Dr George Naskaris > Koutalidis Law Firm > Athens, Greece > Lawyer Profile

Dr George Naskaris

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Work Department

Tax

Position

Dr. George Naskaris is the head of our Tax Department. George is highly recognised by the market as one of the leading practitioners in the field of taxation and has vast experience that covers virtually all areas of tax law and taxation practice. George is also the permanent tax counsel of the Hellenic Bank Association (HBA).

Career

Recent work includes advice to:

• Viva Wallet on the agreement with J.P. Morgan to acquire an ownership stake of approximately 49% on a €1.5 billion valuation by JPM.
• Alpha Bank on the Greek tax aspects of its successful share capital increase of €800 million through a combined offering of shares by means of a private placement to institutional investors outside Greece and a public offering to retail and qualified investors in Greece,
• Alpha Bank on the Greek tax aspects of its successful demerger by way of transfer of its banking sector to a new banking entity, by supporting the Bank in strategic planning and legal matters,
• Alpha Bank on the Greek tax aspects of its Euro 500M Senior Preferred bond issuance which has a 6.5-year maturity and is callable in year 5.5 with a coupon of 2.5% and a yield of 2.625%. The bond is listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange – EuroMTF Market,
• The Joint Lead Managers in respect of the Greek tax aspects for the issuance by the Hellenic Republic of €3,000,000,000, 1.50 per cent Notes due 2030,
• Eurobank Ergasias S.A. with regards to the Greek tax aspects for the sale of 80% of the share capital of its subsidiary Eurobank Financial Planning Services to doValue S.p.A.,
• The four Greek systemic banks (Alpha Bank, Eurobank, the National Bank of Greece and Piraeus Bank) on Greek tax aspects of their entry into an innovative and ground-breaking servicing agreement with Italian credit institution doBank S.p.A.,
• Piraeus Bank S.A., Piraeus Leasing S.A. and Piraeus Leases S.A. on the Greek tax aspects of the joint sale of their NPL portfolios equivalent to c. €1,682 million of legal claims,
• A syndicate of Greek Banks on Greek tax law matters in connection with an up to €100m bond issue by Athens International Airport S.A. for the financing of five construction projects
• Alpha Bank S.A. on matters of Greek tax law on the successful issuance of a landmark Euro 500 million Tier 2 subordinated bond,
• The Joint Lead Managers on the Greek tax aspects of the Hellenic Republic’s issuance of €2,500,000,000, 1.875 per cent Notes due 2035, on the terms and conditions set out in the offering circular prepared by the Republic and dated 31st January 2020, on matters of Greek tax law,
• A consortium of Banks led by Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse on matters of Greek tax law in connection with a €500m fixed rate unsecured bond issue and tender for notes purchase​ launched by Hellenic Petroleum,
• A consortium of Banks led by Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan on matters of Greek tax law in connection with a €525m high yield bond issue by the WIND Hellas group and the signing of a new €75m revolving credit facility,
• The sellers, including the investment fund Southbridge Europe Mezzanine, on matters of Greek tax law in connection with the sale of Arivia group to Upfield,
• A Swedish multinational group, currently a global leader in the home and business appliance industry, in relation to the Greek tax law aspects of the group restructuring which involved separation and transfer of functions and assets and completed in September 2019,
• The Joint Lead Managers of the Hellenic Republic’s issuance of €2,500,000,000, 1.875 per cent Notes due 2026,
• Deutsche Bank AG, BNP Paribas and HSBC as Dealer Managers in the €206bn Private Sector Involvement (PSI) Programme of the Hellenic Republic for the restructuring of its sovereign debt; the largest sovereign debt restructuring up to date,
• Deutsche Bank AG on the Greek shares sale tax and capital gains tax upon a change of depositary or cancellation of DRs in a Depositary Receipt program, resulted to a change of relevant HELEX rules.
• Alpha Bank with respect to the sale of the Hilton hotel,
• Aegean Airlines, GE Capital Aviation on aviation tax law,
• Alpha Bank on its 2015 recapitalization,
• Alpha Bank in respect of the acquisition of the Citibank Greek retail banking and credit card business,
• Credit Agricole on the €5bn transfer of its Greek subsidiary Emporiki Bank SA,
• Hochtief AG on the disinvestment from the Athens International Airport S.A.

Recognitions

• Tax (Greece) (as a Band 1 ranked individual in Chambers and Partners – 2021)
• Private Wealth Law – 2021 (Greece) (as a Band 1 ranked individual in Chambers and Partners)
• Tax (Greece) (as a Band 3 ranked individual in Chambers and Partners – 2020)
• Private Wealth Law (as a Band 1 ranked individual in Chambers and Partners High Net Worth)

The 2020 Chambers reports describe:

• New to the rankings, George Naskaris is recognised for his “broad knowledge”. He advises banks on the tax aspects of NPL transactions and notes issuances, including corporate income tax, withholding tax, VAT and stamp duties. He is also noted for his activity in tax disputes.

The 2019 Legal500 reports describe:

• Koutalidis Law Firm has a comprehensive practice that is well-versed in estate planning, tax disputes and the structuring of corporate finance transactions, both for banks and other businesses. Tax expert George Naskaris leads the team.

The Chambers and Partners High Net Worth provides:

• George Naskaris is an experienced tax lawyer and deals with domestic and overseas matters for high net worth clients. “He has broad experience and assists a lot of HNWI Greek clients in cross-border related matters,” explains a market insider, who adds: “He is always a pleasure to work with as well and I can highly recommend George.”

Languages

Greek, English and French.

Memberships

Member of the Tax Committee of the Athens Bar Association

Member of the Piraeus Bar Association; admitted 1996

Education

University of Athens, Law School (Ph.D in Tax Law (Dr. juris), 2013)

University of Lancaster (LL.M. in International Law and International Relations, 1995)

University of Athens, Law School (LL.B., 1994)

The American College of Greece (B.Sc. in Business Administration, 1992)