Five firms shared the top awards at International Tax Review's third Asia Tax Awards on Wednesday night.

Five firms shared the top awards at International Tax Review's third Asia Tax Awards on Wednesday night.

Deloitte beat off strong competition from its big-four rivals and Baker & McKenzie to take the award for Asia tax firm of the year.

PricewaterhouseCoopers won the prize for Asia transfer pricing firm of the year.

KPMG was named the indirect tax firm of the year in the region and Baker & McKenzie took the award for the best tax controversy firm.

Taxand, a global alliance of independent tax advisory firms, won the best newcomer award for international tax practices that are less than five years old.

Firms vied for 52 other awards in seven categories.

Awards for tax, transfer pricing, tax controversy and indirect tax were presented in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

No transfer pricing award was given out in Hong Kong and there was no tax controversy prize in China.

Firms also competed for a case of the year award each in Australia, India and South Korea.

Other awards were for special tax contribution – the only presentation that was open to individuals – which was for the biggest impact on the practice of tax in the last 12 months; international firm of the year, for the firm, with an international tax practice in Asia, but founded and headquartered outside the region, and best use of the internet.

Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers each won 10 awards. Other multiple winners were Ernst & Young, which won six times and Baker & McKenzie, which won four awards. Baker & McKenzie's associate, Wong & Partners was also named the Malaysia indirect tax firm of the year.

BMR Advisors, the Indian member of Taxand, won the award for India transfer pricing firm of the year to make it two awards on the night for the alliance.

Neil Wilson of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Australia was the only individual to win, in the editor's special tax contribution category, for his chairmanship of the tax review design panel in Australia.

Tax directors and their advisers from all over the region came to Singapore for the ceremony.

Methodology

In September 2008, firms in the 12 jurisdictions were invited to submit three examples of their best work in the September 2007 to September 2008 period. The submissions were eligible for consideration for the four awards in each of the countries, the three case of the year awards, as well as for the eight pan-Asian awards.

International Tax Review editorial staff compiled the awards shortlists based on these submissions and tax executives responsible for the region were invited to take part in a poll to choose the winners from these shortlists.

These awards represent the opinions of tax executives on the leading tax advisers in the Asia based on their work between September 2007 and September 2008.

Winners

Find out who was nominated here.