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Philippe Lion

Senior Counsel
Baker & McKenzie CVBA/SCRL

Biography

Philippe Lion is a senior counsel in the Tax Practice Group in the Brussels office and former Head of the EMEA Tax Practice of the Firm, a position which he held between 2010 and 2016. Prior to that, he headed the EMEA Tax Transaction practice for a period of three years.

Before joining Baker McKenzie in 2003, Philippe worked for more than 10 years in the tax department of one of the Big 4 (PWC), including an 18 months secondment in their Frankfurt office.

Since more than 10 years, Philippe is a lecturer on International Tax Planning at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management.

Practice Focus

Philippe advises mainly on corporate and international taxation (including both inbound and outbound tax planning), as well as on M&A and real estate transactions.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Involved in a number of intragroup restructuring projects as well as pre-transaction restructurings.

  • Advising a US multinational on the Belgian tax aspects of the reorganization of its Europe-wide supply chain structure following a recent acquisition in Europe.

  • Advising a major Belgian financial institution in relation to the tax aspects of an acquisition structure designed to secure the long term occupation of certain premises.

  • Assisting a major Belgian financial institution in relation to the Belgian and foreign tax aspects of a complex deal proposal for the acquisition of a EUR185 million interest in a Luxembourg SICAV.

  • Assisting a German real estate investment fund in relation to the acquisition of a Belgian real estate property under existing split.

  • Assisting a Belgian real estate group in relation to the tax aspects of the acquisition of a major shopping centre.

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • International Fiscal Association - Member

  • Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management - Lecturer, Executive Master in Tax Management, "International Tax Planning"

Admissions

  • Brussels~Belgium (2003)

Education

  • King's College London (Master of Laws LL.M. Taxation) (1991)
  • Juristenaustauschprogramm in Germany (Tübingen-Düsseldorf) (DAAD) (1990)
  • Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Fiscales of Brussels (Post Graduate Degree Taxation, magna cum laude) (1989)
  • Catholic University of Leuven (Law Degree, cum laude) (1988)

Languages

  • Dutch
  • English
  • French
  • German

Publications

Author,  “Conflicts in the attribution of income to a person,” Belgian Report for the IFA Congress in Kyoto

Lecturer, "International Tax Planning" at the Master in Tax Management of the Solvay Business School, Brussels