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Four areas of tax have driven the most growth in Ernst & Young's group over the past 12 months: transfer pricing; international tax; transactions; and human capital. Led by Craig Robson, the practice has been particularly active in large private equity ... [more]

Four areas of tax have driven the most growth in Ernst & Young's group over the past 12 months: transfer pricing; international tax; transactions; and human capital. Led by Craig Robson, the practice has been particularly active in large private equity and infrastructure transactions.

Three key hires have strengthened the team in each of these areas: Reid Zulpo, an infrastructure specialist, joined in June 2011; Ian Crisp, who joined from Deloitte in September 2011, is a specialist in the oil and mining industries and Sue Williamson a tax litigator, was brought in from Clayton Utz in late 2011 because of the ATO's aggressive approach in recent years.

Walter Tong has taken over from Joseph Lee as national head of tax at Ernst & Young. The firm is constantly evolving and developing its expertise to maintain its presence as one of the best tax firms in China. This year saw the opening of another office, ... [more]

Walter Tong has taken over from Joseph Lee as national head of tax at Ernst & Young. The firm is constantly evolving and developing its expertise to maintain its presence as one of the best tax firms in China. This year saw the opening of another office, in Nanjing, its 13th office. Vickie Tan leads the Shanghai tax practice and Henry Chan is the head in Beijing.

Growing demand has seen the team serving many more Chinese companies that are engaging in outbound transactions, though about 50% of their clients continue to be MNCs. They have beefed up their Foreign Desk Network to better cater to their global clients to provide a more integrated experience across all borders. They have added people from America, Africa, Netherlands, Japan and Korea and will continue to build on the network.

The firm's industry focus has included financial institutions, the automotive industry, hi tech companies, and the pharmaceuticals and oil and gas sectors. Jessica Tien is the transfer pricing leader, and Robert Smith oversees the indirect tax practice.

The team recently concluded an APA for a well known Korean company in the technologies industry.

Tracy Ho oversees the tax practice at Ernst & Young. The Asia-Pacific Tax Centre (APTC), launched in late 2010 in Hong Kong to cover a range of tax services relevant to multinational corporations (MNCs) that have footprints around the world, is rapidly ... [more]

Tracy Ho oversees the tax practice at Ernst & Young. The Asia-Pacific Tax Centre (APTC), launched in late 2010 in Hong Kong to cover a range of tax services relevant to multinational corporations (MNCs) that have footprints around the world, is rapidly becoming a more valuable service offering for the tax team. The centre's leader is Mike Carr. APTC. The idea is focused on global tax reporting and compliance services, where it centralises clients' worldwide operations for efficient monitoring of their tax developments.

Confronted by global economic uncertainty, a lot of companies have sought the team's advice on structuring matters to save costs, and tax defencse work. Ho, who is the Macau as well as the Hong Kong tax leader, has assisted a Hong Kong client to settle a prolonged dispute with the IRD about a non-taxable claim. Tax savings of more than HK$200 million ($25.7 million) were achieved upon settlement. The IRD had lodged a claim against the taxpayer four years ago, before Ho got involved but she achieved the favourable settlement within a short period of time. Agnes Chan who is the regional managing partner of HK and Macau helped a global printing company settle a tax dispute amounting to $38.6 million (HK$300 million).

Since the introduction of transfer pricing guidelines in Hong Kong, Ernst & Young's transfer pricing group has experienced significant growth in demand for its compliance services, audit defence, IPO support and tax efficient planning. Martin Richter is now the leader of the core transfer pricing team in HK. The team is active in advising leading luxury retailers that have had to undergo changes as a result of the changes to the import price into Mainland China.

Sudhir Kapadia, who is known for his strength in corporate tax, is the national leader of Ernst & Young's tax practice, which has 67 partners and directors, one of the largest tax teams in India. Restructuring is a particular strength.Outstanding individuals ... [more]

Sudhir Kapadia, who is known for his strength in corporate tax, is the national leader of Ernst & Young's tax practice, which has 67 partners and directors, one of the largest tax teams in India. Restructuring is a particular strength.

Outstanding individuals recognised by their peers include Pinakin Desai and Pranav Sayta for corporate tax matters. Amrish Shah, who focuses on cross border transactions and M&A deals, is another notable individual.

A rival observes "Ernst & Young has been adding new resources in its direct tax practice continuously and consequently its tax client base is improving year by year".

Since the central government levied cascading service tax from July 2010, Satya Poddar, Divyesh Lapsiwala, and Utkarsh Sanghvi have been involved in discussions with the Ministry of Finance on the applicability of GST on the Indian film industry. In 2012, relief was finally recognised and granted by the government and this has now been consolidated in the Union Budget 2012 by granting exemption to copyright in films and movie ticket sales.

The team is also competent to handle the increasingly complicated transfer pricing rules. In two transfer pricing cases where they represented Honda and LG respectively, the team managed to convince the tax authorities to deviate from their usual practice.

For LG, the issue related to different interpretations of arm's-length compensation for various international transactions involving tangibles and intangibles, Vijay Iyer, Ashima Gupta and Tarun Bindlish helped LG establish that the analysis carried out by the authorities contradicted the facts and circumstances of the case, thereby obtaining significant relief for their client.

Ben Koesmoeljana is the head of tax for Ernst & Young. With 14 directors and partners in addition to a support team of 178 fee earners, they are one of the largest tax teams in Indonesia.The group offers a number of professionals who each have an expertise ... [more]

Ben Koesmoeljana is the head of tax for Ernst & Young. With 14 directors and partners in addition to a support team of 178 fee earners, they are one of the largest tax teams in Indonesia.

The group offers a number of professionals who each have an expertise in specific tax fields. Their service lines range from compliance reporting, indirect taxes, and tax litigation, to global mobility, indirect taxes, international tax and transfer pricing.

The team is perhaps best known for their capability in business tax advisory, tax disputes, and transfer pricing where almost half of the tax professionals work. Clients commend their transfer pricing work, describing them as having "quite good level of knowledge on subject matter". Notable individuals include, Carlo Navarro who is regarded highly by peers in the industry for his transfer pricing and international tax expertise. Iman Santoso is also recommended for his ability in corporate taxes.

Over the past year, the team have been involved in many of the major M&A transactions that have taken place in Indonesia. Through direct involvement with the American Chamber of Commerce and Japan Jakarta Club, the team often work with the tax authority on various tax issues, including transfer pricing, advance pricing agreements (APA) and mutual agreement procedures.

Tax work for Ernst & Young Shinnihon Tax has been resilient despite the natural disasters that occurred in Japan and beyond. Kenji Amino is the managing partner and Kai Hielscher is the Japan markets leader and head of the transfer pricing practice. ... [more]

Tax work for Ernst & Young Shinnihon Tax has been resilient despite the natural disasters that occurred in Japan and beyond. Kenji Amino is the managing partner and Kai Hielscher is the Japan markets leader and head of the transfer pricing practice. The team has been particularly busy with the corporate integration, transfer pricing and structuring side of tax work. With MNCs companies coming in and out of Japan, the team offers clients their Global Tax Desk service to provide real-time support for these companies. The team has continued to grow despite disruption caused by the Tohoku disaster and have seen a few key hires in the 12 months.

The transfer pricing practice comprises of a mix of personnel from various backgrounds enabling them to offer clients their extensive experience in tax controversy and supply chain management. Tatsuhide Kanenari has joined as executive director to strengthen the department. His clients include global MNCs in the pharmaceutical, life sciences, consumer electronics, financial services and entertainment industries. Karl Gruendel is commended by peers for his transfer pricing work.

Kevin Atkins joined in July 2012, his addition further adding to the global integration of the Global Tax Desk where he will be the US tax specialist. Yutaka Kitamura strengthens the financial services group and his addition will deepen the firm's relationship with the tax authorities as he previously worked as deputy director at the Financial Services Agency dealing with finance and tax matters, where he regularly proposed reforms for the taxation of financial transactions and international tax.

Koichi Sekiya is highly respected in the industry for his expertise in corporate tax and M&A work. Yukie Kuwabara is recognised to have in-depth knowledge in the capital markets and financial services sector.

Yeo Eng Ping remains as Ernst & Young's tax practice leader. The extensive regional network allows the team to collect knowledge, skills and experience of tax professionals in other global practices, and mobilise teams at short notice to deliver quality ... [more]

Yeo Eng Ping remains as Ernst & Young's tax practice leader. The extensive regional network allows the team to collect knowledge, skills and experience of tax professionals in other global practices, and mobilise teams at short notice to deliver quality client service.

The team has dedicated tax specialists who focus on a range of services such as incentives, transactions, capital allowances, tax audits and tax rulings. Bernard Yap is one team member who is applauded for his corporate tax expertise and knowledge of the financial services market.

The transfer pricing team is one of the largest in this area. They covers all aspects of transfer pricing including outbound and inbound business restructuring, planning, risk review, documentation and controversy management. Peers commend Sockalingam Murugesan for his transfer pricing accomplishments.

The global services team is used to help clients manage their indirect tax matters from planning to implementation of indirect tax; this often involves advising on the most efficient indirect tax treatments of new and complex transactions to ensure compliance.

Geoff Blaikie took over the leadership of Ernst & Young's tax practice in August 2011. The team has spent the last year strengthening their tax controversy practice, which is led by Kirsy Keating and is capable of assisting clients with all aspects of ... [more]

Geoff Blaikie took over the leadership of Ernst & Young's tax practice in August 2011. The team has spent the last year strengthening their tax controversy practice, which is led by Kirsy Keating and is capable of assisting clients with all aspects of their disputes with New Zealand and offshore tax authorities.

Ernst & Young have also been enhancing their transaction group in anticipation that activity in this area will pick up in the near future. Brad Wheeler joined Richard Williams from June 2012 to advise clients on specialist transaction services. Wheeler has a particular focus on the financial services industry. Matthew Hanley is a notable practitioner in the market for his knowledge of capital markets and the financial services industry.

The transfer pricing department is also held in good esteem inevitably, as a lot of the clients are foreign MNCs withpermanent establishments in New Zealand. Mark Loveday is highly respected by his peers as a transfer pricing adviser.

Adrian Ball leads the reputable Ernst & Young tax team. One of the largest in Singapore, the team comprises 30 partners and directors and more than 400 tax professionals. The large team of experienced practitioners advises on all areas of tax and back ... [more]

Adrian Ball leads the reputable Ernst & Young tax team. One of the largest in Singapore, the team comprises 30 partners and directors and more than 400 tax professionals. The large team of experienced practitioners advises on all areas of tax and back that up with industry knowledge.

Two new partners joined the team in the past year, Shubhendu Misra and Matthew Andrew. Misra will be focusing on international tax and trade and Andrew joins the Asia Pacific Tax Efficient Supply Chain Management (TESCM) team, which advises clients on the tax implications of cross-border business restructuring.

The team is made up of notable individuals recognised by peers in the market. Tan Lee Khoon is considered by fellow practitioners to be one of the leading advisers on corporate tax, cross-border structuring and M&A matters. Kor Bing Keong is respected for his knowledge of indirect tax matters.

The firm has been increasingly involved in tax controversy matters, often opting for amicable resolution for their clients. Transfer pricing audits have been a particular focus for the tax authorities over the last year. Luis Coronado is the transfer pricing leader, working with clients to defend transfer pricing audits. As Singapore is a popular trading hub, the team has been engaged in many M&A transactions as well as applications for advanced pricing agreements (APA).

Sources praise Ernst & Young's comprehensive handling of technical transaction matters. Jae Won Lee has been recently brought into the team as market leader from KPMG in November 2011. The team has 11 partners and 181 fee earners.The team has accomplished ... [more]

Sources praise Ernst & Young's comprehensive handling of technical transaction matters. Jae Won Lee has been recently brought into the team as market leader from KPMG in November 2011. The team has 11 partners and 181 fee earners.

The team has accomplished a few significant wins in the past year, including tax refund for clients such as a major Korean logistics and distribution company and a leading entertainment company. The work by the business tax services team meant analysing tax laws and rulings and contributed to some clients being able to reduce their effective tax rates.

The firm has been growing in the financial services industry, the practice here is led by Jung Yeol Park, who has the dual role of tax policy and controversy leader. The financial services practice has been leading the way in the tax advisory market for work related to Korean financial institutions' first adoption of Korean International Financial Reporting Standards (K-IFRS). The team helped clients to identify and analyse potential tax issues arising from the first adoption of K-IFRS, which will lead to potential discussions with tax policy makers through letter ruling requests and submission of proposals for revisions to tax laws.

The team has recently secured multiple tax advisory projects for Korean finance institutions' overseas investments in a wide array of underlying assets, both traditional and alternative, in countries such as Australia, Japan, Singapore and the US.

Ernst & Young's tax leader is Heidi Liu, who has succeeded Bill Seto, now based in Hong Kong. Due to the increased economic activity between China and Taiwan, last year the group set up their China Service Group (CSG) led by Ann Shen. The CSG is supported ... [more]

Ernst & Young's tax leader is Heidi Liu, who has succeeded Bill Seto, now based in Hong Kong. Due to the increased economic activity between China and Taiwan, last year the group set up their China Service Group (CSG) led by Ann Shen. The CSG is supported by experienced specialists Chienhua Yang and Michael Lin, who will offer clients with China operations a seamless service across Taiwan. The CSG is another effort to provide clients with highly integrated cross border services as it will connect with the China office on China tax questions.

Sophie Chou, who focuses on transactional tax and controversy matters, has led a few landmark projects in the past year. She advised a client in challenging the tax authorities' decision to disallow the tax deduction of "allocated costs" that is granted under domestic tax law; $30 million was at stake here. Chou managed to justify the tax deduction without revealing the client's global transfer pricing model. The outcome of the dispute has significant implications for the financial services sector in particular, and could set a precedent for similar cases in the future.

George Chou has been the leader of the transfer pricing practice since its inception in 1994. The team now numbers 32 transfer pricing-only professionals. The authorities' focus over the past year on the taxation of intangibles, an area that is filled with ambiguity and complexity has meant the transfer pricing practice has been busy in making sure clients' documentation can be sufficiently justified to prevent any additional assessment and in defending clients' tax treatment of intangibles.

Ernst & Young's tax practice is led by Christopher Butler. With two partners and 113 fee earners on the team, they have the capability to offer the range of tax services typical of a big four firm. The strong transfer pricing team consists of 12 professionals.The ... [more]

Ernst & Young's tax practice is led by Christopher Butler. With two partners and 113 fee earners on the team, they have the capability to offer the range of tax services typical of a big four firm. The strong transfer pricing team consists of 12 professionals.

The corporate income tax (CIT) department includes numerous industry specialists that cover not only compliance and advisory, but also indirect tax, tax policy and controversy and transaction tax, as well as the growing international tax services team which specialises in licensing in Vietnam.

The team often advises global multinationals in tax mitigation work when faced with audits by the authorities, helping their clients obtain significant reductions in tax risk and exposure. Part of the work frequently involves undertaking many detailed tax technical reviews looking at clients' practices, procedures and tax treatment policies and working on remedies or corrective actions to mitigate the identified risks in preparation for upcoming tax audits.