Tax Authority Negotiation
Tax Authority Negotiation. Effective liaison with tax authorities is a critical part of managing tax compliance, from obtaining fast registration to gaining clear guidance on technical issues, to managing audits to dealing with disputes. But this can be highly challenging, especially in a cross-border context. Different tax authorities can have radically different cultures and approaches to dealing with taxpayers. It can be very easy to fall into a difficult situation that could have been easily avoided with more knowledge of the local processes and culture
Our consultants and local representatives have long experience of dealing with local tax authorities in the most effective manner. It is a core part of our philosophy that we treat authorities and the laws they implement with the utmost respect and we jealously guard our reputation for ethical and trustworthy conduct. We do not involve ourselves in aggressive tax avoidance schemes, or contrive confrontations with the authorities. You will never hear us trumpeting “victories” achieved on our clients behalf in negotiations or disputes. We prefer positive, quiet, respectful but determined negotiation on your behalf. It’s not great theatre, but it gets results.
A second core pillar of our philosophy in this regard is to keep you fully involved and briefed at all stages in negotiation. It is a common complaint of businesses that when a local advisor is involved in tax authority negotiation the process can “vanish” behind a curtain of local process and language, leaving the client on the outside. We take that on board; negotiation with tax authorities is not a game and we are not aiming to make a point; the purpose is to bring practical benefits to your business. As such, we keep you fully briefed at all stages to make sure that the process achieving what you expect at the cost that you expect, and is not compromising any of your business goals.