Meet Martin van Harten
Martin van Harten is a consultant at Nassau. He specializes in international tax law and international social security.
International tax law is really just national tax law, you know. It’s just that it’s often in English, with the laws of another country adding an extra dimension, plus the application of tax treaties. This combination is what makes the work interesting.
"I'm doing something international... but I don't really want it to be a hassle. What are the dos and don'ts?"
That is, essentially, the question most clients have. A perfectly understandable question, of course! The answer is sometimes straightforward, but sometimes it isn’t. To begin with, we need to have a very thorough understanding of the facts and the underlying areas of law—labor law, family law, civil law, and corporate law—in order to then determine the tax implications and provide advice on them. Those interconnections are what make the field so varied and the tax analysis so fascinating. You really have to get to the bottom of things, and then try to communicate the findings to the client in understandable language. The goal is for the client to be satisfied because they can actually put the information to good use.
The best parts, of course, are the special cases: executives and non-executive board members working internationally, an international termination case, a severance package for someone who has lived and worked in multiple countries, a lucrative stake or stock option plan combined with a salary split, or a controlling shareholder who is emigrating. These are all wonderful topics to sink your teeth into.
Every case is a puzzle. And I love solving puzzles. Especially the difficult ones, where even the law and the commentaries don't help you any further and you have to go back to the general principles.
Read, read, read
To excel in this field, you have to stay on top of daily developments “like a goat on a haystack.” You can only keep that up if you have a genuine interest in this field. That’s why you have to be a bit of a nerd—but one with a keen sense of what’s going on. Because technical expertise isn’t an end in itself, but a means to an end: a satisfied customer.
On Listening and Talking
How do I try to make a difference? By listening carefully. That sounds like a no-brainer, but apparently, it’s not always the case. Enthusiasm for the field makes you want to tell the client everything. And before you know it, you’re just “talking.” But truly good advice really does start with listening attentively and asking follow-up questions to try to figure out what the client is looking for. I find this one of the most enjoyable parts of solving the puzzle.
Outside of work
I couldn’t care less about the garden, although I do enjoy turning it into “Little Waterloo” with the weed burner. My beloved partner and I wear out the soles of our shoes by walking a lot. That’s necessary, too, because my other big passion is barbecuing and other social activities. These two activities keep each other somewhat in balance—at least, I hope so!
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