Tax
The practice

International standards and local insight help the Firm's Tax Practice offer legal advice on tax planning and tax risk management to clients in tax disputes in Russia and Belarus.

Our lawyers also specialize in international tax issues that may arise in cross-border or investment transactions. Having strong links with leading law firms in the Netherlands, UK, Germany, USA, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Cyprus and other jurisdictions, we offer useful solutions for organizing holding, financial and trade structures.

With each client we build long-term partnerships based on clear understanding of the client's business and its strategic goals.

Being one of the Firm's key practices, in Russia we advise our clients on tax aspects in Russian and cross-border deals, provide on-going tax advice to clients' businesses and protect them in disputes with tax authorities.

We rely on skills and knowledge obtained abroad, deep insight into Russian specifics and court practice, and international client service standards.

Our lawyers are innovative and capable of offering ambitious and outside-the-box solutions. Importantly, they are ready to implement these solutions and, if needed, to protect them before any authority. Inside our practice, there is no division into different types of taxes. This helps each professional comprehensively assess any tax issue.

The liberalization of national legislation and development of a business environment in Belarus paved the way for the growing number of complex cross-border M&A transactions and investment and finance deals which require sophisticated international and domestic tax advice. EPAM Tax Practice in Minsk offers highly qualified and comprehensive tax advice helping clients to adapt their business to the developing but still imperfect national tax legislation.

We offer in-depth advice on how to do business in Belarus efficiently and deal with Belarusian contractors, help resolve challenges and settle disputes with tax authorities.

Services

Our services in Russia:

  • Tax planning:
    • choosing and modeling most tax efficient methods of investing and divesting, depending on the model of doing business and the investment vehicle;
    • tax structuring and tax support of Greenfield and Brownfield projects;
    • structuring M&A projects, including post and pre acquisition restructuring of the transaction' target;
    • tax planning for group companies: tax optimization of group structures and models of doing business;
    • tax structuring external / internal financing transactions.
  • On-going tax support:
    • tax structuring of cross-border transactions;
    • advising on tax-efficient models of financing day-to-day activities and investments;
    • assessing the impact of indirect taxes on business models;
    • structuring related-party transactions: transfer pricing compliance; preparing pricing documents; allocation of costs;
    • supporting business and investment projects; advising on efficient tax policy and tax optimization of costs structure.
  • Tax dispute resolution:
    • support in desk and field tax audits;
    • representing in pre-trial settlement of tax disputes as well as representing in court.

In Belarus we offer services in the following areas:

  • customs and indirect taxation;
  • domestic taxation;
  • mergers & acquisitions;
  • real estate & construction;
  • tax disputes.
Projects

Recent projects in Belarus:

  • advising the lead managers on tax issues of the initial and subsequent sovereign and private Eurobonds placements in Belarus;
  • consulting on tax aspects of construction and reconstruction of power plants financed by international financial institutions;
  • advising on the reconstruction of the air terminal and runway at Minsk National Airport; 
  • representation of the world leading producer of pharmaceutical equipment in a dispute with tax authorities in relation to taxation of its permanent establishment.
Reputation

"They can do things very quickly,…They are very efficient." (Chambers Europe 2020)

“EPAM’s lawyers have excellent knowledge of the law and exercise strict control over complex matters at all times.” (The Legal 500 2020)

"Know-how and solution-oriented thinking" (Chambers Europe 2017)

“Practical, well-structured advice within short timeframes” (The Legal 500 2017)

"Well-regarded tax litigation team" (Chambers Europe 2017)

The Firm’s Tax Practice is “very accessible, responsive and proficient” (Chambers Europe 2016)

The team ‘works effectively under a tight schedule’ and is ‘highly dedicated to client interests’ (The Legal 500 2016)

“The team offers integrated tax advice which encompasses corporate tax, tax structuring, transfer pricing, customs and indirect taxation, as well as representing clients in tax and customs disputes” (World Tax 2016)

“Provides very practicable, well-structured advice” (Chambers Europe 2015)

“Reliable and efficient team” (Chambers Europe 2015)

For more testimonials please follow the link.