Leading global law firm Baker McKenzie has appointed customs and international trade specialist Virusha Subban as a Partner and Head of Indirect Tax in its Africa Tax team, bolstering its cross-border tax capabilities and heeding growing client demand for expertise in customs and international trade in Africa.
 
Subban, previously a partner at Bowmans law firm, has over 20 years of experience in tax issues relating to customs, excise and international trade. Her expertise extends to all customs-related risks in the context of cross-border transactions. She also conducts customs reviews and health checks and provides training to companies that wish to avert customs and excise risk. She has represented the South African government and some of the largest multinationals in anti-dumping and global trade disputes.
 
Johannesburg Managing Partner of Baker McKenzie, Morne van der Merwe notes, “Virusha is a highly regarded tax and international trade specialist and an important new addition to Baker McKenzie’s African tax team, which comprises a number of experienced and tax practitioners who specialise in international and cross-border tax issues in Africa. There is growing demand for specialized tax advisors with experience in international trade and customs, because they are considered to be an invaluable asset to multinational organisations who must negotiate a myriad of tax laws and regulations when transacting across borders in Africa.”
 
Subban holds BA (Law) and LLB degrees from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, an LLM from the University of South Africa and a Postgraduate Certificate in International Tax from the University of Pretoria. Chambers Global ranked her in Band 2 for Tax: Indirect Tax (2018)  and noted that she is: “widely admired as a very experienced practitioner”; “acknowledged by peers for her competency in the very specialised area of indirect tax”; and “well regarded for her work in cross-border trade matters”.
 
“Our South African tax team provides our clients with an integrated, full-service tax offering across the continent, and is supported by the Baker McKenzie global tax practice, which is one of the most highly-regarded in the world.  As such Baker McKenzie, through its office in Johannesburg, has now established itself as the tax consultancy firm of choice for clients doing business, not only in South Africa but also the rest of Africa,” says Stephan Spamer, Head of Tax at Baker McKenzie in Johannesburg.