Area of Practice

GST & Indirect Tax

Our Corporate Practice

AQUILAW’s Indirect Tax practice helps businesses bring certainty and efficiency to one of the most dynamic areas of Indian tax law. While GST has brought uniformity of levy across states and opened opportunities to reorganise supply chains and optimise costs, it has also created real operational challenges, from growing automation needs to a steady rise in departmental audits, notices and demands.

We advise domestic and multinational clients across the full indirect tax lifecycle, from compliance and strategic advisory to representation at every level, covering GST, customs, foreign trade policy and SEZ laws, legacy disputes under the erstwhile Central Excise, Service Tax and VAT regimes, and UAE VAT.

Key Service Offerings

End-to-end GST compliance, including complete outsourcing of GST and TDS compliances, using technology and automation to make processes quicker, simpler and more precise.
Strategic advisory on business models and transactions, including tax credit optimisation, classification, contract review and tax cost reduction within the legal framework.
Indirect tax due diligence on restructuring transactions, identifying exposures, recommending corrective actions and proposing alternative structures to optimise tax liabilities.
Shadow audits that anticipate the department’s target areas and audit methodologies, flagging issues for immediate attention to minimise the risk of future litigation.
Representation, litigation and refund support, from replies to audit objections and show cause notices, advance rulings and refund claims to appeals before tribunals, High Courts and the Supreme Court.
Customs and foreign trade policy advisory, including classification, valuation, SVB transactions, duty drawback, RODTEP, ROSCTL and other export incentives, and SEZ and EOU matters.
UAE business set-up, structuring and tax planning, licensing, and VAT and income tax compliance, advisory and representation before the relevant authorities.

The Aquilaw Advantage

What sets AQUILAW apart on indirect tax mandates is a team of lawyers and chartered accountants drawn from Big Four advisory firms, leading law firms and in-house corporate tax functions, combining legal rigour with a practical grasp of how tax plays out in day-to-day operations. Our familiarity with departmental audit practices lets us anticipate issues before they become disputes, and our partner-led team works closely with the firm’s corporate, M&A and dispute resolution practices, backed by a pan-India presence that gives clients on-ground reach across the country’s key commercial and industrial centres.

The team navigate and facilitate complex commercial deals within tight timelines and readily provide innovative commercial solutions to overcome negotiation hurdles.