PwC Legal welcomes Tim Van Sant in its Tax Policy – Dispute Resolution & Litigation practice
PwC Legal announces its further expansion and strengthening with the arrival of Tim Van Sant, who will start on 1 October as Advocaat Vennoot/Avocat Associé. Tim brings 20 years of experience in taxation, indirect tax and tax policy matters to the Tax Policy – Dispute Resolution and Litigation practice which he joins.
Tim joins PwC Legal from the Cabinet of the Belgian Minister of Finance, Johan Van Overtveldt, where he was Indirect Tax Advisor, from early 2015, concurrently with the start of the new government period, to 2018. In this position, he assisted the Belgian Minister of Finance with all indirect tax policy work. This included drafting and negotiations of new VAT legislation, the elaboration of a “transversal knowledge centre” concerning VAT, customs and excise, new administrative guidance (e.g. on penalties - Tim contributed to the realisation of the new policy on penalties regarding from the principle of good faith, collection and enforcement, etc.), policy making and drafting circulars with regard to indirect taxes, litigation and disputes (including cases before the Court of Justice and before the Constitutional Court), the strategy of the government in taxation, and all EU policy files in VAT. He also assisted the Minister in the Belgian Parliament and worked together with all other advisors in the cabinet on tax matters as well as with the Permanent Representation of Belgium with the European Commission.
Tim is the author of the legislation on the biggest Belgian reform in VAT introducing the option to tax letting of buildings*. This reform will enable landlords to deduct the VAT paid on construction costs and will eliminate the competitiveness handicap of Belgian operators in an international perspective.
Tim assisted in the tax shift and he realised many simplifications in the VAT legislation, in different areas (e.g. the simplification of invoice rules). With regard to policy making and legislation related experience, Tim also focused on answering parliamentary questions.
Furthermore, his role also implied regular and extensive interactions with business stakeholders, multinational enterprises and the American Chamber of Commerce.
Besides being a lecturer, Tim has authored several books and articles on topics related to indirect tax.
Head of practice Ine Lejeune commented: “We are delighted to welcome Tim on board and we couldn’t wish for a better profile to integrate in our growing firm and practice. This is a significant moment for PwC Legal and for our practice: the firm, which was recently rebranded, is celebrating its 5th anniversary this month; in parallel, our Tax Policy – Dispute Resolution & Litigation practice has experienced explosive growth since its creation in 2014 and counts today 20 lawyers, making it one of the largest tax litigation practices in a law firm in Belgium. Tim’s name and impeccable reputation precede him and, with 20 years of expertise in the tax sector, he will be an undeniable asset for our team and will help us respond to the growing needs of our clients.”
On 03 October 2018, Tim will speak along with Ine Lejeune and PwC Partner Grégory Jurion at a press briefing on the topic of the new VAT legislation applicable to the letting of buildings as of 01 January 2019. The briefing will take place at 12:00 in the offices of PwC in Brussels.