Such financial situations include when deciding upon the kind of corporate structure appropriate to a business or where intellectual property should be located or, how supply chains should be configured to help mitigate overall effective tax rates.

Tax can really put pressure on the cash position of your business if not properly managed. The increased scrutiny by tax authorities that can result in enforcement of penalties can pressure management further into lining up its policies with the tax environment of today. The management of corporate taxpayers increasingly complain that a substantial amount of time is absorbed by the ever growing body of fiscal legislation and regulatory requirements. Combining all these factors together, businesses may be surprised when they find out the effect that tax has on their entity. A company not properly attuned to its tax environment may never truly be able to increase shareholder value, however agile, efficient and progressive it may be in other areas.

At KPMG in Malta we see the active management of corporate tax issues as a core business discipline. Whether you are aiming at managing your tax charge, cost saving, cashflow management, tax risks mitigation, structure optimisation, more efficient transaction structuring or compliance, KPMG’s tax services are designed to help you get to grips with the complexities involved in simple terms and strategies.  Our corporate direct tax services include:

Domestic and international tax advisory

Our tax team provides advice on corporate tax in various industry sectors namely, banking, insurance, private equity and other financial services, real estate, gaming, e-businesses, IT, telecommunications and media, pharmaceutical, environmental, manufacturing, logistics and tourism amongst others. Whether you are a multi-national organisation looking for a holding company jurisdiction, seeking to expand your operations, considering whether to downsize or to exit a particular market or a company planning to go public or seeking optimum financing of your operations or subsidiaries KPMG can advise you.

You could also be a medium-sized entity wishing to revisit your receipts and expenditures to achieve enhanced tax treatment or a family-owned business interested in understanding what newly announced legislation or a court judgement mean for your business – we can draw on our tax insight and experience to assist you to take the right decision. KPMG can help companies at every stage of their growth cycle within the local or global market including at the embryonic stage of the establishment of a new business or joint venture.

Have you ever considered whether you are missing out on the myriad of tax benefits that are announced by the Minister of Finance every now and then? How much thought have you put in trying to make optimal use of your tax credits or tax losses? Many companies are losing out by not claiming tax benefits provided for in our incentive legislation. You might be eligible for some tax credits or additional deductions and not realise it.   We can provide a complete service by advising on your eligibility and implications and assisting you in applying for and claiming tax benefits. With our strong relationship with authorities which administer fiscal incentives, such as Malta Enterprise Corporation, we can facilitate your queries and clear up matters in a timely fashion.

Tax structuring, mergers & acquisition services

Over the past few years, an international trend towards increasing takeovers and combinations has pushed merger and acquisition activity from a one-off activity to an ongoing one. Our experienced tax team, backed by our global network of specialist tax advisers, can help you design a transaction in a way that efficiently manages your tax costs while remaining consistent with your business objectives.

We provide vendor and buyer tax due diligence, tax-efficient deal structuring, reorganisation (pre-and post-deal) services, advice on refinancing and deal implementation, compliance in the post-deal period and company formation services. We also help you prepare advance tax ruling requests and negotiate with the tax authorities regarding the structure and taxation of merger, acquisition, and reorganization transactions. In order to cut through the complexities of such deals we work hand in hand with you to enable you to react quickly to market opportunities that create real and long-lasting value while carefully considering the associated tax implications.

Property transfers

If you are considering transferring property, whether it is immovable or intellectual property, securities or even the business itself we can advise you in structuring the transaction to help you ensure you get the maximum return from your deal. Our assistance in implementing the transfer, computing capital gains and adhering to the reporting obligations attaching to property transfers is at your disposal.

Tax dispute resolutions and tax investigations

With a drive to maximise tax revenues, a more investigative approach is seen to be taken by our tax authorities. Enquiries can range from routine to in-depth inspections.  Issues arising may be resolved without much difficulty or they may be highly litigious requiring a high level of technical skill to resolve. In this field, we help businesses by handling tax interventions, enquiries and compliance checks, advising on interest and penalties, assessing their tax risk profiles and exposures, assisting in tax appeals and litigations and realising potential benefits and value from reaching agreements with tax authorities. KPMG offers earlier resolution than would otherwise be the case, an outcome which reflects the client's interests and maintains appropriate relations with the tax authorities. Our assistance provides the reassurance you look for in the course of an investigation through regular and clear communication that puts you in control of the situation.