First class tax advice with a personal touch
First class tax advice with a personal touch
Havenga | Crobach | Swaving Dijkstra
HCSD is a boutique tax firm located in Amsterdam. Our combination of multiple years of (partner) experience gained at various prestigious law and consulting firms and the flexibility of a young organisation enables us to provide first rate tax advice in an efficient way. We pride ourselves on a unique personal service which you have come to expect of a boutique advisory firm.
We provide specialist tax advice to large and mid-sized enterprises on a regular basis, and we are often commissioned to provide advice in the fields of international structures, private equity, M&A, insolvency and restructuring, real estate transactions and remuneration schemes. We also provide the accompanying tax compliance services, combining advice and implementation.
About Us
Rob Havenga | Partner
Rob has over 30 years of experience in the field of domestic and international taxation. He advises both domestic and internationally operating businesses as well as private clients. For many years, Rob has been highly recommended by leading legal guides such as Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 and Who’s Who Legal. Rob started his career at KPMG Meijburg & Co. In 1999, he became a partner at Houthoff, where he started the tax department and successfully grew the group to a team of 25 tax lawyers. He is one of the founders of HCSD.
As a seasoned advisor, Rob is often acting as a trusted advisor. He is also particularly known for his role in mediation and disputes with the tax authorities. Rob is a member of the Dutch Association of Tax Advisors, the International Bar Association and the Dutch Association for Tax Research. He regularly lectures in the Netherlands as well as internationally, and is a frequent panel participant at (international) tax conferences.
Experienced | Trusted Advisor| Mediation
+31 (0)20 3030 751 | +31 (0)6 22 779 236 | havenga@hcsdtax.com | Linkedin | vCard
Wiet Crobach | Partner
Wiet has a broad range of experience in M&A, including due diligence and transaction documentation, as well as international structuring. He regularly advises large and mid-sized businesses in the fields of corporate income tax, VAT and restructurings. Wiet also supports bankruptcy trustees with settling tax positions in insolvency cases. Over the years, Wiet has earned an excellent reputation by advising on a large number of insolvency and (debt) restructuring cases that have occurred on the Dutch market. He started in 2010 as a tax lawyer at Simmons & Simmons. In 2014, he moved to Houthoff. Wiet is one of the founders of HCSD.
Wiet also brings deep experience in the field of negotiating with the tax authorities with a sharp focus on both practical outcomes and swift dispute resolutions. Wiet is a member of the Dutch Association of Tax Advisors and is recommended by Legal 500.
Solution-oriented | Understanding | Hands On
+31 (0)20 3030 752 | +31 (0)6 19 303 713 | crobach@hcsdtax.com | Linkedin| vCard
Erik Swaving Dijkstra | Partner
In addition to general tax practice, Erik specialises in the (international) wage and personal income tax aspects of remuneration schemes (such as equity incentive plans, carried interests and severance payments), as well as management agreements and deemed employer-employee relationships under the Deregulation Labour Relations Assessment Act (Wet DBA). Erik writes frequently for a number of legal magazines and is also a permanent contributor to the leading tax magazines Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Fiscaal Recht as well as NLFiscaal.
Publisher Wolters Kluwer nominated Erik for the prestigious Stevensprijs award, dedicated to young authors (under 35) with the ability to demystify complex tax subjects. Erik is a member of the Dutch Association of Tax Advisors. Erik started his career in 2012 at Houthoff’s tax advisory and transaction department. He is one of the founders of HCSD.
Pragmatic | Efficient | Structured
+31 (0)20 3030 753 | +31 (0)6 20 492 023 | swavingdijkstra@hcsdtax.com | Linkedin| vCard
What We Do
Our services cover the entire spectrum of Dutch and international taxation.
Tax Advice
Tax advisory services are our core activity and ranges from analysing an existing tax position to pro-actively investigating alternatives for optimization.
Our tax advice covers the wide array of Dutch taxation, such as corporate income tax, dividend withholding tax, VAT, wage tax, personal income tax and the application of double tax treaties.
In addition, we advise on the tax aspects of fund formation, international structuring, M&A (including due diligence and transaction documentation), real estate transactions, insolvency and (debt) restructuring cases, remuneration schemes (such as equity incentive plans) as well as deemed employer-employment relationships and the tax aspects of contracting self-employed persons.
Where necessary, we liaise with the tax authorities to determine the tax position and to conclude an advance tax ruling (ATR) or advance pricing agreement (APA).
Mediation and Tax Disputes
We always aim to achieve an acceptable solution in the event of a dispute with the tax authorities. Should mediation not appear to be a practical solution, then we will not hesitate to commence legal proceedings. After initially analysing the legal position and the chances of success, we will then determine a strategy and outline next steps, whilst always taking into account the broader picture and as well as the future relationship with the tax authorities.
Tax Compliance
Most (boutique) tax firms limit themselves to just tax advisory services, our services include tax compliance such as corporate income tax returns, dividend withholding tax returns and VAT returns. This enables us to monitor our clients’ tax position continuously and to make sure that tax advice is well implemented.
Cooperation
We have a strong network of (foreign) lawyers, notaries and tax advisors that we can rely on where necessary.
Fees
We offer tailor-made solutions when it comes to fees and fee quotes, depending on the complexity of the matter. Working in small teams of experienced advisors, we are able to provide a high level of service at substantially lower rates when compared to the household names in the Dutch legal arena. We do not charge for office fees or similar surcharges.
Recent
Advice on the acquisition of a Dutch company by a French private equity firm. Deal value approx. EUR 18 mio.
Assisting a car manufacturer with tax proceedings on its early retirement scheme as part of a reorganization.
Assisting a Dutch agritech scale-up on all its (international) tax matters.
Advisory activities on French real estate and its refinancing. Deal value approx. EUR 70 mio.
Tax litigation for an Israeli multinational on a disputed dividend and corporate income tax claim with the Dutch tax authorities.
Assisting Finqus, a subsidiary of DSB Bank, on the sale of its loan portfolio to NIBC Bank. Deal value approx. EUR 1.5 billion.
Tax advice on the cross-border conversion of a Dutch pharmaceutical company to a German GmbH.
Assisting a Dutch oil company on the sale of its Brazilian operations. Deal value approx. EUR 78 mio.
Assisting a Dutch tech scale-up on setting up and implementation of an incentive plan for its worldwide employees, including obtaining a tax ruling from the Dutch tax authorities. We also advised on the implementation of a transfer pricing framework for its international activities.
