alliantgroup has announced the addition of R&D tax expert Greg Knarr to the alliantgroup director team, to be based out of Indianapolis. Knarr will play avital role in helping infuse cash and reduce tax bills for qualifiying U.S. businesses.
“Greg Knarr comes to us with over ten years of experience specializing in R&D Credits,” says Senior Managing Director and CEO Dhaval Jadav. “We’re excited and thrilled to add Greg to our team as part of our continued efforts to offer best-in-class service to our CPA Partners. He will be an asset to the region and the firms that alliantgroup is privileged to work with.”
Greg Knarr enters alliantgroup as a frequent featured speaker and an author on a number of topics related to the availability and utilization of the R&D Tax Credit. Having worked across several industries, he implemented fully-integrated tax solutions into the leading CPA firms throughout the country, and will now bring this level of expertise to alliantgroup’s CPA Partners.
Before joining alliantgroup, Knarr worked with over 100 CPA Firms across the nation as the founding partner of Hull & Knarr, with a concerted effort in the R&D Tax Credit for the Midwest region of the U.S, with a specialization in Indiana and Ohio.
Taxand has announced the appointment of Richard Baxter, a Managing Partner with Taxand UK, Alvarez & Marsal Taxand, as the new leader of its Global Indirect Tax Service Line.
Richard brings more than 20 years of indirect tax experience to the role. Over the course of his career he has led global assignments with a focus on international VAT for major US and European multinational companies. He also has particular expertise in managing VAT technology applications projects and leading the implementation of indirect tax reporting tools globally. He is well versed in negotiating at senior levels with tax authorities and managing tax cases to ECJ, VAT Tribunal and the High Court. Prior to joining Taxand, Richard led the Indirect Tax Compliance and Risk practice of Deloitte and previously was head of the Indirect Tax team with Arthur Andersen.
Richard will be supported by Alain Recoules, a partner with Taxand France, Arsene Taxand, as Deputy Leader of the Taxand Global Indirect Tax Service Line. Alain is an expert in VAT and international trade regulations, an ERP specialist and has in-depth knowledge of the retail, leisure, computer services and banking and fund management industries at a European level. Before joining Taxand, Alain was joint head of Landwell’s VAT/Customs practice and prior to this position, led the VAT/Customs practice that he created at Andersen Legal. Taxand’s policy is to review its global service line leadership every two years to ensure continuous development. Indirect Tax is one of Taxand’s eight global service lines. Others include International Tax, Tax Litigation, Transfer Pricing, Transaction Tax, Real Estate Tax, Compensation, Equity and Employment Tax and Individual Tax.
Frederic Donnedieu, Chairman of Taxand, said:
“We are delighted to appoint Richard and Alain to lead Taxand’s Global Indirect Tax Service Line. While of course they have both been with Taxand, actively contributing to our global indirect tax service provision for some time, I am looking forward to working even more closely with them in their new roles. We are fortunate to have them leading our award-winning team of seasoned indirect tax professionals helping our clients boost their profitability and minimise risk.”
Ernst & Young’s head of tax policy, Chris Sanger, and financial services tax partner Vincent Oratore, have been appointed to HM Treasury’s newly created Tax Professionals Forum, which will oversee reforms to the framework for developing tax policy and the making of tax law.
The forum will draw on the expertise of eight leading figures from across the tax profession, to look at how tax policy is developed, legislated and implemented, to ensure that the UK’s Tax system fosters a competitive environment for business. Chaired by the Exchequer Secretary David Gauke MP, the forum will meet bi annually.
Chris Sanger joined Ernst & Young as a Partner in 2005. He was formerly an adviser to HM Treasury, advising the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Junior Ministers and Special Advisers on the reform of the business taxation system. He is now Global Head of Tax Policy at Ernst & Young, Chairman of the Tax Faculty of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and Vice-Chairman of the Management of Taxes committee of the Chartered Institute of Taxation.
Vincent Oratore is a financial services partner at Ernst & Young, and works with a multinational portfolio of clients. Vincent specialises in advising the financial services sector on the tax implications of transactions in the capital markets. In addition to his role at Ernst & Young, Vincent is also President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Tax Advisors.
Commenting on his appointment, Chris Sanger said: “In an environment where multinational companies can often work as easily from Switzerland as they can from the UK, maintaining the UK’s competitiveness is a major challenge for the Coalition government. Competitiveness is about a lot more than just the headline rates of tax. In order to remain an attractive destination for business, UK tax policy needs to address the tax base and tax administration.”
Vincent Oratore added: “It is really encouraging that, through this group, reforms to tax policy making will be informed by those in the profession. Through consultation and the combined experience of the forum’s members, we can help provide a framework for tax policy that provides both certainty and clarity in the short term and beyond.”
DLA Piper today announced that it has appointed Stephen Hoyle as a partner and Head of UK Tax. Stephen, a specialist in corporate tax and structured transactions, joined DLA Piper’s London office on 19 July from Ernst & Young, where he was a senior-ranking tax partner.
With a mandate to strengthen the UK Tax team and support the strategic growth of the Corporate, Real Estate and Finance practices in the UK and the US, Stephen will lead and expand a team that provides a full range of tax services, including advice on transactional matters, asset finance, structured finance, corporate reorganisations, capital markets and IPOs, VAT, property and Inland Revenue investigations.
Stephen is a highly-experienced tax lawyer who has worked on all aspects of corporate tax and structured transactions in the UK and US markets. Prior to joining DLA Piper, Stephen was a partner in the International Tax Services group at Ernst & Young. Before that he was a managing director in Deutsche Bank’s Structured Capital Markets group, following 18 years as a tax partner at Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringers. At Deutsche Bank AG’s London branch Stephen worked on front office origination of investment and financing transactions for the UK and US markets, and infrastructure. At Freshfield Stephen advised on all aspects of corporate taxation but specialised in structured transactions and insurance business.
In recent years DLA Piper has strengthened its tax capabilities around the world, recruiting international tax experts in New York, Los Angeles, France, Poland, Russia, Germany and Italy. Stephen’s arrival builds on that trend and will see DLA Piper expand its UK team and develop the range of tax services it provides to its clients.
“Stephen joins our tax practice at an exciting time as we are expanding our capabilities globally and his arrival will enable us to enhance the service we offer to our clients in the UK and internationally, said Roderik Bouwman, EMEA Head of Tax at DLA Piper. Roderik continued: “Our UK tax practice is an important part of our broader tax offering and with Stephen’s experience and leadership we will build our UK team in order to leverage the capabilities of our global platform.”
Andrew Darwin, EMEA Managing Director at DLA Piper, said: “We tried to hire Stephen two years ago and are therefore very pleased that he has now agreed to join us. Tax is a growing part of our practice, both in Europe and globally, and we believe Stephen will make a significant contribution to its future development, bringing a combination of expertise, experience and client relationships.”
The Chancellor George Osborne and Exchequer Secretary David Gauke today established the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS).
The Chancellor has appointed a Board of tax experts who will be responsible for leading the work of the OTS over the next year. The Board Members are Michael Jack (Chairman) and John Whiting (Tax Director).
Their responsibilities will be to identify areas where complexities in the tax system for both businesses and individual taxpayers can be reduced and to publish their findings for the Chancellor to consider ahead of his Budget.
The OTS will undertake two initial reviews over the coming year. They will focus on tax reliefs and small business tax simplification (including IR35). The OTS will publish the initial findings from their work on reliefs in late autumn and on small business tax by the 2011 Budget.
The OTS will also draw on external expertise from the tax and legal profession over the coming months. These experts will focus on specific areas of complexity in the tax system and provide additional advice to the OTS.
The Government is committed to making the UK the most competitive country in the G20 and to reducing the complexity in the tax system. Over the past decade, the tax code doubled to more than 11,000 pages and the UK slipped from 7th to 13th in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index between 1997 and 2009-10.
This trend needs to be reversed, and the OTS is an important part of making the tax system work better for the taxpayer.
Chancellor George Osborne said:
“The previous Government took a complex tax system and made it even worse. A decade of meddling and intervening has made the tax affairs of millions of families and businesses across the UK extremely complicated. We need to sort out this mess.
“Two years ago I promised to create the Office of Tax Simplification. Today, we’re delivering on that promise. With its independent, expert advice it will be a permanent force for a simpler tax system.
“Simpler, more competitive taxes will help us show the world that Britain is open for business.”
The Rt Hon Michael Jack, the Chair of the OTS, said:
“Entrepreneurship should never be stifled because of an overly complex tax system. That’s why I am delighted that the Government have committed themselves to looking at ways to simplify the tax system, with an initial focus on small businesses.
“Simplification in a complex world is a real challenge, but it’s one that has to be addressed if the tax system is not to hinder the economy’s ability to grow.”
John Whiting, the Tax Director of the OTS, said:
“I’ve long argued that we need a simpler tax system in the UK, so I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to take forward the Government’s commitment in that direction.
“In our complex world a truly simple tax system for all is probably impossible, but working towards a simpler system will help all who deal with it: taxpayers, especially the unrepresented, tax advisers and tax authorities.”
P. Scott Ozanus, 50, has been named vice chair – tax, and Jeffrey C. LeSage, 50, has been named national managing partner – tax for KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, according to an announcement today by John B. Veihmeyer, chairman and CEO of the firm.
Ozanus, who most recently was the U.S. firm’s west region managing partner – tax, succeeds Shaun Kelly, who will remain on the firm’s management committee, as he takes on another senior role for KPMG LLP, as the vice chair-operations.
LeSage succeeds Frederick “Rick” Smith as national managing partner – tax. Smith has assumed a key role within KPMG International. As vice chair – tax, Ozanus will be a member of the firm’s management committee and will direct a team of more than 4,000 KPMG tax partners and professionals. Prior to heading the west region for tax, he served as southwest area managing partner and managing partner of KPMG’s Dallas office. Ozanus has been lead partner for a wide range of public and private domestic and international companies, with a particular focus on private equity. Ozanus is a member of the Texas and American Institutes of Certified Public Accountants and is a graduate of Texas A&M University. Active in the Dallas community, he serves as chairman of the board, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, as a board member of the Cox School of Business, and as vice-chair of Texas Heart Hospital Baylor Plano.
“We’re looking forward to Scott’s leadership during this important period for our tax practice and KPMG’s clients – as companies cope with legislative and regulatory changes, and seek clarity in complex challenges related to transfer pricing, restructuring, renewable energy and a variety of other areas,” Veihmeyer said. Henry Keizer, deputy chairman and COO of KPMG LLP said, “Scott Ozanus and Jeff LeSage are highly prepared to take on their new responsibilities leading the tax practice. Most important, they have an unwavering commitment to professionalism and client service, along with the strong team-building skills required to lead our national tax team of partners and professionals.” J
A change at the top of Noerr’s Tax and Private Clients Department is pending. Stefan Hölzemann (44), who has, together with Georg Edelmann (44), headed the department, will return as a board member to WTS World Tax Service in Munich at the end of August. He came to Noerr from that position in 2006. Both Edelmann and Hölzemann are Noerr Munich partners.
The Düsseldorfer partner Dr. Lutz Schmidt (47) will replace Hölzemann. Edelmann and Schmidt know each other from their time together in the former leading German tax law firm Haarmann Hemmelrath & Partner. “The leaders complement each other with their specialisations, so that almost the entire spectrum of Noerr’s tax advice is represented at the head of the Tax and Private Clients Department”, said Dr. Tobias Bürgers, Noer Co-speaker.
The department provides the following services:
- corporate and group tax
- restructuring
- acquisition structuring & joint ventures
- finanzing & leasing
- fund structuring
- VAT
- international & European tax law
- tax compliance
- private clients & succession planning
Schmidt became a Noerr partner on 1 May 2009. He came with a five-member team from a Düsseldorf tax boutique.
No least because of the arrival of that team, Noerr’s Tax, Advisory and Private Clients Department is well-positioned in all German offices. But not only there. In Central and Eastern Europe too, the law firm offers tax advice at the highest level in all its offices. Approx. 60 tax advisors, auditors and lawyers exclusively advising on tax law, 12 of whom (not including Hölzemann) are partners, belong to the department.
Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP is serving as tax counsel to Tyco Electronics Ltd. in its $1.25 billion acquisition of ADC.
The transaction is structured as a tender offer to be followed as soon as possible by a merger. The deal, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2010 and will position Tyco Electronics’ Network Solutions segment as a leading worldwide supplier of broadband connectivity products. Tyco Electronics Ltd. is a global provider of engineered electronic components, network solutions, specialty products and subsea telecommunication systems.
The Sutherland team is led by Tax Partner Robert S. Chase II in Washington, D.C., and includes Tax Partners H. Karl Zeswitz, Jr. and Michael R. Miles, both in Washington, D.C.
