Tax

Few law firms in Ethiopia can stake claim to having the knowledge and experience our lawyers possess in Ethiopian tax law and practice including international taxation. Our lawyers can be counted upon to advise clients on tax optimization of investments and business restructurings from the moment of entry into Ethiopian investment market to the final exit. We also represent and defend our clients against adverse tax assessments all the way from the inception of tax audits to the highest appellate courts in the country. We work with our clients in developing tested strategies for mitigation of future adverse tax assessments. At TBeST Law, we also assist our clients on their Customs related issues including providing advice on the import-export procedures including identification of applicable customs duties and taxes and representation on adverse decisions of the Customs Authorities.

Our services include:

Due diligence

• Conducting tax due diligence to ensure that all tax payments are current in all types of applicable taxes in Ethiopia;
• Evaluating target company’s past and ongoing tax audits to see what prompted these tax audits and their impacts on the contemplated transaction;
• Assessing the target company’s international tax obligations including checking whether payments made require any withholding;

Consultancy

• Providing relevant and tailored information and advice to help clients get ample working knowledge of the Ethiopian tax system and help them minimize their future tax liabilities;
• Effective communication with clients to explain their complex tax issues
• Providing clear, helpful and practice oriented answers to our clients’ tax and customs laws related questions;
• Analyzing client provided information to ensure compliance with applicable tax laws;
• Conducting specific research on tax laws and policies per our clients’ instructions for various purposes including to propose amendments on their particular areas of interest.

Representation and Litigation in tax

• Representing clients on ongoing tax investigations and tax audit exit conferences to address the legal issues involved;
• Writing up and submitting various applications to tax authorities in request of support services or defense of adverse tax decisions;
• Submitting tax objection notifications and defending clients on adverse tax assessments from branch office tax review departments to the highest appellate courts in the country;

Training

• Offering practice-tested and targeted training on all the tax laws of Ethiopia, including excise tax laws and directives for companies producing excisable goods and services, VAT, applicable withholding taxes, customs and stamp duties, etc.
• Preparing training manuals to be used for internal induction trainings by clients;
• Developing tax specific checklists for clients’ own follow-up of frequent compliance with tax obligations.