Tax consulting and tax disputes in Russia

With over 20 years of experience in dealing with complex, ambiguous issues of tax law we solve our clients’ problems effectively:

• Determining tax consequences of a transaction or project;

• Tax planning - minimization of tax losses and tax risks;

• Assessment of the legitimacy of the position of tax authorities.

The importance of tax issues for business as well as for individuals is difficult to overestimate - it is the tax aspects that often determine the feasibility and structure of a planned transaction or business project, and further, the taxpayer's activity may depend on the result of a tax dispute. Our tax consultants and lawyers have considerable experience both in tax consulting and in resolving tax disputes.

Any decision in tax consulting is about finding a balance between potential "tax benefits" and tax risks. As tax advisors we proceed from the "conservative approach", giving paramount importance to the client's tax security with the greatest possible consideration of his economic interests.

All of our tax advice comes in writing - in form of memorandums or references that contain analysis of the norms of tax legislation, relevant court practice, and tax authorities’ official position. This allows us to conduct a comprehensive assessment of tax risks and determine an optimal model of taxpayer's behavior in any given situation.

When preparing tax recommendations, we always take into account aspects related to other areas of legislation - civil law, corporate law, currency regulation, etc., which provides comprehensive protection of the client's interests.

Our extensive experience and good reputation in providing tax consulting are confirmed by the number of requests for giving "second opinions" - expertise of already available tax reports of third consultants.

Practice shows that even the most cautious and law-abiding taxpayers can not always avoid conflict with tax authorities. This is largely due to the contradictoriness and ambiguity of both the tax law norms and judicial practice. Russian tax legislation is relatively "young" and many issues and mechanisms are still not properly regulated. Here, you might need the help of experienced tax lawyers. We are ready to use all our expertise to protect taxpayers’ interests - our lawyers in tax disputes successfully challenge tax claims both in pre-trial procedures and litigation.

• advising on taxation of individuals - tax aspects of planned transactions, declaring income, obtaining tax deductions, etc.;
• assistance in preparation of tax declarations of individuals;
• advising on personal tax planning;
• tax audit - check for correctness of calculation and payment of taxes, determination of tax risks and overpayments;
• consulting on tax aspects of real estate transactions in Russia and abroad;
• consulting on application of tax deductions and tax benefits;
• consulting on application of international tax agreements;
• advice on social insurance payments;
• consulting on legislation for controlled foreign companies (“CFC”);
• written consultations (memorandums, conclusions) on general and special issues of tax law.

• pre-trial and judicial settlement of tax disputes;
• consultations on tax disputes;
• support during tax inspections - assessment of the legitimacy of tax authority’s requirements, consulting during an inspection, planning the tactics of interaction, preparation of objections to the acts of inspections, representation of the client's interests in tax authorities;
• appealing decisions of tax authorities in higher instances;
• legal support of judicial appeal of decisions of tax authorities - development of a legal position, preparation of application to court, representation of client's interests in court;
• supporting negotiations with tax authorities on the conclusion of an amicable settlement agreement;
• returning of excessively paid or collected amounts of taxes from the budget.