Biography
Milan Horák heads the Prague tax team of White & Case. He primarily focuses on VAT, income tax and M&A.
Milan regularly advises clients on tax structuring, corporate tax issues and tax audits. He has supported some of the key market players in their most high-profile transactional processes, often assisting them, among others, in calculating the purchase price.
His recent experience includes advising Mehiläinen, TPG Europe, CVC Capital Partners and several major banking institutes.
Experience
Milan has advised, among others, the following representative clients:
- Pale Fire Capital, a prominent Czech-based investment firm, and its founders, including Petr Samek, on the tax matters connected to the disposal of ROUVY, a leading indoor cycling and virtual training platform built on real-world routes, to Zwift, a California-based private company and leading global digital fitness platform.
- Mehiläinen, Finland's largest social and healthcare provider and a CVC Capital Partners portfolio company, on its acquisitions of Regina Maria in Romania and MediGroup in Serbia from private equity firm MidEuropa. The tax team lead on the drafting and technics of the purchase price calculation and advised on review of specific reps and warranties.
- Packeta Group, a Czech technology and logistics company and a CVC Capital Partners portfolio company, in relation to the disposal of Mailstep, the largest fulfillment provider in the Czech Republic, to Emma Capital. The tax team advised on exit tax structuring.
- Ali Group, the largest and most diversified global leader in the foodservice equipment industry, on its acquisition of JIPA, a Czech Republic-based manufacturer of advanced electrical multifunctional devices for commercial kitchens, from its founders. The tax team advised on tax-specific provisions of the (including in response to tax DD findings) and extensively on purchase price calculation and post-closing price adjustment.
- TPG Real Estate on the €470 million sale to funds managed by Blackstone of CT Real Estate, a portfolio of ten logistics parks located in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This transaction is one of the largest real estate deals in Europe in 2024. The tax team advised on exit tax structuring and on critical aspects of the purchase price calculation.
- Major corporate issuers and international banks on integrated tax advice in connection with a wide range of capital markets transactions, including both debt and equity capital markets deals.
- Czech-based private investment firm B3 Holding with day-to-day tax advisory services primarily related to tax compliance.
- The Carlyle Group on its acquisition of Meopta Optika, a manufacturer of optical, opto-mechanical, and opto-electronic solutions headquartered in the Czech Republic.
- CVC Funds and EMMA Capital on their acquisition of 100% ownership of Packeta, a leading e-commerce logistics and delivery player in Czechia and Slovakia.
- Trinity Bank in the acquisition of the office building located at Na Příkopě 33 in Prague. The transaction represents the largest acquisition in the real estate office segment in the Czech Republic in 2023, and one of the largest office space transactions in the center of the Czech capital.
- RCS & RDS (formerly Romanian Cable System & Romanian Data System), one of the biggest telecommunication operators in South-Eastern Europe and the largest cable and satellite television company in Romania, mainly on Czech tax issues of its former Czech subsidiary.
- BMO Real Estate, an investment boutique and the property specialist with GBP 5.6 billion of assets under management across core European markets, in structuring of their real estate acquisitions in the Czech Republic, including the acquisition of the Van Graaf and the Diamant properties on Wenceslas Square in Prague.
- Klépierre, European specialist in shopping center properties, on tax structuring of the acquisition of a retail property in the Czech Republic.
- individuals and founding shareholders of Apiary, Czech start-up company focusing on API design and collaboration, on the sale of Apiary to Oracle, a world-leading technology firm. The advisory included assistance to employees of Apiary on tax effects of their stock options through the deal.
- The Stars Group (formerly Rational Group), owner of industry leading gaming brands including PokerStars or BetStars, in connection with gambling permit and gambling tax in the Czech Republic.