Tax law and transfer pricing

Practical taxation and transfer pricing solutions for international companies operating in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

SCHNEIDER GROUP's international tax consulting team can help your business to promptly respond to changes in corresponding tax legislation. Ensure compliance, avoid legal risks, and develop optimal financial and taxation schemes, both at market entry and during active business development. We will:

Provide professional advice on international and local tax legislation
Conduct a company tax audit and prepare a ranked report with recommendations for improvement and optimisation
Develop internal policies (including for transfer pricing), templates for notifications, documentation for controlled transactions, etc.
Represent your business in communication with tax authorities.

SCHNEIDER GROUP’s tax and transfer pricing services include:

Tax consulting when entering new markets, including advice on financing options for limited liability companies, branches, and representative offices
Consulting on VAT deductions and / or recognition of expenses during business setup
Analysis of international business activities to assess risks attached to permanent establishment in a new market
Recommendations on increasing net assets
Consulting on document management for local and international transactions (sale and purchase of goods, provision of services, performance of works, granting of licences and loans, contributions to property, donation of property, etc.)
Advice on double taxation treaties and reduced tax rates available under such treaties
Tax audit, including analysis of your company's tax risks and recommendations for optimisation and risk mitigation
Consulting on foreign currency legislation
Development of internal policies and procedures (tax policy, bonus regulations, business travel regulations, income and expense allocation policy for international companies, etc.)
Tax analysis of existing commercial agreements; preparation of draft agreements and other corporate documents
Advice on communication with tax authorities
Representation of your business before tax authorities; drafting of claims and objections; participation in tax dispute resolution at any stage
Preparation of notifications and documents on controlled transactions
Preparation of notifications of participation in an international group of companies
Consulting on how to register an international company with tax authorities for VAT purposes when providing e-services without a legal presence in the relevant country
Consulting for foreign nationals on personal income tax and preparation of 3-NDFL (Personal Income Tax) declarations

What you get

SUPPORT AT BUSINESS SETUP

We will advise you on the specifics of taxation for local representative offices and branches of international companies, as well as for local legal entities, and will help you to develop an optimal financing scheme. We consider multiple factors, such as planned activities, business size, and available tax benefits and incentives.

INTRA-GROUP TRANSACTION SUPPORT

We analyse existing agreements between the local subsidiary and parent company abroad and provide recommendations on document management for intra-group transactions, considering local legal requirements and international double taxation treaties to mitigate tax risks.

COMMUNICATION WITH REGULATORS

We represent our customers before tax authorities, and can prepare claims on the actions or inaction of tax authorities and objections to acts and opinions of tax audits if necessary. We advise our clients on developing tax-related documentation and draft agreement templates.

Dr. Thomas Mundry

Partner, Legal, Tax, Moscow, Russia

Thomas joined the company in 2019 as Partner for legal and tax. Thomas is a German lawyer, ranked among top lawyers in franchising and is regularly included into the “Best Lawyers in Russia” rating. He specializes in manufacturing localization (greenfield & brownfield), joint ventures, M&A, franchising & distribution, bankruptcy and restructuring. Thomas advises businesses from a wide range of industries, including machinery, construction and engineering, automotive, logistics, chemicals, mining, energy and utilities, pharmaceuticals, food, real estate, agriculture, fashion, and IT. Prior to joining SCHNEIDER GROUP, he was Partner in the international law firm Noerr. He holds a doctorate in Law from Freie Universität Berlin. Thomas speaks German, English and Russian.

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Anna Afanasyeva

Associate Director, Legal & Tax, St. Petersburg, Russia

Anna joined SCHNEIDER GROUP St. Petersburg office in 2020. She has more than 10 years of professional experience at the international law firms. Anna is a leading legal advisor in St. Petersburg. She specialises in financial and tax planning and provides legal support in manufacturing and real estate investment projects, manufacturing localisation, and infrastructure projects. She advises SCHNEIDER GROUP’s customers on customs law, IT regulations, foreign trade and financing, M&A, and international legal agreements. For many years, Anna has been heading the legal & tax committee of the Association of European Businesses (AEB) in St. Petersburg. She participates in the tax and financial reporting committee of the German-Russian Chamber of Commerce (AHK). Anna graduated with a degree in Law from St. Petersburg University.

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Ekaterina Lakatosh

Head of Tax & Currency Control Practice, Moscow, Russia

Ekaterina joined SCHNEIDER GROUP in 2017 as senior tax expert. She has in-depth knowledge in value-added tax, corporate taxation, foreign currency control, and international tax structuring, including double taxation treaties. She has over 20 years of experience. Ekaterina specialises in supporting SCHNEIDER GROUP’s customers during tax audits, in tax dispute resolution, and in comprehensive tax due diligence. International and Russian companies from pharmaceutical, construction, consulting, insurance, retail, and IT industries rely on Ekaterina’s professional expertise. She graduated with an honours degree in Law from the Academic Law University at the Institute of State and Law of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow), and completed an advanced course in Tax Consultancy at Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation in 2017.

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Sergey Odintsov

Head of Legal & Tax Practice

Belarus

Sergey provides legal and tax advice to Belarusian and international businesses. He focuses on corporate and commercial law, taxation, business setup and restructuring, as well as investment projects and supports company clients in mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining SCHNEIDER GROUP, Sergey worked for one of the Big Four companies in Belarus, where he gained significant experience in legal advice for clients in various industries, including construction, oil and gas, logistics and transportation, retail, pharmaceuticals and IT. Since 2006, Sergey has been collaborating with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank on the “Doing Business in...” project. Sergey has more than 15 years of professional experience. He is a licensed lawyer and tax consultant. Sergey speaks Russian, Belarusian and English.

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Artem Ardashev

Senior Tax Associate, Moscow

Artem joined the company in 2013 as tax expert. He advises Russian and international companies on taxation and transfer pricing rules applications in Russia. Artem has more than 8 years of experience in transfer pricing, advising companies from automotive, engineering, IT, mechanical engineering, fashion, construction, FMCG, and power generation industries. Prior to joining SCHNEIDER GROUP, Artem worked for one of the Big Four consulting companies in Moscow. He graduated from Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation with a degree in Taxation and has a master’s degree in International Tax Planning.

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Olga Lux

Tax Counsel

Olga began working for the company in 2015. She is an expert in international taxation with almost 10 years of professional experience gained in consulting companies in Russia and Germany. Olga advises Russian and international businesses on cross-border investment, corporate and indirect taxation, personal taxation, transfer pricing, international tax planning and structuring. Olga holds a degree in Taxation, Audit and International Taxation from Universität Hamburg in Germany. She is certified tax consultant of the Moscow Chamber of Tax Consultants since 2011. Olga speaks German, Russian and English.

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Maria Golovaneva

Tax Associate, Moscow

Maria joined SCHNEIDER GROUP in 2013 as internal controls assistant. In 2017, she moved to tax practice as associate. Maria has in-depth knowledge in VAT, corporate taxation, foreign currency control and personal taxation. She has more than 7 years of professional experience. Maria specialises in analysing tax liabilities, assessing tax burden, and carrying out comprehensive tax audits (due diligence). She advises international and Russian companies from pharmaceutical, construction, insurance, retail, and IT industries. Maria graduated from Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics with a degree in Economics and Taxation.

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Success stories

THYSSEN SCHACHTBAU

Backoffice 24х7х365

More than 40 SCHNEIDER GROUP employees complement the THYSSEN SCHACHTBAU team. Since 2007, SCHNEIDER GROUP has provided high-quality bookkeeping, tax accounting and legal support, 24/7/365. SCHNEIDER GROUP is also responsible for payroll calculation for 1000+ employees, preparation of reports, implementation of automation projects and interaction with government agencies on behalf of the customer.

Pharmaceutical manufacturer

Expanding into new markets

We assisted a German pharmaceutical company in establishing a subsidiary in Russia, including opening bank accounts, hiring four employees, subleasing fully equipped office space and providing a temporary General Director, among other tasks.

All success stories

Why Schneider group

COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH

We take your business objectives into account and form a project team of tax and legal experts with relevant industry experience. If required, we involve in-house experts from related fields (accounting, finance, export and import) to fully assess possible risks and offer practical solutions.

INTERNATIONAL TEAM

Since 2003, we provide tax consulting services in the regions where SCHNEIDER GROUP operates, relying on the experience and knowledge of our local experts headed by international management. Both the company and standalone experts are often included into local and international legal and tax ratings.

LOCAL EXPERTISE

We consider high quality tax support to be a crucial step towards your long-lasting success in a new market. We at SCHNEIDER GROUP specialise in the outsourcing of non-core business functions, such as accounting, payroll calculations and HR administration, so we are interested in long-term collaboration with our clients.

CUSTOMER FOCUS

We tailor our services to our customers and flexibly adapt their scope to meet your changing needs: from tax advice and methodological support, to turnkey preparation of necessary documents and communication with regulators on your behalf.