“I can honestly say that my international tax practice is a succession of fun and  interesting cases, but two of them stand out. The first case regards my involvement with a well-known professional football player, who, after a career in the Netherlands, was approached by various European to clubs. I was asked to accompany him during the selection process. Together we looked at the various clubs, including, as part of the due diligence, at the difference in the atmosphere. Subsequently, a choice was made, after which the contract negotiations could be finalized within two months, no mean feat. At the time, I was relatively new to the football scene, but that proved to be an advantage rather than a disadvantage, because in getting an unbiased view, I took nothing for granted and asked questions that normally would not have been asked. After careful considerations, which included looking for an optimum tax structure and required negotiating with the tax authorities in various countries, a decision was made for the offer, in which the employee benefits in particular played a part.

In any case, negotiations with tax authorities are an often recurring part of my practice. For instance, I advised a large energy enterprise on optimizing  its tax structure after the arrival of new management. In that situation, negotiations had to be conducted with the authorities in about 10 jurisdictions. Being able to draw on the informal network built over the years then proves to be a great advantage. I have got to know people in many countries that way, who are easy to approach, which is very advantageous to my clients. However, I believe our office should never wish to sail too close to the wind. In doing so we could unintentionally cause the authorities to pay closer attention to our clients' tax ins and outs, which could lead to audits and such – and that could never be the intention. So, sharp, creative and ambitious, but well-balanced and always with our clients' best interest at heart.”