Services
Dezan Shira & Associates have been established in mainland China since 1992 and were one of the earliest professional firms to establish themselves in the country – prior to the liberalization of the domestic legal and accounting industries themselves. Consequently we have an almost unrivalled level of experience and expertise, and have grown over the years to develop this on a national basis. We now service clients in every Chinese Province from our eight national mainland offices.
We are a licensed tax practice in China, and in common with many of the larger firms, possess a significant legal services division. Tax structuring is an important part of corporate establishment in China which is why the more prominent firms provide both aspects of professional advice. The services we provide in mainland China are as follows:
Due Diligence
Pre-establishment due diligence in both legal and financial disciplines, whether this be for potential joint venture partnering, for corporate acquisitions, or for asset assessments (such as land purchases). With our combined legal and tax services teams we are well positioned to handle such work. We also provide pre-incorporation tax and financial advice to ensure the financial implications of the venture you are embarking on – such as VAT payer status, required customs deposits for machinery importation, as well as providing the optimum tax structure are all covered to provide the most efficient financial model for your business.
Incorporations
We are committed to our clients large and small and service SME’s (many of whom we have seen grow to substantial businesses) in addition to major listed corporations. We provide legal administration services via our own in-house legal personnel for the creation of Representative Offices, Foreign Invested Commercial Enterprises, Joint Ventures and Holding Companies. We also review, advice and structure WFOE articles of association, and JV contracts and articles to ensure the best possible legal and tax position has been catered for. Our prominent M&A team is also on hand to assist with China mergers and acquisitions work.
Our team also handles trademark and patent filings for Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan through our specialist IP legal department.
Tax & Financial Reporting
Our China offices provide pre-incorporation tax assessments, in addition to ongoing bookkeeping, tax reporting and compliance work. Reporting is conducted in Chinese for local filing and translated into English or other languages as per our clients preferences, and can be arranged on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. We are also able to advice on problem accounts and provide solutions to these, including handling negotiations with the tax bureau, customs and other government departments.
Audit
We are often asked to provide internal audit and risk assessments for clients, as part of annual overviews, statutory audits, and valuations for businesses wishing to list in Hong Kong, London, Nasdaq or elsewhere.
We will often conduct on-the-ground research and then provide this to Big 4 or other law firms as part of due diligence or audit reviews.