Effective tax litigation and dispute resolution
In the event of a likely tax dispute, it’s crucial to immediately develop and implement the right strategy to reach a resolution. At what point do you enter into negotiations?
Do you proceed directly to litigation? Can you use other means as part of your defense, like filing a complaint with the European Commission?
Your challenges
Tax authorities in Belgium and internationally can audit your organisation at any time, in any country where you operate. They’re efficient, well organised and proficient in the use of technology.
In the event of an audit, the authorities request large amounts of data and can gather additional information from publicly available sources, other tax authorities (exchange of information) and government agencies (e.g. social security, labour) and if possible, from your organisation’s IT systems, emails and servers. This data is cross-checked against your reporting.
Whether an investigation is announced or not, you need to be prepared. Do you have a strategy in place? Are you aware that some disputes can be prevented by changing tax policies or interpretations?
How we can help
Our team of 16 experienced, technology-enabled tax lawyers specialised in dispute resolution and litigation is the largest of its kind in Belgium. We’ll help you prevent and/or manage a tax dispute. Unlike other law firms, we have access to expertise in VAT, direct tax, employment law, customs, transfer pricing and more, so we can assist throughout the entire dispute process, from pre-litigation through resolution. In the event of a cross-border dispute, we can leverage our extensive international Network.
We’ll help you prepare for an announced audit by developing a strategy based on current trends in the tax landscape, locally and internationally, as required. In case of an unannounced investigation, we’ll quickly dispatch our specialised tax lawyers together with a forensics team to assist you.
Finally, where disputes can be prevented at a Belgian or EU level through policy changes or infringements, we assess these and define and execute the strategy.
