In Thomas’s tax career spanning more than a decade, he has worked at tier 1 tax law firms in Brussels and Paris. Thomas moved to the Gulf in the beginning of 2017. He provides high quality and innovative tax advice to clients.
He has been involved in several high profile deals and has worked for blue chip and quoted companies and institutions in various sectors (financial sector, real estate sector, retail, manufacturing and the public sector).
In recent years he was heavily involved in European tax policy projects, as well as in projects with several European governments and governments in the Gulf region due to the pending introduction of VAT.
Thomas joined his former university, the renowned Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, in teaching an introductory course on tax law to master students. He also teaches VAT in the first Tax LL.M in the Gulf at Paris Sorbonne Abu Dhabi. He publishes regularly in international books and tax technical magazines and is a regular speaker at international events.
Thomas holds a law degree of the Catholic University of Leuven (cum laude) and a tax masters degree of Solvay Business School (magna cum laude). He is hands-on, proactive and combines an extensive technical skill set with a sound understanding of what makes businesses tick.
Thomas loves standup comedy and cartoons.
He has been involved in several high profile deals and has worked for blue chip and quoted companies and institutions in various sectors (financial sector, real estate sector, retail, manufacturing and the public sector).
In recent years he was heavily involved in European tax policy projects, as well as in projects with several European governments and governments in the Gulf region due to the pending introduction of VAT.
Thomas joined his former university, the renowned Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, in teaching an introductory course on tax law to master students. He also teaches VAT in the first Tax LL.M in the Gulf at Paris Sorbonne Abu Dhabi. He publishes regularly in international books and tax technical magazines and is a regular speaker at international events.
Thomas holds a law degree of the Catholic University of Leuven (cum laude) and a tax masters degree of Solvay Business School (magna cum laude). He is hands-on, proactive and combines an extensive technical skill set with a sound understanding of what makes businesses tick.
Thomas loves standup comedy and cartoons.
Roberto Scalia is Assistant Professor of Tax Law at the University of Bergamo (Italy) where he received his PhD in EU and International Tax Law.
He has 15 years experience in advising businesses and individuals on European and International Tax Law.
Roberto's main area of expertise, in the field of direct taxation, include: Double Tax Treaties and the MLI; Hybrid Entities and Financial Instruments; Permanent Establishment-related issues; Real Estate (and RE veichles) taxation; and a wide range of BEPS-related topics.
In the field of VAT, he regularly assist clients, both in domestic and cross-border contests, in structuring their supply chain and bringing actions before the Courts in (alleged) VAT frauds cases. He assisted many foreign clients in the first phase of VAT implementation across the GCC.
Roberto gained solid experience in assisting MNEs and individuals in the phases of Inspection, Assessment and Recovery in cross-border scenarios; Exchange of Information (and EOI-related) issues; and Compliance with EU anti-avoidance standards.
He is also a skilled expert in HNWIs tax and estate planning.
Roberto is also Chairman of the Tax Commission of the Joint Italian Arab Chamber of Commerce (JIACC), the sole bilateral Chamber of Commerce officially recognised by Italian and Arab Governments, the Union of Arab Chambers and the League of Arab States and he recently joined the African Tax Research Network (ATRN) as a member of the Scientific Committee.
He is a prolific author of articles on the Middle East, the European Union and international taxation and, among the other articles and books (he is author or coauthor), worth to recall:
- GCC VAT: International Services (in: 28 International VAT Monitor 3(2018));
- GCC VAT: International Goods (in: 28 International VAT Monitor 2(2018));
- A Tax Law Perspective of the 'Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf' ('GCC') (in: 45 Intertax 1(2017));
- Partnerships' Cross-border Taxation under the new 'Business Tax' regime (in: Diritto e pratica tributaria internazionale 4(2017)) (in Italian);
- Non-deductibility of VAT in cases of knowledge or deemed knowledge of other parties' fraud (in: Diritto e pratica tributaria 3(2015)) (in Italian); and
- Trust and Direct Taxation (A. Curcio: Rome, 2010) (in Italian).
The only way to achieve great things is with great people who truly enjoy their job. Our team is built of lawyers, accountants, and economists who are enthusiastic and take pride in our work.
Our team is composed of approximately 10 consultants with different educational and cultural backgrounds. All of them graduated from prestigious universities and colleges. Ambition is what they have in common as well as striving for customer centricity providing high quality services. All consultants have prior tax experience and have teaching experience.
Our consultancy team has long experience in EU VAT, direct and indirect taxation, and government policy. Teaching is one of our passions and our team members have experience in teaching both in academic and business environment.
Since 2017, we have been helping large companies established in the Gulf, with the implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT) in the region, with the company's founder having participated actively in the policy processes.
The key to our success is a multicultural team, highly specialized and client focused.
We stand for top-level advice which brings the desired sustainable benefits for our clients.
