Tax in Lithuania
Ellex
Ellex assists clients with international tax planning, structuring businesses and tax disputes. Gintaras Balcius, who is 'very professional and experienced in tax matters', leads the team, which also includes Ruta Svedarauskiene. Both practitioners are advising Orbis SA on the tax aspects of the separation of the client's hotel service management business and its sale to Accor.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Ellex colleagues with whom I have worked can be described as experts. I really appreciate the quick and detailed answers. I feel they have a genuine desire to help.’
‘The tax team’s strengths are oriented to our company’s business needs. It provides prompt and clear advice, offers innovative solutions and flexibility in service pricing.’
‘In my view, compared with other law firms, Ellex’s tax team has much deeper specialisation and proficiency in the tax field.’
‘Ellex tax team stands out for its outstanding ability to solve complex tax disputes. But most importantly, it has a balanced team with different kind of experts in fields such as local legislation, international taxation, transfer pricing and accounting. It is well-known for being able to successfully represent clients’ needs in the most professional manner in front of state authorities.’
‘We have been working with Ellex for almost 15 years. For all tax questions, we received answers in a very professional manner. All tax disputes were resolved in our favour.’
‘I had the pleasure of working with Gintaras Balcius and Ruta Svedarauskiene. I consider Balcius to be the most experienced tax expert in the Lithuanian market. His outstanding personality, critical thinking, ability to explain complicated tax issues in easy to understand terms and ability to always deliver creative and business-oriented solutions make him stand out from other competitors.’
‘Exceptional strengths of Ruta are her very friendly personality, professional communication skills, strong analytical thinking, business understanding and close attention to detail.’
‘We work with Gintaras Balcius who is very professional and experienced in tax matters.’
‘I believe Gintaras Balcius and Ingrida Keme are worth mentioning as exceptional experts in a tax field. They perfectly understand not only comprehensive and mostly international tax issues of our business, but also our day-to-day work and are truly business minded. We value the effective and prompt communication that we receive from them.’
Key clients
SIEMENS
Modus group
Pfizer Group
Johnson&Johnson
Hollister Lietuva
Work highlights
- Advising UAB Sicor Biotech – a leading pharmaceutical company in the Baltics – on tax related matters concerning a cross-border transfer of employees.
- Advising state-owned energy enterprise UAB Lietuvos Energija on the acquisition of a portfolio of three operating wind farms in Lithuania.
- Advising Laurus Properties on the third largest transaction of retail property sale in Lithuania in year 2018.
Sorainen
Sorainen's team has expertise in transfer pricing matters, tax disputes and tax-compliant structuring. It is 'competent, professional and customer orientated.' The group is led by the 'business-minded' Saulė Dagilytė, who has experience of performing tax reviews, representing clients in disputes, and handling direct and indirect taxation issues for both Lithuanian and foreign clients. Senior associate Rasa Mikutienė is a VAT expert and also acts on a wide array of other tax issues.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘The overall impression is extremely positive. We have been working with the Sorainen tax team for a while and we are very satisfied. The firm has strong and experienced professionals and the client service is on a very high level.’
‘Sorainen combines strong technical knowledge with a detailed understanding of tax authority procedures – and the combination of these two makes the firm stand out in comparison to Big Four accountancy firms.’
‘I think the tax team in Sorainen is one of the best tax teams in the country, at par with the big 4 consultancy firms.’
‘Competent, professional and customer orientated.’
‘Saule Dagility is a very business minded lawyer always providing practical advice.’
‘Rasa Mikutiene provides consistently strong client service – pro-active in moving matters forward, and provides quick and comprehensive responses.’
Key clients
Volfas Engelman
Layher Baltic
DevBridge
Lords LB Asset Management
Nordcurrent
Work highlights
- Conducted analysis for a design and printing services company on possible employee benefit structures similar (and, to a certain extent, an alternative) to employee share options, and assisted the client with obtaining a ruling confirming the favourable tax treatment of the structured benefit schemes.
- Advised American television giant HBO and Sky Atlantic on contractual and tax matters in respect of co-producing the highly acclaimed TV mini-series Chernobyl that was shot in Lithuania.
- Provided full legal and tax support in structuring and incorporating Iron Wolf Capital Fund, a €25m-€30m fund.
Cobalt
Fielding 'a wide selection of professionals', Cobalt acts on cross-border tax matters, real estate-related tax work and tax litigation. The practice is led by the 'knowledgeable and professional' Rokas Daugėla, who assisted Corum with all tax matters related to the acquisition of property in Lithuania. Senior associate Nerijus Jurkus handles tax litigation and also provides non-contentious tax support to corporate clients.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Wide selection of professionals, prompt service, professional representation in all areas, a wide range of services – from consulting, training in court representation.’
‘Cobalt team always goes the extra step for clients. It is different to other firms; it steps into the shoes of the client, and provides super-relevant and far-reaching insights.’
‘If you have international taxation, M&A and corporate tax-related questions, this is the number one team to approach.’
‘Excellent knowledge of the field in which he is represented, professional behaviour, problem solving, high quality, comprehensive and prompt response to questions, presentation of information. Marius Inta and Rokas Daugela are high level professionals.’
‘Tax partner Rokas Daugela should be noted. Knowledgeable and professional, always very quick to respond.’
‘Rokas Daugela is a fast thinker; he is always two steps ahead, so it is a pleasure to have discussions with him. Also, he is very responsive, which makes communication easier.’
Key clients
Linas Agro Group
Northern Horizon Capital
Bennet Distributors
Devbridge
East West Agro
Work highlights
- Advised Luminor Bank on all tax matters related to the combination of operations in the Baltic states into one legal entity. The work included assisting the client with evaluating tax risks and implications of the planned cross-border merger, as well as liaising with the tax authorities on various operational tax and compliance matters.
- Represented Skonis ir kvapas – one of the largest distributors of coffee, tea and tobacco products in Lithuania – in a high-profile tax dispute against the Lithuanian tax authorities.
- Assisted Orion Asset Management with all tax matters related to the acquisition of commercial real estate property in Vilnius.
WALLESS
WALLESS 'professional and reliable team' operates at a national and international level, where it handles tax structuring, disputes and compliance issues for clients. The group is led by the 'dedicated' and 'business-minded' Aiste Medeliene, who is advising Estonian bank Inbank on tax issues associated with its acquisition of Mokilizingas from shareholders LHV Group and Lithuanian entity Inovatyvus Prekybos Sprendimai. International tax structuring expert Mindaugas Lukas, who is noted for his 'creative and innovative' approach, is another key figure in the team.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Professional and reliable team, always keep friendly and productive atmosphere.’
‘WALLESS is a great example of a hard-working, focused team. They not only work within their team, you feel fully involved in specific issues, you work together to find the best possible solution, this makes them unique, since they set no boundaries to achieve client’s goals.’
‘The team of Walless is very special and united. It gives a feeling that everyone is eager to take responsibility in solving your issues with a very dedicated team leader led by Aiste Medeliene.’
‘Tax team at Walless stands out for its business-minded and comprehensive approach.’
‘Team main strength is the ability to deal with advisory work on transactions and day to day matters, tax disputes and perform tax due diligence. This gives exceptional combination of knowledge and experience in various fields. Their advice or conclusion is always practical, covering all respective pros and cons, assessment of historical and future tax risks, as well as possible alternatives. Partners in the team each have their own field of expertise and tend to find optimal balance in complementing each other.’
‘Their strengths are their deep professional knowledge and vast experience. They not only see the solution, but also possible future outcomes of every step you make as they are highly experienced in tax compliance and tax disputes.’
‘Aiste Medeliene – very smart, business minded and available 24/7 .’
‘Mindaugas Lukas has deep understanding of cross-border tax issues and is very good at structuring.’
‘Aiste Medeliene is very dedicated, responsible and accountable to deliver on time and with high quality.’
‘Mindaugas Lukas is a creative, innovative and open-minded tax adviser, highly experienced in international tax matters.’
‘Aiste Medeliene seems to be a real master of taxation disputes.’
‘Aiste Medeliene, head of the tax team, is a trusted and highly praised tax lawyer in the market. She is recognised for her both practical and profound approach to the client’s matter. She is responsible, hard-working and, at the same time, innovative. She has strong intuition for what could or could not work for the client. She is obviously number one for tax disputes in Lithuania.’
‘Mindaugas Lukas, recently became tax partner at Walless, and he is well trusted for finding unexpected and innovative approach to deal with most complex tax situations. His experience and professional skills clearly benefits to client’s needs. If you have a tax question with no possibilities, he will find the one. He is very creative professional. We feel safe and that everything will go smoothly when Mindaugas takes our case.’
Key clients
AUGA group
Eastnine
Telia Lietuva
Swedbank Life Insurance
Charter Jets
Work highlights
- Representing oil trading company Enteco Baltic in a multi-million tax dispute on import VAT matters in Lithuanian courts and the CJEU.
- Advised UAB Lifestyle Trade on tax issues connected with the activities of its Latvian branch.
- Advised a retiring individual from Germany on the steps to be carried out in relation to re-domiciliation to Lithuania. Assisted with dealings with the tax authorities.
GLIMSTEDT Bernotas & Partners
GLIMSTEDT Bernotas & Partners has a 'professional, open and friendly' team, which assists with tax compliance issues, tax disputes and business reorganisations. The practice is led by Artūras Bakšys, who is experienced in international transactions, and generates mandates from domestic and international clients. Another key figure is senior associate Edvard Gasperskij, who is knowledgeable about tax optimisation, company group formation and tax aspects of reorganisations. Jolita Čėsnė is an expert in direct and indirect taxation.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Good communication. They have Polish-speaking lawyers, which is an advantage. Professional, open and friendly. Go-to firm in Lithuania.’
‘Edvard Gasperskij is our key point of contact. Very good lawyer, good communication, open-minded. We communicate in English, but he also speaks Polish, which is sometimes convenient and appreciated by our clients. I would highly recommend Edvard for any corporate or tax-related issues.’
Key clients
ABC Data Sp z o.o.
Clean Solutions, UAB
MARUTA WACHTA SP.J.
UAB Lignineko
Work highlights
- Advised Maruta Wachta SPJ on tax issues associated with the cross-border merger of Lithuanian, Polish and Latvian entities into a sole Lithuanian company .
- Advised Clean Solutions on the tax aspects of a restructuring of business activities, optimisation of employment costs for more than 400 employees and other ongoing taxation issues.
- Advising Kignineko on tax aspects of the acquisition of a biofuel factory in Kaliningrad.
Motieka & Audzevicius
Motieka & Audzevicius' 'very creative and intelligent' team is particularly noted for its work on tax disputes, but it is also sought out to advise on tax restructuring. Senior associates Mantas Juozaitis and Edvinas Lenkauskas lead the tax group. In one mandate, Juozaitis and Ramūnas Audzevičius advised several private individuals (including Mikhail Basin) on international taxation of royalty income. Lenkauskas, who is 'an innovative lawyer', is knowledgeable about tax issues relating to sectors such as e-commerce and digital marketing.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Tax and corporate law experts of this firm are very well-educated with a very good track record. They have a global perspective of matters and are able to pinpoint issues that are unnoticed by others.’
‘Motieka & Audzevicius’ tax law team (particularly Edvinas Lenkauskas) is very creative and always thinks outside of the box. It always gives maximum comfort to the client by providing convenient solutions. The group is exceptional because it usually combines tax law advice with relevant business advice. Also, their academic achievements are outstanding.’
‘Giedrius Kolesnikovas has a longstanding reputation as an efficient and creative lawyer. I can confirm this to be very much true. Mantas Juozaitis, who is a senior associate in the tax department, is the one to approach if you have serious tax questions. With those two guys in the room you can feel safe that any transaction will sail smoothly.’
‘Senior associate Edvinas Lenkauskas is definitely the name to note! He is different from competitors because he is an innovative tax lawyer who specializes in tax issues of e-commerce, digital marketing and affiliate networks. Also, he is good on tax structuring because he has experience in various tax jurisdictions. Finally, he always up to date the client on recent developments in the tax field.’
Key clients
Publicum Group
Kenova Asset Management
Armos
70 Ventures
Skycop
Work highlights
- Represented Linas Agro at the Court of Justice of the European Union in a dispute with Lithuanian customs authorities.
- Advising Polish IT group Kontomierz on transfer pricing issues.
- Advised Brolis Semiconductors on the tax aspects of a restructuring process involving companies across the EU.
TGS Baltic
TGS Baltic's practice covers tax work connected with private equity and venture capital fund structuring, real estate transactions, tax controversies, cross-border tax planning and issues related to cryptocurrencies and blockchain. The head of the team is Robertas Degesys, whose wide-ranging expertise includes tax structuring of business operations, tax optimisation of cross-border income flows, transfer pricing and avoidance of double taxation. Tax consultant Loreta Antanaitienė has experience of advising on international reorganisations, corporate domiciles and tax disputes.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘I worked with Loreta Antanaitienė, who’s been hired to help us defend ourselves against the Lithuanian tax authorities. In my opinion, she has the following strengths: she knows local tax laws and the treatment of them, has good knowledge of European tax cases (and connects them to our situation) and knows how the tax authorities think.’
Key clients
AB Lietuvos paštas
Light Conversion
Cargobull Finance A/S
AB Klaipėdos nafta
Hostinger
LEADELL Balčiūnas & Grajauskas
LEADELL Balčiūnas & Grajauskas advised the International Chamber of Commerce Tax Commission of The Lithuanian Business Confederation over new changes to tax law. Elsewhere, the firm assists other clients with tax issues associated with global restructuring projects and transfer pricing, among other matters. Managing partner Marius Grajauskas, who is the head of the team, is chairman of the board of the Association of the Lithuanian Tax Advisors, and represents its interests in meetings with the Financial Ministry of Lithuania. Senior associate Artūras Liutvinas is noted for his experience of direct tax and VAT matters.
Practice head(s):
Key clients
The Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists
The Association of the Lithuanian Tax Advisors
Achema
Public Estate of Ivar Opsahl
Metoil
Work highlights
- Regularly advise bankruptcy administrators of insolvent credit unions on tax issues.
- Advising the estate of a deceased Norwegian citizen on property and tax arrears in Lithuania.
- Providing legal advice to the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists on the procedures of consideration of legislative proposals which significantly increases environmental taxes.
PwC Legal
PwC Legal's team of 'experienced professionals' acts for clients in tax disputes, audits and investigations, inbound and outbound investments, and tax structuring, among other areas. Rokas Bukauskas heads up the team, which includes Inga Čeledinė. The group generates work from clients in sectors such as financial services, real estate, chemicals and energy. Senior tax consultant Greta Liutkute departed for WALLESS.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Experienced professionals, knowing tax law in details, able to contribute to the cases and arguments. Able to suggest and sell right strategy for the case. High and constant level of engagement in the case. Everyone from the team is always on top of things, effectively sharing information.’
‘Good understanding of business practices, listening to customer needs, quick response to any changes.’
Key clients
Bitė Lietuva
Work highlights
- Advised Bitė Lietuva and Tele2 on tax issues associated with the creation of a joint venture to share Radio Access Network (RAN) in Lithuania and Latvia.