Tax consulting services

Top-level strategy to bottom line

International trading businesses must have top quality tax advice if they are to prosper in today’s competitive global markets.

Our services include:

Corporate tax

Setting up trading operations in another country, either through a branch or a subsidiary company, instantly triggers the need for first class corporate tax advice and compliance services in the country concerned.

Whether your business is publicly or privately owned, and whether it is owned domestically or from abroad, we bring to each assignment a professional thoroughness and a wealth of knowledge of local corporate tax law and business conditions. Our services include:

• Advising on a country’s tax compliance requirements and preparing the necessary returns and declarations. Where appropriate this will extend to local as well as national taxes; and
• Carrying out due diligence into the tax affairs of acquisition target.

International tax

Having trading operations in several countries brings in additional dimensions of international tax and the need for highly specialist advice on tax efficient structuring and financing.

From establishing the right structure of subsidiary companies and branches and formulating global funding arrangements, to planning the repatriation of profits and using double tax treaties to minimize withholding taxes on cross border currency flows, the financial benefits from getting the approach right can be tremendous.
We will help you maximize post-tax global profit including advising on:

• Setting up global and regional holding companies;
• Putting in place tax efficient international structures to minimize withholding taxes on intra-group dividends and interest payment; and
• Setting up pricing policies for goods and services in a manner which avoids potentially expensive transfer pricing challenges by national tax authorities.

Transfer pricing

The hottest current topic in international tax is transfer pricing, with the risk that national tax authorities will impute additional taxable profit to local subsidiaries in international groups on the grounds that intra-group pricing is not at arms’ length. We can help by:

• Advising on prices for intra-group transactions, using proven economic databases to recommend prices which maximize legitimate tax savings whilst minimizing the risk of successful challenges by national tax authorities;
• Advising on the documentation of a group’s transfer pricing policies; and
• Defending a group’s transfer pricing policies when they come under attack by national tax authorities.

Indirect tax

Depending on the nature of the goods or services they supply and depending on the countries in which they trade, these may include VAT, GST, sales tax, customs duties and excise duties. We can provide support on:

• Registration of businesses for indirect tax purposes where it is legally required or where it is voluntary but will nevertheless produce financial benefits; and
• Preparation of periodic returns.

Expatriate tax

Many groups trading internationally will have staff working on an assignment away from their home country, raising issues of expatriate tax, with both the employer and employee in need of advice, and the need for assistance with compliance obligations. We can help provide support on:

• Entry interviews in order to advise on any personal financial planning measures from which they might benefit;
• Preparation of tax returns for expatriates for the duration of their secondment;
• Dealing with any other filings which they will need to comply during their stay; and
• Exit interviews at the end of the secondment, to tidy up any loose ends.

Private clients

Services for the individual’s need for help in complying with the tax laws of more than one country and for advice on protecting internationally located assets and on enhancing their value. We can help provide support on:

• Preparation of tax returns;
• International tax mitigation;
• Wealth preservation;
• Retirement and business succession planning;
• Cross border estate planning; and
• Tax-efficient philanthropy and charitable giving.