Tax Disputes and Criminal Tax Cases
When cash is short, both sides – the tax office and the taxpayer – often go for broke. Compromises are hard in such cases, so that appeals and tax suits are becoming more and more important. And with good reason from the standpoint of taxpayers and their advisors: over the past few years, two-thirds of all German tax appeals have succeeded entirely or at least in part. The same goes for almost half the actions brought in tax courts. Appeal proceedings depend entirely on a careful preparation of the case and the associated legal questions. That takes a thorough understanding of tax law, but also practical experience in handling proceedings in tax court. A special knowledge of procedure is needed for appeals to the Federal Tax Court, or for complaints against the denial of leave to appeal.
In our consulting on tax disputes, we protect your interests and rights against the tax administration. If intensive discussions with the tax administration can’t reach an agreement, we’ll manage your appeal to the tax office and any subsequent action in tax court. Thanks to our extensive experience in handling appeals and complaints to the Federal Tax Court, we can advise you honestly and frankly about your prospects for success, and of course we can also represent you before Germany’s supreme tax authority. As a last resort, finally, we can consider an appeal to the Federal Constitutional Court.
The boundaries between legal tax structures and illegal tax evasion can sometimes be fluid, and hard for a layperson to identify. While tax evasion still counted as a minor offense just a few years ago, the wind now blows colder in criminal tax law. In value added tax and employee withholding tax especially, business people who are entirely unaware of violating the law may still be targeted for a tax investigation. Even when there’s no criminal conduct, administrative offenses can often lead to painful fines. If tax obligations haven’t always been treated with the greatest care in the past, there’s still the possibility – for now – of voluntarily coming forward and qualifying for amnesty. In all these cases, it’s essential to act with caution and expert advice.
We can assist you with every aspect, from validly coming forward to actual criminal tax proceedings. Our tax lawyers have not only the necessary tax knowledge, but the necessary knowledge of criminal law and criminal procedure. To keep proceedings on criminal or administrative offenses from ever happening in the first place, we offer you all-inclusive preventive consulting, and can point up potential weak spots in your company.
Our services at a glance
- Appeal proceedings at tax offices
- Actions in tax court
- Appeal proceedings and complaints against denial of leave to appeal in Federal Tax Court
- Constitutional complaints to the Federal Constitutional Court
- Voluntarily coming forward
- Representation in criminal and administrative tax proceedings
- Preventive consulting