Tax
Tax controversy and litigation are the hallmarks of PwC Legal, covering both direct and indirect taxes, tax audit support, banking and financial services transactions and restructuring, as well as private wealth management. Practice head Véronique De Brabanter supports in procedural matters and administrative and court proceedings, while the addition of the PwC Belgium financial services team in July 2023 under Patrice Delacroix and Olivier Hermand expands the team’s regulatory and private wealth competencies.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘In-depth expertise, with a focus to obtain a practical solution.’
‘Veronique De Brabanter excels in assisting us from a practical perspective. She also highlights potential hurdles and provides practical solutions without creating an additional pile of paperwork and red tape. Always a pleasure to work with.’
‘Very knowledgeable team that used the right approach to make the case and win it.’
‘PwC Legal always showed me they understood the context of their answers/opinions within the realities of “my” business. I appreciate them being strategic in their thinking and options presented. I also appreciate the fact that they always find a way to communicate with me in a succinct and to-the-point manner and that they keep me informed, i.e. they do not let me be surprised.’
‘Gauthier Vael gives me practical advice tied to the realities of the telecom business. The team are advisers, not just lawyers. I value the fact that they value my input, that they are patient and answer my questions but that they do not talk down to me. I also value their honesty and truthfulness. If something “bad” occurs, I need to understand what happened, why it happened and what our plan is to fix it.’
‘Excellent mastery of the subject matter. Specific and appropriate responses. Excellent responsiveness. Prompt communication of important updates for the subjects analysed, such as new case law.’
Work highlights
- Represented a specialty chemicals company in a landmark litigation with regards to the interpretation of VAT permanent establishment for toll manufacturers.
- Represented a global transport and logistics company before the court in relation to a dispute that arose from a simultaneous tax audit carried out by 9 different participating EU countries with respect to a franchising agreement and successfully challenged the Belgian tax adjustment which was entirely annulled by the Court.
- Assisted an American global management consulting firm with the handling of a multilateral tax audit conducted by the tax authorities of Italy, Belgium, Denmark and Germany, with respect to the group’s new transfer pricing policy.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Véronique De Brabanter