England - London Bar
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Tax: VAT and excise

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Pump Court Tax Chambers

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Pump Court Tax Chambers offers ‘high-quality barristers from top to bottom’, able to provide expertise in both advisory and contentious matters. Members have experience in the Upper Tribunal, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court, and cover issues relating to stamp duty, early termination payments, and input tax recovery, among a broad range of other mandates. David Milne KC and Andrew Hitchmough KC are highly regarded in the space, as is Kevin Prosser KC, who was recently active for ING Bank in a case before the Court of Appeal on a VAT issue relating to the bank’s deposit-taking service. James Rivett KC maintains a broad tax practice, and has been particularly active in the life sciences sector, while Rupert Baldry KC covers indirect tax cases in all forms, including customs duties and stamp taxes. Jeremy White is a notable expert in matters relating to customs and international trade. Zizhen Yang supplements her VAT practice with strength in landfill tax matters, and appeared as sole counsel for the taxpayer in The Prudential Assurance Company v HMRC, a case relating to the VAT grouping regime which was before the Court of Appeal in early 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'The clerks are always helpful and responsive, which is crucial when dealing with time-sensitive matters.'
  • 'They are top of their game.'
  • 'Superb service generally.'
  • 'I have been impressed with the variety of strengths across the barristers of Pump Court Tax Chambers.'
  • 'Pump Court Tax Chambers is well-known for its impressive barristers.'
  • 'Pump Court is obviously a strong set for VAT work, with excellent senior and junior Counsel at all levels.'
  • 'The set has high quality barristers from top to bottom and can deal with all types of tax matters.'
  • 'The go-to set for weighty tax disputes.'

Silks

Leading Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
2023 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.
Michael Thomas KC
Pump Court Tax Chambers
‘Michael is great to work with – very user-friendly, great at explaining complex new concepts both to the lawyers and lay client.’
2024 Silks
KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

Juniors

Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.