ADMD/Mavioglu & Alkan Law Office's tax practice is praised for its ‘excellent skills, deep knowledge and experience, combined with personal service’. The practice is a key name for clients in the real estate, automotive, IT, construction and energy sectors and advises local and foreign companies covering both advisory and controversy work, including tax planning, tax-related M&A, foreign investments, tax audits, tax incentive programmes, and litigation. Duygu Alkan heads the team, closely supported by Orhan Yavuz Mavioglu and Mine O. Tamusta, who offers additional expertise in transactional tax-related matters.
Tax in Turkey
ADMD/Mavioglu & Alkan Law Office
Practice head(s):
Duygu Alkan
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Yavuz Mavioglu’s knowledge and network on tax issues is unparalleled.’
‘Excellent skills, deep knowledge and experience combined with personal service.’
‘Yavuz Mavioglu is always precise, across the board with understanding of technical issues, superbly responsive, brilliant and proactive.’
‘Yavuz Orhan Mavioglu is a very qualified and experienced consultant with deep knowledge on tax issues as well.’
‘Mine Tamusta is very accessible and experienced.’
‘Great heavy-weight firm with outstanding reputation but also easy to access and to work with.’
‘Yavuz Mavioglu is our main handler, he stands out with his diligent and solution-oriented approach to most sophisticated issues and he offers the most cost and time-efficient solution all the time and manages his team for us to get the result intended in a very short time.’
‘Mr. Mavioglu is one of the leading experts on transactional taxation. His structured approach is supported by his skilled team.’
Key clients
Amdocs
IFS
Jato Dynamics
Lexmark
Misirli
Mitsui Bussan
National Instruments
NorthgateArinso
Steigenberger
Telecom Italia Sparkle
Work highlights
- Represented Mitsui Bussan in a VAT-based tax inquiry concerning over-the-counter cash-settled derivatives for oil.
- Providing due diligence, takeover, and equity investment options in distressed tourism operations and assets in Turkey for Morizon.
- Advised Remington Seeds on the tax structuring of a new investment in Turkey in form of a JV.
Esin Attorney Partnership, a Member Firm of Baker McKenzie Inter
Esin Attorney Partnership, a Member Firm of Baker McKenzie International, a Swiss Verein's team stands out for its ‘really good expertise and experience in the tax practice’. Led by the ‘responsive, detail-focused and result-oriented’ Erdal Ekinci, the team works for an impressive roster of clients, including leading tech companies, covering tax audits, disputes, transfer pricing, and planning. Other areas of expertise include tax-related M&A, tax restructuring, wealth management, employee benefits, and international taxation. Senior associate Orhan Pala brings in key support to the practice, mainly regarding tax litigations and inspections, but also with tax planning and group restructurings in a wide range of industries.
Practice head(s):
Erdal Ekinci
Other key lawyers:
Orhan Pala
Testimonials
‘Erdal Ekinci and Orhan Pala: Extremely knowledgeable, business acumen, responsive, aware of international mechanics (i.e. not just locally focused).’
‘Tax team of Esin Attorney Partnership is technically highly qualified and experienced in practice.’
‘The communication of the individuals with the clients are always at top levels and they earn trust quickly as they always prepared, ready to help and cooperate.’
‘I believe the team I have worked with have been very professional and clear in the communication. Also I believe they demonstrated really good expertise and experience in the tax practice.’
‘Available and efficient.’
‘Excellent team and the tax partner on the account is very knowledgeable and comes up with practical advice.’
‘The tax partner on our account is always available, gives practical advice and is aware of the risk profile of our business and is very well recognized in the industry.’
‘Erdal Ekinci has an in-depth knowledge and experience in this field. He is responsive, detail focused and result oriented.’
GSG Attorneys at Law/GSG Hukuk
Working under the umbrella of the PwC Global network, GSG Attorneys at Law/GSG Hukuk is a preferred choice for notable international clients, including digital economy companies, for its tax advisory practice and its dispute resolution capabilities, where it is ‘one of the best firms in tax litigation’. The practice is jointly headed by Zeki Gündüz and Ezgi Turkmen, and has a broad experience handling matters before Turkey’s tax and customs authorities, as well as ‘great expertise, especially with US entertainment and tech companies’. Director Gulcan Caliskan, and manager Oyku Ocal are other key names.
Practice head(s):
Zeki Gunduz; Ezgi Turkmen
Other key lawyers:
Oyku Ocal; Gulcan Caliskan
Testimonials
‘GSG Attorneys is one of the best firms in tax litigation. Their legal knowledge and experience are exceptional.’
‘Zeki Gunduz stands out as one of the experts in tax litigation which is also accepted by the other tax litigators.’
‘Ms Öykü Öcal is not only reliable and responsible, she is also an active listener and problem solver.’
‘Ezgi Turkmen and Öykü Ocal: great expertise, especially with US entertainment and tech companies, and experience; excellent knowledge of Turkish law and how to translate to foreign companies, pragmatic solutions. Overall, great sparring partner.’
‘The team is agile, flexible and remains up-to-date in a highly volatile tax practice environment.’
‘Their network of interdisciplinary practitioners from various areas such as Customs, Tax, Commercial Law, Finance, Accounting provides a multidimensional perspective for complex issues.’
‘Excellent communication skills both internally and with the client directly.’
‘Provides both technical knowledge and practical advice based on extensive experience with the issues and how other companies are addressing it.’
‘Ezgi and her team have been a joy to work with and the client has appreciated her practical approach and extensive experience. She demonstrates great business acumen in understanding how the client approaches tax controversy.’
NAZALI Attorney Partnership
Boutique firm NAZALI Attorney Partnership houses a ‘wide range of tax experts specialised in different areas of Turkish tax law’ who cover a broad range of matters, including investigations, domestic and international tax restructuring, as well as litigation, particularly in the areas of transfer pricing and VAT. The team is jointly headed by Ersin Nazali, who ‘guides clients with his deep tax know-how’; senior associate Begüm Solak Ekler, who has a focus on tax inspections and litigation; and fellow senior associate Gözde Saruhan Berk.
Practice head(s):
Ersin Nazalı; Begüm Solak Ekler; Gözde Saruhan Berk
Testimonials
‘Their attitude is excellent.’
‘Their team is quite expert on their business.’
‘Nazali team works very well and rapidly finds different alternatives about our needs for different issues that we confront in a very short time.’
‘We trust their experience and further industry practices for different tough business cases that we have faced.’
‘Ersin Nazali has a long tax law application practice as a tax inspector as well as expertise in the tax law suits and other partners are also senior professionals in their responsible areas that enables us as an multinational company to evaluate the topics from different angles and do international comparisons.’
‘Nazali team has solid knowledge about their expertise areas.’
‘Ersin Nazali guides clients with his deep tax know-how.’
‘Harmonization of legal experts distinguished the law firm in the tax law practice area.’
Key clients
Abbott Laboratuarları İth. İhr. Ve Tic. Ltd. Şti.
LG Electronics Ticaret Anonim Şirketi (LG)
Forever Living Sağlık ve Güzellik Ürünleri Dağıtım Ltd. Şti.
TetraPak Paketleme Sanayi ve Ticaret Ltd. Şti.
Mondi Kalenobel Ambalaj San. ve Tic. A.Ş.
Yemek Sepeti Elektronik İletişim Perakande Gıda Lojistik A.Ş.
Roche Müstahzarları Sanayi A.Ş.
SUMMIT STEEL
Leaseplan Otomotiv Servis ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
Nordex Enerji A.Ş.
Equant İstanbul Telekom A.Ş.
ASUS Bilgisayar Sistemleri Ticaret Ltd. Şti.
Atradius Credit Insurance N.V.
Eczacıbaşı Holding A.Ş.
GAMA Enerji A.Ş.
CMS Jant ve Makina Sanayi A.Ş.
Doğuş Çay ve Gıda Group Companies
Mobilike Mobil Reklam Pazarlama ve Ticaret A.Ş.
Yıldırım Holding A.Ş.
BİM BİRLEŞİK MAĞAZALAR ZİNCİRİ A.Ş.
Madosan Market Donanım Çelik Eşya Tarım Hayvancılık Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi
YAŞAR HOLDING A.Ş.
ORKA HOLDİNG A.Ş.
HOTELRUNNER Group
Vansan Makina Montaj ve Pazarlama A.Ş.
Polimer Kauçuk Sanayi ve Pazarlama A.Ş.
Work highlights
- Advised LG Electronics on tax due diligence and supervised its transfer pricing structure and represented them during a tax litigation process.
- Restructured the group companies for Yemek Sepeti.
- Acted for Roche TR during a tax inspection and before tax courts in its tax litigation process.
Bezen & Partners
Bezen & Partners houses a ‘very competent and time efficient’ tax team, which has ‘a great knowledge of tax regulations’. The practice, headed by Serdar Bezen and of counsel Ege Göktuna, handles a range of domestic and international tax mandates including corporate tax, VAT, customs duties, as well as tax litigation, customs disputes, and other related disputes and controversies. Clients include companies from the financial services, construction, chemicals, IT, retail and energy sectors
Practice head(s):
Serdar Bezen; Ege Göktuna
Testimonials
‘The team was very competent and time efficient.’
‘If I had to carry out a new transaction in Turkey I would definitely contact Bezen & Partners again.’
‘The team has a great knowledge of tax regulations.’
Key clients
Akkuyu Nükleer A.Ş.
EBRD
Trina Solar
Transmark Renewables
Udemy
YUM! Brands Inc.
Gedik Investment
Enercon GmbH
Guess
Kering
Hitachi Zosen AG
Work highlights
- Advising Hitachi Zosen Inova on tax issues arising from its corporate structuring with its JV partner regarding the construction of a waste incineration and energy generation plant with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
- Advising Akkuyu NGS Elektrik Üretim on all legal matters in relation to the implementation of the Akkuyu NPP project.
- Advising China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited on a JOLCO transaction in Turkey which included tax advice and tax structuring.
Hergüner Bilgen Özeke
The practice at Hergüner Bilgen Özeke is particularly strong on the contentious front, and has a solid record advising on VAT, real estate-related tax and transfer pricing. Of late, the team headed by Ayşe Hergüner Bilgen, who also leads the dispute resolution practice and is skilled in transfer pricing litigation, has increased its activity handling cases arising from the valuable house tax. Counsel Zaman Özer is another key name. Emre Urgin left the firm.
Practice head(s):
Ayşe Hergüner Bilgen
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
LM Wind Power Blades Turkey
Work highlights
- Representing LM Wind in a suit against the Tax Office for VAT claims.
Penezoglu Law Firm
Founding partner Yusuf Gokhan Penezoglu heads the tax practice at Penezoglu Law Firm, which garners praise for its ‘good communication skills and practical solutions’. His practice has a particular expertise representing national and multinational corporations during tax inspection and tax dispute resolution processes, as well as in matters related to taxation of the digital economy.
Practice head(s):
Yusuf Gökhan Penezoğlu
Testimonials
‘They know what is required to give the best service.’
‘Good communication skills and practical solutions.’
Özdirekcan Dündar Senocak Attorney Partnership
Operating as the Turkish arm of Gide Loyrette Nouel, Özdirekcan Dündar Senocak Attorney Partnership handles the tax aspects of M&A transactions, greenfield investments, banking and finance and capital market transactions as well as tax structuring and customs-related issues. The team, which is headed by Bülent Özdirekcan, has also increased its involvement in tax controversy and litigation matters.
Practice head(s):
Bulent Ozdirekcan
Key clients
Akgıda (Lactalis Group)
Alchem
Allflex (Mercx Group)
BNP Paribas
Cuatrecasas Law Firm
Dream Yachts
Getinsa
Global Enerji
H & M
Idom Spain
Immfly
JKX Oil & Gas
Levi Strauss Co
Limagrain
Loyens & Loeff
Maisto E Associeti
Midis Group
Monnoyeur
Saint-Gobain
Société Générale
Stepinvest SAS
Suez
Vinci Construction