GRANT THORNTON ACQUIRES TAXPAT BV

As of 1 February 2011, Taxpat BV has become part of the accountant and consultancy firm Grant Thornton. The take-over of Taxpat – a niche consultancy that has been active for about ten years in the sphere of expatriate tax services – means that Grant Thornton is welcoming 13 new employees to its team. Eric Jansen (45), co-founder and partner at Taxpat, was appointed partner of the new Grant Thornton Expatriate Services B.V. on 1 February. The appointment of Jansen brings the total number of Grant Thornton partners to 51.

Over the course of 2011, the Taxpat branches in The Hague and Amsterdam will be integrated with the existing Rijswijk and Amsterdam branches of Grant Thornton respectively. The take-over allows Grant Thornton to strengthen its position when it comes to fiscal support for expats and international companies in the Netherlands within the context of international trade and locations. In addition to Eric Jansen, Gerard van Dalen and Lita Mannoe also became directors within the new structure as of 1 February. Van Dalen is a specialist when it comes to expatriates who are United States taxpayers. Mannoe has worked as a tax consultant in relation to cross-border labour and share-related remuneration for some time.

A range of benefits for our customers 
New Grant Thornton partner, Eric Jansen has worked for PwC and Ernst & Young and is experienced in all aspects of expat services. Jansen: “As a niche-player, we were seeking a partner with an excellent international network, allowing us to provide the very best advice to our international customers based abroad. Grant Thornton is part of a huge, international network which is represented in all of the important, emerging economies. In addition, our customer portfolios connect effectively and our working methods are similar; this means that we can look forward to numerous benefits for both our staff and customers. The merger means that we are now part of one of the larger Dutch players within the sphere of (fiscal) expat services."

Internationalisation of the business world
Jacob Mook, Tax Leader at Grant Thornton: “Expatriate services is a growing area for accountants and consultants. The internationalisation of the business world and the frequent recruitment of well educated, foreign talent mean that there is an increasing demand for fiscal services for expats. Taxpat’s know-how and customer portfolio, which includes listed companies and non-profit organisations, offers Grant Thornton the opportunity to raise familiarity with its brand within this market. It goes without saying that we see clear synergies as a result of this take-over.”