening the firm's ties with the tax authorities, Lee hired three directors from the National Tax Service in March 2011.

Kyeong Mi Kim helped the Korean branch of a large foreign institution achieve a tax saving of W16 billion through seeking a tax law revision to allow net operating loss deduction against branch profit tax.

Dong Seok Kang is recognised in the market as a leading transfer pricing specialist. Kang and the rest of the transfer pricing team advised several clients on customs and transfer pricing audits and on mitigating compliance risk.

The Sherry Chang-led tax practice at KPMG comprises 10 partners and more than 170 fee earners spread across five offices. The firm offers the whole package of services expected of a tax practice at a leading accounting firm.The team is advising an overseas ... [more]

The Sherry Chang-led tax practice at KPMG comprises 10 partners and more than 170 fee earners spread across five offices. The firm offers the whole package of services expected of a tax practice at a leading accounting firm.

The team is advising an overseas telecommunications operator regarding the tax authority's income tax assessment on service fees received. The client is contesting the right of the tax authorities to levy a tax on this income. The tax team reviewed the transaction, analysed the income source, and entered into negotiations with the tax authorities, who reversed their decision, exempting the client from paying the tax. In addition to creating a tax benefit for the client, the decision will also promote future cross-border transactions between telecommunications operators.

In another deal, KPMG's client acquired the local service line of a global biotechnology company. During the acquisition, the firm recognised $22.7 million in business rights to be amortised over 10 years. The tax authorities disallowed the amortisation expense, citing the lack of a third-party appraisal report to validate the fair value of the transaction price. The tax team reviewed the calculations and allocation method of the transaction price and prepared supporting documents to respond successfully to the tax authority's inquiries.

KPMG has gone from strength to strength in the last year, solidifying its position as a leading tax accounting firm in Vietnam. "KPMG is leading the pack," said a peer, though it shares a tier-one ranking with Deloitte and PwC. The tax team, comprising ... [more]

KPMG has gone from strength to strength in the last year, solidifying its position as a leading tax accounting firm in Vietnam. "KPMG is leading the pack," said a peer, though it shares a tier-one ranking with Deloitte and PwC. The tax team, comprising 10 partners and 220 fee earners, was given a significant boost in December 2010 with the arrival of Nam Nguyen, Ernst & Young's head of tax, and 13 other professionals from that firm. The influx of new professionals has strengthened the firm's tax dispute resolution capabilities.

Recommended in the market for his corporate tax work, tax leader Warrick Cleine is also KPMG's Asia-Pacific head of tax.

Hoang Thuy Duong leads the growing transfer pricing department. To complement it and the trade and customs practices, a new tax efficient supply chain management practice has been set up.

Recent work includes advising a leading Russian oil company on tax due diligence, selecting tax efficient investment structures and the tax implications on employment arrangements in its acquisition of assets in Vietnam.