Jan Tuerlinckx
Lawyer Jan Tuerlinckx holds a Law Degree (KUL, 1994) and specialised in Tax Law (EHSAL-FHS, 1995) and in Corporate Law (KUB, 1998).
Jan is a founding partner of Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers and has developed the law firm into a national network with offices in Antwerp, Westerlo, Hasselt and Charleroi. The expansion of the law firm beyond the language border is a conscious strategy, since Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers intends to act nationally, assisting clients in their tax disputes across Belgium.
The firm’s development across the national territory was prompted, among other things, by the fact that the Income Tax Code (WIB) is different from one province to the next; the firm therefore works to bridge these differences and interpretations to benefit the taxpayer. The firm also believes that, eventually, a large proportion of tax disputes will be caused by jurisdictional disputes between the different authorities in Belgium.
Jan is a member of the Bar in Antwerp and Limburg.
After a partnership in two tax law firms, Jan co-founded the Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers firm in 2011 in Antwerp. He now has more than 20 years experience in tax, corporate and financial law cases – both in terms of negotiation and litigation – and he supervises several important transactions each year.
Tuerlinckx Tax Lawyers specialises in taxation, with a focus on negotiations with the tax authorities and the defence of clients’ interests in tax disputes before the courts. The firm also advises individuals and companies on all aspects of taxation, from risk assessment to tax estate planning, to make sure they can benefit from the most favourable tax rates under Belgian law for their capital or investment.
Internationally, Jan is a member of various lawyer and tax organisations and maintains close contacts with law firms with the same profile in neighbouring countries.
Jan has authored many articles about taxation. He lectures regularly at conferences and seminars on tax law and is a popular speaker. His articles and columns are published in De Tijd newspaper, among others, as well as in the economic weekly Trends on a monthly basis.
Jan challenges the Belgian government which has made domestic taxation unnecessarily complicated. He also monitors the rights of Belgian taxpayers, including in the discussion with the tax authorities about the seemingly unbridled access rights of the tax administration in tax disputes, in violation of European regulations.
As an expert, Jan is regularly invited to television programmes, such as on Kanaal-Z, to explain in layman’s terms to the general public tax matters relevant to the news. In 2013, for example, the firm launched a successful informative website in response to the announced ‘last’ fiscal regularisation round. In contrast to the government’s failure to provide information, the website described in detail the modalities of the regularisation process organised by the State. Jan has his own monthly 'tax' talkshow, as co-president of Forum for the Future, where he invites topexperts on the field to discuss actual fiscal topics.
Jan’s tone is sharp, well-founded and analytical. He always looks for fair solutions for both the taxpayer and the tax authorities, and he strives to establish a tax system that is fair, transparent and sustainable.
