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Stefano heads the tax and trusts practice at Deacons. He has a broad range of advisory and contentious tax experience, ranging from corporate taxation and group reconstructions to personal taxation and trusts and estate planning and management. He advises on all matters of Hong Kong and international tax law, including tax-efficient structuring and restructuring, and tax appeals before the Board of Review and the higher courts. His experience includes cross-border tax planning and Double Taxation Treaty driven tax structuring.
Stefano further advises on all areas of Hong Kong and international trusts, estate planning, and charities, including the drafting of trusts instruments, restructuring of trusts structures, and trusts dispute resolution.
Stefano is a solicitor advocate with higher rights of audience in civil proceedings before the High Court and Court of Final Appeal. He represents clients as an advocate at all stages of civil proceedings.
He is an Adjunct Associate Professor of the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong and a regular contributor to legal and industry publications, notably including the Hong Kong Law Journal, the Asia-Pacific Journal of Taxation, and the Asia-Pacific Tax Bulletin. He is a co-author of the seminal Encyclopaedia of Hong Kong Taxation, and the textbook Hong Kong Tax Law: Cases and Materials.
Recent Cases Argued:
Trusts
Liam Gerard Curran v AZURETRUSTEES Limited HCMP 2632/2017 (unreported)
Peter William Lord v Balzac Ltd [2019] HKCFI 1694
Re Mattingley & Shenton [2020] 2 HKLRD 1153
Re Poon Po Hong Will Trust HCMP 1119/2020 (unreported)
Jeremy Gar Yin Ip & Ors v Secretary for Justice [2021] HKCFI 3215
Tax and Stamp Duty
Newfair Holdings Limited v Commissioner of Inland Revenue [2022] HKCFI 1133
Inland Revenue Board of Review D 11/19 35 IRBRD 416
Nomura Funds Ireland Plc v Collector of Stamp Revenue [2019] HKDC 852
Inland Revenue Board of Review D15/20 36 IRBRD 84
Inland Revenue Board of Review Case 31/19
Inland Revenue Board of Review Case 43/19
Heath Brian Zarin v CIR [2019] HKCFI 3101 (CFI); [2020] 2 HKLRD 229 (CFI); HKCA 147 (Court of Appeal); and [2021] HKCFI 1846 (CFI)
Inland Revenue Board of Review D 14/20 36 IRBRD 84
Nomura Funds Ireland Plc v Collector of Stamp Revenue [2021] HKCA 1040
Tse Sum Ping v Collector of Stamp Revenue [2021] HKDC 1250
John Wiley & Sons UK2 LLP & Anor v Collector of Stamp Revenue [2021] 5 HKLRD 20
Newfair Holdings Limited v Commissioner of Inland Revenue HCIA 1/2021
Inland Revenue Board of Review Case 2/21
Inland Revenue Board of Review Case 7/21
Heath Brian Zarin v Commissioner of Inland Revenue [2022] HKCA 412
Inland Revenue Board of Review Case 8/21
Other
Re Lehman Bush (HK) Ltd [2022] HKCFI 488
Stefano has authored and co-authored a wide range of articles and books, notably:
Books
Articles