KPMG and Deloitte lead nominations for 2019 Asia Tax Awards

KPMG and Deloitte have led the nominations for International Tax Review’s 2019 Asia Tax Awards, with the winners to be announced in May.

KPMG and Deloitte and have been respectively nominated as Tax Firm of the Year in 15 and 13 out the 16 Asia Pacific jurisdictions covered by respected industry publication International Tax Review’s 2019 Asia Tax Awards – with winners to be announced at a gala ceremony at Singapore’s Marina Mandarin in May. Case complexity, innovation and impact will be taken into account to determine the honourees.

The two firms are joined by fellow Big Four member EY and multinational law firm Baker McKenzie (in the running in nine and seven local jurisdictions respectively), along with the Australian firm Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills in vying for the overall Asia Tax Firm of the Year award, last year won by KPMG for the third consecutive time since the awards’ inception – with the firm altogether taking home 21 awards across the various categories.

The other major categories include Transfer Pricing Firm and Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year (split last year by Deloitte and KPMG) across most jurisdictions, with further overall regional awards to be given for among others Asia Tax Transactions Firm of the Year, Tax Technology Firm, Corporate Tax Team, Tax Innovator, Tax Policy, Indirect Tax, Compliance & Reporting, and International Tax Firm of the Year.Altogether, KPMG is in the hunt in more than 50 categories, while Khoon Ming of KPMG China and KPMG Australia’s Carlo Franchina are among the eight individual nominees for Asia Tax Practice Leader of the Year – joined by Geoffery Soh of KPMG Singapore together with Hitesh Gajiria (KPMG India) for the Transfer Pricing Practice Leader of the Year award, and Leung Yew Kwong (Singapore) and Angela Wood (Aus) in the Tax Disputes & Litigation category.

A winner last year of 14 awards, Deloitte will be hoping to add to the tally this year with nominations in some 45 categories of its own, including Tax Firm of the Year country nominations for the competitive and prized markets of China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Malaysia, as well as featuring as the sole Big Four nominee for Cambodia and head-to-head against KPMG alone as the only global names in Thailand (alongside Mekong specialist DFDL).

The Asia Tax Awards coincide with the Asia Tax Forum – described as the premier event in the region for taxpayers, officials and practitioners – which is now into its 14th year and will be held over the 8th and 9th at the Marina Mandarin in Singapore. Hot topics this year include tax changes in the region and their impact, the future of BEPS (base erosion and profit shifting), and the international pressures driving domestic tax changes, with a number of representatives from EY and KPMG among a list of confirmed high-profile speakers across the event.

Related: KPMG named consulting firm of the year at Regulation Asia awards