Deloitte, a leading professional services firm, has announced the expansion of its senior indirect tax and value added tax (VAT) advisory team in the Middle East with the appointment of new partners and directors, and transfer of VAT experts from its global network to the region.

These appointments are in line with Deloitte’s integrated strategy to advice and support clients as they deal with the implementation of VAT across the Gulf region, said a statement from the company.

As part of this strategy, the firm launched the “Deloitte VAT App in the Middle East” which has had over 12,000 uploads since May 2017, and regularly runs seminars and workshops under its Deloitte VAT Academy designed for legal, tax and finance experts, it said.

Deloitte has admitted Mark Junkin, Michael Camburn, and Bruce Hamilton as partners in the indirect tax practice, and appointed four new directors, reflecting the importance that the firm places on fostering and recognising excellence in leadership in its business, and widening the GCC VAT leadership team to address client needs, it added.

Junkin joins from the Deloitte UK firm in London, UK. He has in-depth experience across a range of industries and leads indirect tax relationships with multinational firms in the UK and across borders.

Nauman Ahmed, the tax leader at Deloitte Middle East, said: "I am delighted to welcome Junkin to the Middle East tax practice. His in-depth VAT experience with our leading international clients brings a wealth of knowledge to the team, delivering a real impact for our clients so that they can move forward with confidence. I wish him every success in his new role."

Hamilton, who moved a year ago to the UAE to assist with the implementation of VAT in the GCC, has been admitted as partner in the Deloitte Middle East Firm.

Hamilton is a VAT specialist with over 30 years of experience in VAT implementation processes most recently in Australia and Malaysia. He is using his experience in the GCC to advise on practicalities for VAT implementation and post-implementation processes, as well as addressing technical issues.

Camburn is joining an external VAT partner hire from a UK professional services firm. He has significant indirect taxes experience advising clients on the complexities of doing business internationally across a number of sectors, in particular, the technology and information sectors.

Deloitte Middle East has also brought various Deloitte client service tax partners from across the globe to the region.

These indirect tax partners include Robert Tsang from Deloitte Southeast Asia, who has led the Asia Pacific and Southeast Asia Indirect Tax businesses; Suzanne van der Merwe, from Deloitte South Africa; Michael Towler, from Deloitte Australia; Gary Campbell, the Deloitte global leader of indirect tax financial services, and Anbreen Khan, (both from Deloitte UK).

Tsang is the goods and services tax (GST) implementation leader currently in India. He was previously involved in GST implementation work in China, Singapore and Australia.

Suzanne has over 20 years of experience in indirect tax and is the South African tax industry leader for Public Sector and Power and Infrastructure.

Towler, who leads the indirect tax practice in Perth, Australia, has over 25 years of experience in relation to indirect tax, while Campbell is a partner at Deloitte UK.

Anbreen is a qualified lawyer and has both tax advisory and tax dispute resolution expertise. She works across most industry sectors but particularly consumer business; telecoms; and, general VAT advisory.

On the move, Ahmed said: "We believe in investing in our people and in our services. Our VAT team is now one of the biggest in the Middle East consisting of dedicated indirect tax specialists covering the entire GCC region, and bringing deep industry expertise."

“This will ensure we continue to make an impact that matters with clients and our people through supporting the growth and competitiveness of the firm,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service