Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak was awarded first place in the 12th ranking of tax advice firms of the daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita in the category of pro bono work. The committee also gave awards for precedential tax cases won in administrative courts. The PIT category was won by a case handled by SK&S concerning financial settlement between partners as a result of a merger of capital companies.
“In our ranking we value not only the largest teams which gain the highest revenue. In the pro bono category we single out those who share their knowledge with those in need, without any gain for themselves. This involves tax assistance given to individuals, social organizations and public institutions which otherwise would not be able to afford professional advice. In the pro bono category we take into account the involvement and work input, while looking at the scale of the law firm’s operations and number of tax advisors employed by it” – we read in Rzeczpospolita.
This year first place was taken by the law firm Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak, which supports selected organizations in legal and tax issues. The law firms Gide and Deloitte were awarded for free advice given to those in need.
Counselor Sławomir Łuczak, a partner with SK&S, works together with Fundacja Świętego Mikołaja, which helps, amongst others, talented young people from financially disadvantaged families. The assistance involves above all the legal-tax aspect of auctions organized on the Trójka radio broadcasts as part of the “Holidays without borders” campaign. The collected funds are allocated for goals carried out by the foundation.
“The cooperation is regular”, says Izabela Stawicka from Fundacja Świętego Mikołaja. We often need legal and tax advice, in particular in complicated cases. An example is settlement of funds from the auction of a car which was donated by one particular car company”, Stawicka adds.
Also counselor Stanisław Gordziałkowski, a tax advisor with SK&S, has for a number of years provided ongoing free tax advice to the Association of Large Families Trzy Plus. Solutions developed by him enable the Association to carry on its statutory activity and help those in need. He has also provided free advice to Stowarzyszenie Rodzin Ofiar Katynia Polski Południowej w Krakowie [Association of Families of the Victims of Katyń of Southern Poland in Cracow] with regard to tax registration and ongoing financial settlements.
In turn, counselor Szymon Czerwiński from SK&S regularly assists the Foundation Wyspa Progress on legal and tax issues.
The ranking committee also granted an award for precedential tax cases won in administrative courts. In the PIT category the committee chose a case conducted by Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak (II FSK 2569/15) of 18 October 2017 concerning a redemption of shares taken up by a shareholder being a natural person as a result of a merger of capital companies. The Supreme Administrative Court confirmed that for the shareholder the cost in gaining revenue is the value of the redeemed shares held in the surviving company. It is not the historical nominal value of the shares which the shareholder held in the target company.
“This is an important case which will lead to the value of a shareholder’s shares being made ‘real’ for tax purposes”, said Prof. Elżbieta Chojna-Duch.
