Taxpayers and advisers claim their European awards

The tax groups of two entertainment companies have won the in-house accolades at International Tax Review 's European Tax Awards.

EMI, the music company, which undertook a complex restructuring in 2011 as part of its acquisition by a multinational investor group led by Sony and Mubadala Development Company, won the in-house award for direct tax. And Rank, the UK gaming and betting company took home the equivalent prize for indirect tax on account of its landmark success in VAT litigation in the European Court.

The awards, which are now in their eighth year, were presented at a dinner in London on May 16 that was attended by Europe's leading tax executives and advisers. The bulk of the awards were for the tax and transfer pricing firms of the year in 27 jurisdictions. Eighteen pan-European awards also covering other practice areas such as tax disputes and indirect tax, and industries such...