Hall Of Fame

Next Generation Partners

Rising Stars

Firms To Watch: Tax: local firms

The tax practice at Morgan Lewis Stamford LLC is led by former lead counsel at the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, Kai Lee Lau, who focuses on matters concerning tax controversy, advisory and risk-management.

Tax: local firms in Singapore

Allen & Gledhill LLP

Counting domestic and international companies, including financial institutions, business trusts, real estate investments trusts, infrastructure-related entities and hedge fund managers, among its key roster of clients, Allen & Gledhill LLP advises on tax structuring, advisory and planning mandates, with additional experience in tax disputes with the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore. The team is led by Sunit Chhabra, who regularly advises clients on income tax, stamp duty and GST matters, while ‘seasoned tax adviserPek Bur Lim acts for ultra-high net worth clients on tax and wealth planning matters.

Practice head(s):

Sunit Chhabra


Other key lawyers:

Pek Bur Lim


Testimonials

‘The team handles a wide range of matters and is very knowledgeable about the laws and the requirements of the authorities. The team regularly engages with the authorities and has valuable insights on how the authorities view specific issues. The team is responsive and handles complicated issues confidently.’

‘Pek Bur Lim is a seasoned tax adviser who has an excellent understanding of the laws. She provides clear advice supported by years’ of experience. She is technically sound and does not shy away from complicated issues. Pek Bur communicates clearly on issues and works directly on matters at hand. It has been a pleasure working with Pek Bur and her team.’

Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow

Praised for its ‘strong technical knowledge and business acumen’, Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow handles the full range of contentious and non-contentious matters, from tax planning and wealth management to tax controversies, including mutual agreement procedures and bilateral advance pricing arrangements, tax litigation, indirect tax, transactional tax and transfer pricing. Commended for his ‘extensive industry knowledge’, team leader Allen Tan focuses on tax issues arising from corporate and supply chain reorganisations, foreign direct investments, transfer pricing and tax controversies. Senior associate Jeremiah Soh is another key name to note for tax appeals before the Singapore courts.

Practice head(s):

Allen Tan


Other key lawyers:

Jeremiah Soh; Lee Shih Hui


Testimonials

‘Allen Tan has extensive industry knowledge and is always generous in sharing ideas and experiences. He is responsive, reliable and client centric.’

‘The team has strong technical expertise. They are a dedicated and efficient team, who never fail to provide clients with quality advice.’

‘Allen Tan is an experienced individual in the field of tax.’

Drew & Napier LLC

Litigation powerhouse Drew & Napier LLC represents clients before tax tribunals and the Supreme Court in relation to goods and services tax, property tax and stamp duties, with additional experience advising on corporate tax advisory, enterprise tax risk management and private wealth planning mandates. Praised as ‘technically strong with great knowledge of clients’ businesses’, the team is led by Ong Ken Loon, who is well-versed in cross- border matters and handles tax disputes with the IRAS, representing clients in appeals before the Singapore courts. Ong Sim Ho maintains a robust tax disputes practice, while Yang Shi Yong is a key contact for task risk management, tax audits and tax investigation cases.

Practice head(s):

Ong Ken Loon


Other key lawyers:

Ong Sim Ho; Yang Shi Yong


Testimonials

‘Technically strong with great knowledge of clients’ businesses.’

‘Ong Sim Ho is technically strong with practical solutions.’

Work highlights


  • Successfully obtained favourable ruling from Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS), for a clean energy investment platform company, on a novel issue concerning interpretation of income tax legislation governing taxation of employee stock option plans.
  • Acting for a large bank before the Income Tax Board of Review, on issue concerning the characterisation of a sophisticated financial instrument as equity or derivative for tax purposes.
  • Advising a conglomerate with strong presence in food products on restructuring of the group and the tax implications arising therefrom, and transfer pricing issues.

Withers KhattarWong LLP

Praised as a ‘leading firm in Singapore for private wealth and tax planning matters’, Withers KhattarWong LLP is noted for its expertise in handling domestic and cross-border tax matters spanning real estate funds, commercial investments, renewable energy, logistics, infrastructure, residential and retail property, with additional experience advising high-net-worth individuals on matters concerning wealth management issues. Practice leader Eric Roose is well-versed in mandates concerning the tax aspects of cross-border M&A and investments, while Yeoh Lian Chuan is commended as ‘a brilliant mind and has a keen ability to provide creative solutions for particularly sticky situations’.

Practice head(s):

Eric Roose


Other key lawyers:

Yeoh Lian Chuan; Leon Kwong Wing; Charles Kwek


Testimonials

‘The Withers team provides detailed and well-thought responses.’

‘Yeoh Lian Chuan is a brilliant mind and has a keen ability to provide creative solutions for particularly sticky situations.’

‘Withers is a leading firm in Singapore for private wealth and tax planning matters. We had retained Withers to help us establish a presence in Singapore and received tremendous help from them in structuring and obtaining regulatory approvals. Their advice was immensely helpful.’

‘Leon Kwong Wing and Charles Kwek’s knowledge and expertise was extremely helpful.’

Key clients

PAG Real Estate Property Fund III


PAG Renewables Fund


FLOW Digital Infrastructure


Nuveen Alternative Living Fund


Work highlights


  • Acting as lead tax counsel for PAG Real Estate Property Fund III, a $2.8bn APAC real estate fund, investing in commercial, logistics, infrastructure, residential and retail property in the APAC region.
  • Acting as lead tax counsel for FLOW Digital Infrastructure.
  • Acting as the lead tax counsel for the PAG Renewables Fund.

Dentons Rodyk

Commended for its ‘breadth and depth of knowledge to advise on complex tax matters’, Dentons Rodyk specialises in handling tax planning, advisory and controversy mandates, and counts multinational corporations across the technology, manufacturing, real estate, shipping and financial services sectors among its key roster of clients. ‘Seasoned tax and trusts practitionerEdmund Leow SC leads the practice and handles a range of matters, from goods and services tax and stamp duty issues related to IRAS to cross-border tax planning, transfer pricing and tax disputes. Chun Ying Ng is an ‘excellent adviser’ to clients seeking advice on tax issues arising from the blockchain, distributed finance and technology arenas.

Practice head(s):

Edmund Leow SC


Other key lawyers:

Chun Ying Ng


Testimonials

‘The tax team at Dentons distinguishes itself from others particularly in the area of commercial awareness. Dentons offered pragmatic solutions, highlighting both legal and commercial considerations which were very helpful and made sure blind spots were thoroughly addressed.’

‘Chun Ying Ng is an excellent adviser. Her wealth of experience provides holistic and helpful counsel while guiding us through complex issues. Additionally, given that tax matters are often very closely intertwined with financial accounting considerations, Chun Ying’s excellent ability to appreciate accounting nuances is extremely valuable.’

‘Dentons has an unparalleled global network of lawyers. Through one point of contact, clients are able to access advisers located in another jurisdiction, especially for cross-border matters.’

‘The Dentons’ team has the breadth and depth of knowledge to advise on complex tax matters.’

‘Edmund Leow is a seasoned tax and trusts practitioner.’

‘Chun Ying Ng is a rising practitioner and has a lot of experience working with and advising multinational corporations on complex corporate tax matters and issues.’

Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP

Praised as an ‘excellent tax team, recognised as a leading practice amongst peers and the industry alike’, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP handles a broad range of mandates, from cross-border tax advisory and tax controversy to goods and services, in addition to stamp duty and property tax. An expert in tax disputes against the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, Vikna Rajah leads the practice and is ‘at the top of his game, achieving results for clients due to his strategic thinking and attention to detail’.

Practice head(s):

Vikna Rajah


Testimonials

‘Very efficient team, who know how to best use their expertise.’

‘Vikna Rajah is at the top of his game, achieving results for clients due to his strategic thinking and attention to detail.’

‘The team has diverse experience and carries out the assignments professionally.’

‘Vikna Rajah’s depth of knowledge makes the difference.’

‘Excellent tax practice, recognised as a leading practice amongst peers and the industry alike.’

‘Vikna Rajah’s outstanding reputation is well deserved. He stands out from the pack, is very commercial and understands how the tax authority and the courts will likely view complex issues.’

‘The team is proactive, thinks outside the box and helps the client to work towards a settlement which best serves the client’s interests.’

‘Vikna Rajah is an amazing individual. Extremely knowledgeable and cultured, client driven, efficient and friendly.’

Key clients

Herbalife International Singapore


Link Real Estate Investment Trust


Work highlights


  • Acted for Herbalife International Singapore in a novel area of law involving an issue of whether a discount given to a distributor amounts to a consideration for a supply of service.
  • Advised Link Real Estate Investment Trust, the largest investment trust in Asia, on tax structuring alternatives to achieve tax efficiency in a S$2.16 billion acquisition of two Singapore shopping malls.

Taxise Asia LLC (WTS Taxise)

Counting domestic and multinational companies, families and ultra-high-net-worth individuals among its key roster of clients, boutique firm Taxise Asia LLC (WTS Taxise) specialises in tax, international trade and transfer pricing, with demonstrable experience in handling advisory matters ranging from corporate tax, indirect and direct tax and tax controversies to M&A and international tax mandates. Eugene Lim, who has considerable expertise in international tax and trade matters, jointly leads the practice alongside ‘outstanding’ Irving Aw.

Practice head(s):

Eugene Lim; Irving Aw


Testimonials

‘Irving Aw is very clear in his advice.’

‘Customised service.’

‘They get the task done in a pragmatic way.’

‘Irving Aw is outstanding, he really listens to your specific challenges, explains the options well and takes pragmatic actions.’

WongPartnership LLP

The practice at WongPartnership LLP handles a mixture of transactional and contentious tax matters, including tax planning, stamp duty, goods and services tax and property tax, as well as advising clients on the tax aspects of debt financing, restructuring and real estate deals. Tan Kay Kheng leads the practice and is a key name for tax litigation.

Practice head(s):

Tan Kay Kheng


Key clients

HSBC Institutional Trust Services


First Sponsor Group


United Overseas Bank


ESR Cayman


Fraser Property Treasury Pte


Be Bright


Work highlights


  • Acted as Singapore tax counsel for Olam International on its outstanding debt capital markets obligations and its liability management exercise.
  • Advised The Bank of N.T Butterfield & Son on the Singapore legal and regulatory aspects of its purchase of Credit Suisse’s trust businesses in Singapore, the Bahamas and Guernsey.
  • Assisted Polestar with its merger with Gores Guggenheim at an approximate $20b enterprise valuation.

Pinsent Masons MPillay

The practice at Pinsent Masons MPillay advises ultra-high-net-worth individuals on private wealth and succession planning. Valerie Wu leads the team and provides regulatory advice to financial institutions, in addition to advising families looking to restructure their asset holding structures. Wu is also noted for her experience in representing clients before the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore.

Practice head(s):

Valerie Wu