Ashok Dhingra Associates (ADA) is a professional services firm offering wide range of services under Goods and Services Tax (GST); erstwhile Indirect Taxes; Customs and Trade including Export Controls and Sanctions; and Regulatory Laws. ADA also provides advisory, training and investigation services under Anti-Corruption Laws and White-Collar Crimes to corporates.
ADA’s objective is to enhance value for clients by focusing on solutions that are innovative, yet practical that can be implemented. ADA aims to deliver services through highly qualified and trained professionals who blend their expertise with need of clients and maintain uncompromising focus on highest quality and ethical practice.
Key Professionals
ADA has been founded by Ashok Dhingra along with Sonia Gupta in 2014. Ashok is ranked among the best GST; erstwhile Indirect Taxes; Customs and Trade Laws including Export Controls and Sanctions Attorneys in India. Ashok is also considered an authority on Supply Chain; Prevention of Money Laundering; Anti-Corruption Laws and White-Collar Crimes. Ashok also assists clients during and after raid or investigations by Customs, GST and Regulatory authorities like Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI); Directorate General Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGSTI); Enforcement Directorate (ED), Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), etc. to take a view on key issues and options to deal with high risk positions, briefing and debriefing of employees and discussions with authorities to close case. He regularly appears before departmental adjudication and appellate authorities; Appellate Tribunals, High Courts and Supreme Court in Tax and Trade matters. Ashok has an overall experience of more than 44 years covering a stint in Indian Customs for 22½ years and over 15 years with member firms of Big4 Consulting firms like Arthur Andersen which merged with Ernst & Young in India, KPMG and law firms Khaitan & Co. and J. Sagar Associates (JSA). He is one of the few professionals in the Country who carry with them experience of having worked on both sides of table and with both accounting and law firms. Hence, ADA has unique advantage of providing business solutions to clients keeping in mind possible response of authorities on contentious issues. Ashok has undergone training on GST in Canada, which has been introduced in India on July 1, 2017.
Sonia Gupta Co-founder of ADA is a Chartered Accountant and Attorney and Managing Partner of the Firm. Before setting up ADA with Ashok, Sonia was Partner with JSA. She has deep knowledge of working of financial institutions and Banks. Sonia focuses primarily on Customs and Trade Laws; Foreign Trade Policy; Export/ Import Controls; Sanctions; Goods and Services Tax and erstwhile indirect taxes; providing both advisory and litigation support services to clients. Sonia also advises clients under Prevention of Money Laundering; Anti-Corruption Laws and White-Collar Crimes and assists them during investigation. She regularly appears before departmental adjudication and appellate authorities; Appellate Tribunals; High Courts and Supreme Court in Tax and Trade matters. She regularly assists clients in trade remedies i.e. investigation, mid-term review and sun-set review against levy of Anti-Dumping Duty, Safeguard Duty and Countervailing Duty before Director General of Trade Remedies and during appeal proceedings before higher appellate foras. Sonia also assists clients during and after raid or investigations by Customs and Regulatory authorities like DRI, DGGSTI, Directorate of Inspection, ED, SFIO, etc. to take a view on key issues and options to deal with high risk positions, briefing and debriefing of employees and discussions with authorities to close case. Sonia has undergone training on GST in Canada to understand implementation and practical problems faced by industry in compliance thereto, which has been introduced in India on July 1, 2017.
Services offered
India has a federal structure and levies multiplicity of Taxes. The Constitution of India provides clear allocation of areas under which only Federal Government and State Governments can levy Taxes and areas under which both can levy Taxes concurrently.
Federal Government presently levies the following key Taxes:
- Income Tax – on income of corporate and individuals.
- Customs Duty (including Integrated GST) – on import or export of goods.
- Anti-Dumping/ Safeguard/ Countervailing Duty – on import of notified goods.
- GST on supply of goods and service.
State Governments interalia levy GST on supply of goods and services within the State under specific GST Laws.
ADA provides full spectrum of advisory, compliance and litigation support services under Customs and Trade Laws including Export Controls and Sanctions; GST and erstwhile Indirect Taxes; Regulatory & Anti-Corruption Laws and White-Collar Crimes, which are divided into the following practice groups.
