WTS Taxise

Co-Founders & Principals: Eugene Lim

Number of Tax Advisors: 18-20

International Offices: WTS Global network of tax firms with presence in more than 100 countries

Languages: English, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), German, Japanese and Bahasa (Indonesian and Malay)

Firm Overview

Taxise Asia LLC (“WTS Taxise”) is a Singapore-based boutique law firm specialising in international tax and international trade law. Founded in 2019 by some of the region’s market-leading international tax and international trade lawyers and practitioners, WTS Taxise offers practical and audit conflict-free advice on complex local and international tax and international trade matters drawn from its unique mix of professionals including lawyers, tax accountants, economists, academics and senior former in-house tax specialists in its ranks. WTS Taxise is a member firm of WTS Global, an international network of selected tax firms, with presence in more than 100 countries worldwide.

Practice Areas

• Corporate Tax
• Global Value Chains
• Indirect Tax
• International Tax & PE
• International Trade
• Investment Funds
• Local and Cross Border Tax Controversy
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Private Client
• Transfer Pricing

Main Areas of Practice

International Tax and Transfer Pricing

1 partner; 7 lawyers and 2 tax accountants based in Asia

The firm’s tax practice is headed by Co-Founders, Irving Aw and Eugene Lim. The practice is best known for providing highly specialised international tax, indirect tax and transfer pricing advisory services to multinationals in the technology, finance, maritime and logistics industries. The team has been involved in significant global value chain, financing and M&A transactions. It works with clients to develop their global tax strategies and assist them in implementation on a global basis, working with member firms of the WTS Global network with a presence in over 120 countries.

The transfer pricing team was established by Co-Founder, Sam Sim. The firm also has a Transfer Pricing Centre of Excellence in the Philippines to provide transfer pricing documentation and benchmarking services. The transfer pricing team also has valuation capabilities.

The firm recently set up a China Client service group to service China headquartered multinationals as well as ultra-high-net-worth families and individuals.

Key Clients: European, U.S. and Asian headquartered multinationals, ultra-high-net-worth Asian families and individuals

Contact: Eugene Lim

Tel: +65 63047978

Email: [email protected]

International Trade

1 partner; 5 lawyers based in Asia

The firm’s international trade practice is headed by Co-Founder, Eugene Lim, and has a stellar reputation providing clients with advice on customs, export controls, WTO/FTA and sanctions issues in the Asia Pacific region. The team regularly advises high tech companies on encryption-related export control issues pertaining to cutting edge technologies such as block chain and cloud computing. The team also advises and assist clients in defending complex inter-company customs valuation issues which require a working knowledge of both customs valuation and transfer pricing rules.

Key Clients: Fortune 500 high-technology companies and U.S., European and Asian-headquartered multinationals

Contact: Eugene Lim

Tel: +65 63047978

Email: [email protected]

International Work

The majority of the firm’s tax and international matters are cross-border and international in nature. The firm also regularly provides policy advice to governments and industry groups. Some of the more significant international projects that the firm has worked on include:

• Advising a Singapore headquartered logistics company on their global tax strategy in relation to their leasing business as well as on various significant corporation actions including a US$523 million debt push-down arrangement.
• Advising a U.S. Fortune 500 technology company on the international tax, indirect tax and international trade issues relating to the establishment of their global manufacturing facility in an Asian country. This project was the largest FDI project in that Asian country in 2020 valued over US$200m.
• Advised a global European headquartered maritime company on tax audit defence strategy involving the use of mutual assistance procedures and Philippines domestic dispute resolution mechanisms in relation to the taxation of shipping income in the Philippines.
• Advising one of the world’s largest FinTech companies on export control issues in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region relating to encryption technology used in block chain, cloud computing, and mobile applications.
• Advised a U.S. Fortune 500 technology company on Israel boycott, customs classification and export control issues in Malaysia.
• Assisting a European government agency on the monitoring of an Asian government’s implementation of their Free Trade Agreement obligations.
• Advised a U.S. Fortune 500 company on import licensing issues relating to nuclear products in Japan.