Lyons joins Deloitte & Touche with a wealth of competent authority experience of his own. He spent 25 years in a number of top posts at the IRS, including a period as assistant commissioner serving as the US competent authority responsible for tax treaty administration. Following his retirement from the IRS in January, Lyons says he was keen to develop his skills in a corporate environment while still keeping his finger on the pulse of policy issues. "Private practice plays a very important role in the policy area. It contributes a lot to governments' understanding of issues, and public and private have a very close symbiotic relationship in both effecting and influencing policy," he says.
Although he spoke to a number of other firms, Lyons says that it was the broad client base and hospitable working environment at Deloitte & Touche that swung his decision. "Deloitte & Touche provided me with a marvellous opportunity to work with a big multinational client base. In addition, a lot of the people I'm working with here are people with whom I have worked in the past and hold in very high regard both personally and technically," he says.
Among these former colleagues is Phil Morrison who joined Deloitte & Touche's Washington National Tax Practice as leader of the International Tax Group last year. Lyons and Morrison worked together at the IRS between 1988 and 1991. Commenting on Lyons' appointment, Morrison says: "John is a wonderful catch for us. He's a great guy both personally and professionally and has a tremendous wealth of important contacts. He's liked and respected by a lot of people around the world and it's a pleasure to be working with him again."
In his new role, Lyons will be advising multinationals that have matters before competent authorities in jurisdictions around the world. He will also be busy recruiting internationally to expand the company's Competent Authority Practice. Initially the firm is aiming to add to its existing presence in the UK, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Japan, Australia and South Korea. "The people we would like to recruit in these countries will ideally have significant experience administering tax treaties, an extensive knowledge of transfer pricing issues and an in-depth understanding of how competent authorities and mutual agreements work," Lyons says. "Deloitte & Touche, not only in the US but also internationally, already has good professional teams and I am pleased to have the opportunity to recruit based on that reputation," he adds.
Deloitte & Touche's Competent Authority Practice is growing in response to a more robust global economy, according to Lyons. "As developing countries become more familiar with transfer pricing methods we have more opportunity to construct sophisticated tax planning for our multinational clients. In this environment, the opportunity to contribute to our clients' success is growing enormously," he explains. "Other factors include the growth of electronic commerce, which has seen the extent of cross-border business grow exponentially, and -- from a US perspective – an increase in the amount of tax treaties with other jurisdictions."
Lyons will be working closely with Deloitte & Touche's global transfer pricing practice as well as the firm's international tax specialists.
