Firms To Watch: Tax

The tax practice at KPP Law regularly represents clients before Administrative courts and Supreme Court on tax-related litigation disputes and also advises on transfer pricing and VAT issues.

Tax in Greece

Dryllerakis & Associates

Dryllerakis & Associates handles both advisory work and contentious tax matters, including accounting law, tax planning and transfer pricing. John Dryllerakis heads the practice and has expertise in advising on all international financial transactions and business matters. Eleftherios Rantos and Nikolaia-Anna Lepida regularly represent their clients on all tax litigations before the Administrative courts. John Papadakis focuses on all the tax issues arising in intra-group transactions, while Dimitris Karavas covers corporate and M&A-related tax issues.

Practice head(s):

John Dryllerakis


Other key lawyers:

Eleftherios Rantos; Nikolaia-Anna Lepida; John Papadakis; Dimitris Karavas


Testimonials

‘The team has a very fast and deep understanding of our specific needs. Strong knowledge of the corporate world and the banking environment. Tremendous experience and diversification of knowledge appropriate for our unique legal need.’

‘The team provides the most comprehensive and detailed legal advice. Response to the point of our needs.’

‘The team has an in-depth knowledge of the tax issue of concern and very good preparation and presentation of our arguments which led to their 100% acceptance by the court.’

‘All the individual lawyers are available to discuss issues, very good, and excellent cooperation. They create an atmosphere of security that whatever is necessary will be done effectively and appropriately.’

‘All executives are excellent with excellent cooperation at all levels. Prioritization of responsibilities, proper guidance, timing and supervision of tasks.’

‘The executives are full know-how of tax reporting and expertise. Specifically, Nikolaia-Anna Lepida is reliable, consistent, flexible and wins your trust.’

‘The team handles very serious and critical cases exhibited high levels of cooperation and very effective execution of legal plans.’

‘In addition to the firm’s high professional standards, all persons/partners/associates that handled my case are exceptional empathy at a personal level. Nikolaia-Anna Lepida’s effective execution and coordination of all planned actions resulted in a positive outcome.’

Key clients

EUROBANK Group (Eurobank S.A., Eurobank Equities S.A., Eurobank Factors S.A., Eurobank Leasing S.A. etc.)


Thessaloniki Port Authority S.A.


FFH Eurolife Insurance Group


Fluor Corporation


Hellenic Petroleum Group (Helpe S.A., Hellenic Fuels S.A. etc.)


Siemens Group (Siemens Hellas S.A., Siemens Healthcare S.A.)


Regency Entertainment Group (Regency S.A., Hellenic Casino Parnitha S.A.)


Aegean Airlines


LAMPSA S.A.


Praktiker Hellas


Work highlights


  • Represented various private clients in a “pilot trial” before the Conseil d’ Etat concerning taxation of compensation deriving from group pension insurance programs.
  • Assisted Baker McKenzie with the implementation of NIKE’s global restructuring.
  • Represented Homeric Holdings before Plenary Chamber of Conseil d’ Etat in the constitutionality of the imposed retroactive taxation of non-distributed or capitalized tax reserves of companies.

POTAMITISVEKRIS

The tax team at POTAMITISVEKRIS handles tax matters for clients from a range of industries, including banking, pharmaceuticals, private wealth, oil and real estate. The team advises on day-to-day tax matters and related litigation, also supporting on tax audits and planning. The practice is led by Aspasia Malliou, who has expertise in matters related to inheritance tax, capital gains tax, international tax planning and tax structures for families. The team has been further strengthened at associate level by the recent arrivals of Charalampos Stampoulis and Grigoris Katsoras. Dimitra Katsipi is also recommended. Maria Kilatou left the firm in September 2023 for a role in tax consulting, and Gabriella Maniki left the firm since publication, too.

Practice head(s):

Aspasia Malliou


Other key lawyers:

Charalampos Stampoulis; Grigoris Katsoras; Dimitra Katsipi


Testimonials

‘The team demonstrates proactivity, they are paying extra attention to the details of each case, and that makes the difference in the outcome. They are very supportive, have one-team spirit, and provide an extremely high level of service.’

‘The team is always available, willing to help and has excellent knowledge of the legislation.’

‘Potamitisvekris team is extremely professional and able to deal with client issues with transparency and efficiency, and has a legal team that extends its service as needed and when needed. The team works in conjunction together, and the result is the best.’

‘Aspasia Malliou, Dimitra Katsipi and Grigoris Katsoras are standout partners and associates. They care for the client and have a high work ethic. Their judgement in relevant complicated tax cases.’

Key clients

EYDAP SA


D. Daskalopoulos Collection Non- Profit Civil Company


KALOGIROU SA


Azerbaijan Gas Supply Company


Grivalia REIC


PQH Single Special Liquidation S.A.


Kessaris Group of companies


Iliadis Family


Covas Family


Viktor Asser


Matsas & Son Co Ltd.


Astrazeneca SA


Bank of Cyprus


Hellenic Petroleum


Elinoil S.A.


Interamerican – Life Insurance SA


Gerolymatos Group


Citibank International Plc


Mionis Sabby family


Metaxas family


Papastavrou family


Forbisson Limited (Gabriel Panagiotidis)


John Olympios


Covid 19 Newsletter


Tax Law Bulletin “Deltio Forologikis Nomothesias”


Kalotina Klonaris


Evripides Chatzikraniotis


Apostolos Nikolakopoulos


Work highlights


  • Represented Astrazeneca SA in the tax litigation which successfully concluded to the issuance of Athens’ Administrative Court of Appeal.
  • Advised D. Daskalopoulos Collection on the tax treatment of the donation of important contemporary artworks.
  • Advised EYDAP SA on the tax and accounting treatment of the agreements, concluded between EYDAP and the Greek State.

Zepos & Yannopoulos

Zepos & Yannopoulos covers contentious and non-contentious work, including tax structuring, transfer pricing, and litigation for its clients. Practice head Yerassimos Yannopoulos advises on all multi-jurisdictional and multi-disciplinary project tax-related aspects and is further supported by Elina Filippou and Maria Zoupa . Recently, Alex Karopoulos successfully represented a multinational petroleum company at the Supreme Court in a claim concerning stamp duty assessment on a cash pooling scheme. Marina Allamani has a particular focus on real estate tax matters.

Practice head(s):

Yerassimos Yannopoulos


Other key lawyers:

Elina Filippou; Maria Zoupa; Alex Karopoulos; Marina Allamani


Testimonials

‘Very knowledgeable team, always looking for the best solution for the client and resourceful.’

‘The team has great organizational methods, excellent communication and excellent resource allocation.’

Key clients

Alpha Bank


Amadeus


Stavros Niarchos Foundation


BIC


TUI Group


Deutsche Telekom


Citigroup


Tupperware


Travelport


Work highlights


  • Represented multinational petroleum company in the Supreme Court in a multi-million stamp duty dispute over a cash pooling scheme.
  • Advised Amazon on the Greek tax treatment of virtual and physical Power Purchase Agreements.
  • Assisted Citi’s banking operations with a full fledged tax advisory, tax compliance and transfer pricing services in Greece.

Bernitsas Law

Bernitsas Law advises on a vast range of matters, such as company structuring, estate planning, tax adjustments and accounting, ownership of assets and transfer pricing. Panayotis Bernitsas heads the practice and regularly assists its clients with tax structuring, tax controversies and wealth planning matters. Counsel Fotodotis Malamas has vast experience of handling all forms of direct and indirect tax matters, with a particular focus on personal tax liabilities and post-death planning matters.

Practice head(s):

Panayotis Bernitsas; Fotodotis Malamas


Testimonials

‘The team is highly professional and very much attentive to our needs and comments. The team is very responsive and keeps updated all the time. The team members are very nice.’

‘The team is professional, responsive and kind people to work with. Panayotis Bernitsas and Fotodotis Malamas are highly recommended.’

‘The team’s availability, professionalism, clear advice and instructions on the way forward.’

‘Fotodotis Malamas is an excellent professional, always advises on point and helps us go through the complicated greek tax legislation.’

‘Up-to-speed with latest legal developments, business-oriented solutions, great practical advice, value for money.’

‘Long-term cooperation and commitment, understanding of client’s needs, outstanding lawyers.’

Key clients

Apollo


CVC


Diesel SpA


Prodege


Work highlights


  • Advised Prodege LLC on the tax aspects of the acquisition of Pollfish Inc.
  • Advised a car manufacturer on tax and customs issues arising from their entry into the Greek electromobility market and the launch of electric vehicles charging services in Greece.
  • Advised two HNWI on their relocation to Greece under two different special tax regimes.

Fortsakis, Diakopoulos, Mylonogiannis & Associates Law Firm

Fortsakis, Diakopoulos, Mylonogiannis & Associates Law Firm‘s workload compasses tax litigation, tax planning, tax treatment and implication, with a particular focus on tax audits. The client base includes both domestic and cross-border corporates and banking institutions. Practice head Petros Pantazopoulos has vast experience of handling tax and customer-related litigation, along with ADR and is further assisted by Theodore Fortsakis . George Mylonogiannis is also a notable contact.

Practice head(s):

Petros Pantazopoulos


Other key lawyers:

Theodore Fortsakis; George Mylonogiannis


Testimonials

‘In-depth knowledge of tax legislation. Prompt response to requests and accurate analysis of complex tax legal issues.’

‘The team has excellent insight into Greek tax law. Kindness and availability of partners.’

‘The tax litigation of the firm provides robust advice and is pivotal in achieving positive results with favourable court decisions. The tax litigation department is very strong and excels.’

‘Petros Pantazopoulos is very prompt in his responses and provides very robust advice on tax issues and procedural queries. He is a skilful strategist, with in-depth and updated knowledge of all areas of tax law.’

Key clients

Alpha Bank SA


Vodafone-Panafon SA


Medochemie Hellas SA


DEPA SA


LAFARGE


ION


PAOK


Greek Church of Scientology


Work highlights


  • Represented Alpha Bank SA on the refund of a tax amount of €15m withheld on interest on bonds.
  • Advised Medochemis Hellas SA on a tax audit conducted on the Transfer Pricing Methodology applied by the Company.
  • Represented PAOK FC on the legality and limitation period of a tax audit conducted after the issuance of a tax certificate.

Kyriakides Georgopoulos Law Firm

Kyriakides Georgopoulos Law Firm‘s group handles all kinds of domestic projects, which includes corporate and personal tax advisory, structuring aspects and tax controversy. Panagiotis Pothos , who has expertise in assisting multinational investors with M&A-related tax issues and procurement projects, heads the practice and is further supported by Ioanna Bampra and Angeliki Miliakou. Emmanouela Baliafa Kolovetsiou and Nefeli Sianidou are also recommended.

Practice head(s):

Panagiotis Pothos


Other key lawyers:

Ioanna Barmpa; Angeliki Miliakou; Emmanouela Baliafa Kolovetsiou; Nefeli Sianido


Testimonials

‘High-quality professional advice is always provided. Kindness and prompt communication of the team even on stretched deadlines. Solution-oriented approach with robust/up-to-date legal background as a basis in all team members.’

‘Panagiotis Pothos is a very experienced tax law expert who leads projects in a customer-centred way, with a focus on providing customer-oriented solutions.’

Key clients

Generali


Mantis S.A.


Lightsource BP


Moosend


Beat Mobility Services


Online Delivery


Anixter


Starwood


Kafkas


Banca Farmafactoring SpA


Megara Resins


Allianz


Danone


Work highlights


  • Advised Mantis SA on several tax issues relating to its merger with Ecovium Holding Gmbh.
  • Advised shareholders/owners of Moosend on the sale of the Company’s shares to Sitecore, a multinational leading company in the field of technology.
  • Advised Danone on all tax and accounting aspects with regards to the merger effected through absorption of Danone SA by Numil Hellas SA.

Stavropoulos & Partners

Stavropoulos & Partners provides a comprehensive range of services on tax matters, such as transfer pricing, income tax, VAT and M&A-related tax treatments. Ioannis Stavropoulos heads the practice and regularly represents clients before Administrative courts on double taxation and transfer pricing issues. Vassiliki Michalopoulou focuses on custom duties and excise tax matters, while senior associate Evgenia Kousteni assists with the administrative procedures for unduly paid taxes refunds.

Practice head(s):

Ioannis Stavropoulos


Other key lawyers:

Vassiliki Michalopoulou; Evgenia Kousteni


Testimonials

‘The team consists of partners’ specializations which offers the benefit of covering complex and broader tax problems. The team knows exactly what each other is doing and how they can add value to the client.’

‘The individuals have in-depth knowledge of taxes as adapted in local and multinational framework, not only on an advisory but also on a practical approach (e.g. communicating effectively to tax authorities, courts, auditors etc.). They are approachable and eager to assist and propose feasible solutions to day-to-day problems. Vassiliki Michalopoulou’s wide practical experience, positive approach and result-oriented attitude stand out. Evgenia Kousteni’s efficient combination of knowledge of taxes & excellent communication skills with public authorities is an asset.’

‘The team has high expertise/ top job quality (litigation), efficiency, creative problem solving, focused on the result and works within tight time frameworks.’

‘The associate Evgenia Kousteni distinguishes for her high scientific expertise and willingness.’

‘Highly qualified team members, excellent service level, business integrity and reliability, great understanding of client’s particular needs, responsive and business-driven legal advice.’

‘Ioannis Stavropoulos is highly appreciated in the business community for his business sense, excellence in terms of knowledge, practice and capability of dealing with complex tax issues, holding an impressive track record of successful litigation in tax law cases.’

‘Team knowledge is deep on tax subjects. A cohesive team with a common understanding, team alignment and common goals.’

‘Stavropoulos & Partners law office shows the business partnership that each company wish to have on the legal cases. The experienced and professional personnel makes you feel confident about the cases. Also, they are available anytime for any discussion on the cases, and their support is noticeable. The team is accountable to succeed in any case that works on.’

Key clients

AGET Heracles (LafargeHolcim subsidiary)


Avin Oil


Brunello Cucinelli SpA


Bayer


Bureau Veritas


Campari


Coca-Cola HBC


Delta Foods


Dunapack Packaging (Prinzhorn Holding subsidiary)


Du Pont Group


Ekter SA


Elastika Michelin


Energean


FrieslandCampina


Galenica Pharmaceuticals


GSP Offshore SRL


Heineken/Athenian Brewery


Hellenic Recycling Company


Louis Vuitton


Love 2 Celebrate (Netbet subsidiary)


Luxottica


Minerva Pharmaceuticals


Motor Oil


Nestle


Novartis


Olvos Science Pharmaceutical Products


Olympia Group


Optima


Papastratos (member of Philip Morris Group)


Pfizer


Shell Company Hellas Limited


Toyota Motor Europe


Work highlights


  • Represented Friesland Campina Hellas in VAT and income tax assessment cases before the Supreme Administrative Court.
  • Represented a Shell Group subsidiary in litigation against VAT plus excessive fines assessment related to the right to deduct VAT in fuel supplies made by oil companies subject to a special VAT regime.
  • Represented FrieslandCampina Hellas S.A. in administrative proceedings for a client in the food and beverage sector seeking refund of VAT on bad debts incurred as a result of customer’s bankruptcy proceedings.

Andersen Legal - Pistiolis - Triantafyllos & Associates Law Firm

Andersen Legal - Pistiolis - Triantafyllos & Associates Law Firm handles contentious and non-contentious multi-jurisdictional tax matters for clients in the banking, IT, energy and real estate sectors. Martha Papasotiriou leads the practice and has vast expertise in handling corporate direct and indirect taxation matters, also double taxation matters.

Practice head(s):

Martha Papasotiriou


Testimonials

‘The practice is unique in terms of combining top professionalism with customer centricity and commitment to results. Potential clients should know that the practice is part of a very dynamic fast-growing and dynamic organisation (Andersen) with a global presence, thus having access to top know-how and resources, should these be required and of course following a modern and effective business model, organisation and processes.’

‘Stand out partner is Martha Ppapasotiriou. She is extremely committed to achieving results, very diligent in her work and always available to assist her clients.’

‘Very responsive team with good knowledge of tax laws. Also, demonstrate expertise in identifying all potential alternatives in cases of tax planning for new transactions’

‘The team is very familiar with local tax laws in relation to the special regime of the shipping sector.’

Key clients

IslaLink


Cooperative Bank of Thessaly


CENTRAL MARE


Gefsinous


GREEN TOP S.A.


Work highlights


  • Assisted V Ridium Power Group with a tax and financial due diligence for the acquisition of 9 companies.
  • Advised Myrmex Inc. on a stock option plan granted to its executives and employees.
  • Assisted Ultra High Net Wealth Individual with a tax audit.

KBVL

KBVL, a member of Deloitte Global Legal Network, regularly advises private sector clients on a wide range of non-contentious tax-related matters, including structuring, estate planning and VAT. On the contentious side, the team represents its clients before Administrative courts on issues of challenging the tax assessment, stamp duty and unduly paid taxes/VAT refund. Practice head Efstathios Bakalis has vast experience in providing tax advisory and tax compliance services. Co-head George Venieris is known for his expertise in inheritance and family wealth planning matters.

Practice head(s):

Efstathios Bakalis; George Venieris


Other key lawyers:

Vassiliki Tzoumani


Testimonials

‘The team is of professionals. No delays in any deadline and always excellent cooperation with them.’

‘Professionalism and knowledge of their work. I had the chance to cooperate mainly with Vassiliki Tzoumani – she is an excellent professional, always explaining everything in detail, and very polite.’

‘The team has immediate response to any legal issue you have to face. It knows to consult you and to give you substantiated answer to your question.’

‘The team is different from competitors in the reliability and validity of their advice. Also in their immediate response and action.’

‘The team is very well organized with no delays in delivering service and a strong theoretical and practical tax law background.’

‘Tax litigation team has a vast experience with the Greek tax regime and the practice of the Greek tax authorities. The team’s strengths include strong analytical skills, years of experience in the subject areas and a great ability to solve complex problems practically and sustainably. Based on an innovative tool that KBVL uses, we are informed automatically via an email about any update to our pending tax litigation cases.’

‘Efstathios Bakalis is one of most experienced and renowned tax litigators in Greece. He has successfully handled a great number of cases before the Greek Supreme Court, reforming the tax regime through the Court Decisions issued for those cases. His team consists of highly specialised lawyers, focused on guaranteeing first-class tax services, including tailor-made legal advice and support to meet the needs of every client.’

‘George Venieris is knowledgeable, provides to the point solutions quickly.’

Key clients

Qualco


Hellenic Diaries


Μεrck Sharp & Dohme Hellas


3M Hellas


Le Grand Tourism Enterprises


BSH Ikiakes Syskeves


Henkel Hellas


Work highlights


  • Represented BSH Hellas in tax litigation against multi-million corporate income tax, stamp duty and distribution tax assessments.
  • Represented Μerck Sharp & Dohme Hellas in tax litigation regarding VAT refund claims for hospital rebates before the Administrative Court of Appeal.
  • Advised 57 air traffic controllers of the Civil Aviation Authority in order to challenge the taxation of their compensation provided by Eurocontrol.

Iason Skouzos & Partners

The sizable team at Iason Skouzos & Partners has expertise in handling tax matters, including tax litigation, planning, and commercial claims for multinational clients. Theodoros Skouzos leads the practice and is further supported by corporate income tax expert Natalia Skoulidou . Elena Ntafouli  and Aikaterini Besini are also notable members.

Practice head(s):

Theodoros Skouzos; Natalia Skoulidou


Other key lawyers:

Elena Ntafouli; Aikaterini Besini


Testimonials

‘The team is very responsive, and has excellent understanding and retention of complex information.’

‘Empathetic with intelligent questions/perceptions and a real grasp of what the client is asking for.’

‘This practice has superior subject matter knowledge on Greek taxation. We found their review of tax provisions in our project financing; engineering, procurement and construction; and operation and maintenance agreements for Greek wind farms to be extremely thorough.’

‘Partner, Natalia Skoulidou, is able to identify all potential Greek tax considerations and distil down the requirements specific to the contract in layman’s terms.’

‘Iason Skouzos & Partners are highly skilled and very well positioned to support clients who either operate in Greece or want to move some/all of their operations to Greece.’

‘Theodoros Skouzos, Natalia Skoulidou and Aikaterini Besini have all been exceptional in their level of service, both in terms of the quality of the advice and the persistence and tenacity in which they have pursued to find answers to complex requests under time pressure.’

‘Strong in-country knowledge of complex tax matters and solutions delivered concisely and efficiently.’

‘Natalia Skoulidou is an expert in her field and has been of great assistance to us in understanding complex tax matters in the local market. She is responsive, innovative and proactive.’

Key clients

Nokia, Solutions and Networks Hellas S.A.


Reed Smith LLP


Refundit Ltd


Work highlights


  • Assisted Nokia S.A. with the successful implementation of the R&D tax incentives for years 2012-2020.

KLC Law Firm

KLC Law Firm handles both contentious and non-contentious matters for clients from various sectors, including agriculture, aviation, energy, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing. Practice head Xenofon Papayiannis regularly represents its clients before Greek administrative courts and the Supreme Court on issues such as tax audits, VAT and refunds of unduly paid taxes. Dora Kantartzi is also recommended.

Practice head(s):

Xenofon Papayiannis


Other key lawyers:

Dora Kantartzi


Testimonials

‘KLC law firm offers a significantly high level of service in terms of response time, business acumen/industry knowledge, appropriateness of the advice, strength-in-depth of team and value for money.’

‘Xenofon Papayiannis and Dora Kantartzi are being excellent legal advisors with numerous strengths and qualities such as correct judgement, analytical skills, creativity, perseverance and commitment.’

‘Excellent collaboration, very experienced and well-organised team.’

‘Dora Kantartzi is always available to provide excellent tax advice. Xenofon Papayiannis is a very qualified partner.’

Key clients

Athens International Airport


Edison SpA


Specifar /Teva Hellas S.A.


PYRAMIS


adidas S.A.


National Energy


Stichting Bootvluchteling


Lambadarios Law Firm

Lambadarios Law Firm covers all the matters, including tax treatment and implementation, structuring, tax litigation, inheritance and succession planning. Smaro Anagnostou has expertise in handling direct and indirect tax implications of local and cross-border transactions and financing techniques; she co-heads the practice with Melina Katsimi.

Practice head(s):

Smaro Anagnostou; Melina Katsimi


Testimonials

‘The team has legal, tax, administrative and language skills to communicate internationally.’

‘Team’s skills, flexibility and reliability are exceptional. A legal and tax specialist prepared to provide “full service” for clients abroad.’

‘The team is willing to support, able to name specialist (internal or external) if appropriate.’

‘Lambadarios has a team ready to cover any field, persons with expertise to specific legal issues – so you can be addressed to the more efficient associate. All team is eager to support timely providing you with all the help to understand the risks and minimize them. I feel very confident using their services.’

‘The feature that makes the individual stand out is that they do not need my reminder to provide the support, and they follow up until the case is closed. Smaro Anagnostou is one of the stand-out partners, which I fully trust and have personal respect for her legal opinion.’

‘My experience with the team is more than wonderful. The team provides a very satisfactory service overall. The customer is provided with full service in any factor of the requested issue.’

‘What makes the individual stand out is the willingness to give more than the requested things to satisfy the customer as much as possible. I feel confident when I collaborate with Smaro Anagnostou because I know that she will cover all aspects of the issue I will request her. She is clear, to the point and cited to the customer safety.’

Key clients

Whirlpool Hellas SA


Baker McKenzie


Epsilon Net


Sony – EMI


Disney – Fox


Goodyear


BriQ


Aman-Monterock joint venture


Align


Work highlights


  • Advised an investment fund on the tax issues related to the structuring, and implementation.
  • Advised Whirlpool Hellas, on its claim against Greek tax authorities regarding VAT refund on overdue receivables – bad debts.
  • Advised BriQ on profit distribution ratios, and extraordinary income – capital gains distribution.