What the work covers

Tax questions rarely arrive on their own. A cross-border payment may raise withholding, invoicing and foreign-exchange issues; a transaction may change the tax base; a customs query may affect the cost of goods already sold.

We provide the legal analysis and handle correspondence with the authorities, working with your accountants on the numbers. The aim is a position that is commercially workable and defensible on the documents.

  • Tax points in transactions, restructurings and cross-border payments
  • Customs classification, valuation and origin questions
  • Responses to tax and customs authority enquiries
  • Secondment, expatriate and employment-related tax coordination
  • Review of incentive and preferential-treatment positions
  • Support in tax-related administrative disputes

When clients call us

  • A cross-border payment is being planned and the withholding and invoicing treatment is unclear.
  • Customs has raised a question about the value or classification of imported goods.
  • A transaction structure needs a legal view on how the Chinese tax rules apply.

Preparing for a first consultation

Bringing the documents below to the first meeting usually makes the time more productive. If some are missing, send what you have and we will identify the gaps.

  • The structure chart and the contracts behind the payment or transaction.
  • Invoices, customs declarations and accounting treatment.
  • Any correspondence from the tax or customs authority.
  • The deadline and the commercial decision the advice needs to support.

How consultation fees work

A short call to the 24/7 line is free and is used to identify the next step. If you need more than that, we arrange a scheduled consultation. In-person consultations at our Jing’an office are charged by the hour; the hourly basis and the expected duration are confirmed in writing before the appointment.

In-person consultation

Billed by the hour

  • Review of the documents you send in advance
  • The in-person meeting, up to the time booked
  • A written summary of the main points and next steps

The hourly rate, the expected duration and the scope of the consultation are confirmed in writing before the appointment. VAT, official fees, translation, notarisation and other disbursements are charged separately. Matter work that follows a consultation — drafting, filings, negotiation or court work — is scoped and quoted separately. How consultations work.

Questions we are asked

Do you prepare tax returns or provide accounting services?

No. We provide legal analysis and handle authority correspondence; your accountants prepare filings and returns. Where the two workstreams overlap, we coordinate directly.

Can you assist with a tax dispute?

Yes. We can support the response to an assessment, administrative review and, where appropriate, litigation, together with your tax advisers.

General information. This page describes the scope of our practice and does not constitute legal advice. The basis on which time is charged is confirmed in writing before work begins. No outcome can be guaranteed.