Every transaction has corresponding tax implications – from simple everyday operations to the most complex of commercial deals. VAL Law provides expert and practical advice on Philippine tax laws, innovates corporate and transaction structures for utmost tax-efficiency, and represents clients before the authorities to address tax controversies.

Our work areas include:

• General Tax Advisory – VAL Law provides expert legal advice and opinions regarding tax implications on corresponding transactions or operations based on Philippine tax laws, court decisions, BIR and other administrative agency issuances, as well as practical and realistic advice drawn from extensive hands-on experience dealing with the BIR and local governments.
• Tax Structuring & Transactional Tax Planning – VAL Law works closely with clients and evaluates their intended transactions and corporate structure, taking into consideration their commercial objectives, and presents to the client innovative, in-depth and practical strategies on tax planning the transaction – as well as structuring of joint ventures, corporate restructuring, reorganization, and mergers and acquisitions – to minimize Philippine tax implications and maximize available tax benefits.
• Tax Due Diligence – For clients seeking to acquire a company or clients seeking to minimize their own tax exposure, the Firm thoroughly reviews the tax implications surrounding a company’s operations and its tax filing requirements over a period of time to identify potential risks of tax exposures and tax assessments.
• International Tax & Tax Treaties – With our tax head’s extensive experience in international taxation, the Firm renders sound legal opinions on cross-border transactions, tax-saving mechanisms involving multinational companies and international counterparts, as well as tax treaty interpretations and applications, particularly to save taxes on dividends, interest, royalties and potential tax exemptions on Philippine-sourced income.
• Estate Planning & Estate Tax – In connection with handling estate settlement and taxes for clients and their families, the Firm likewise provides estate planning services to identify and implement strategic and practical mechanisms for clients to save on potential estate taxes.
• Tax Assessments & Other Controversies – The Firm represents clients against tax assessments and for claims for refund at the administrative level (Bureau of Internal Revenue and Local Government Units) and up to the judicial level (including the Court of Tax Appeals and Supreme Court), while working closely with the client and their accounting and finance teams.

The Tax practice is headed by Atty. Timothy Joseph N. Lumauig, who has refined his specialization through extensive experience from leading premier tax teams in the Philippines in his prior firms. And with valuable exposure to clients in a wide-range of industries and commercial backgrounds, both domestic and foreign, Atty. Lumauig provides clients with expert innovative legal advice, grounded in practical considerations.