Kristján Gunnar Valdimarsson

Supreme Court Attorney · Domestic and International Tax Law

Kristján Gunnar Valdimarsson is an attorney admitted to practise before the Supreme Court of Iceland and a specialist in domestic and international tax law. He has worked in tax law since graduating in law from the University of Iceland in 1990 and knows tax matters from every side: as District Director of Taxes for the Westfjords and head of the audit office of the Reykjavík Tax Director, as legal counsel at the Office of the Althingi Ombudsman, as head of tax at Búnaðarbanki Íslands and Landsbanki Íslands, and as an attorney in private practice since 2008.

From 1996 to 2026 he taught Icelandic and international tax law at the University of Iceland Faculty of Law, latterly as Assistant Professor (lektor). He practises through Lögmenn Promptus slf. in Reykjavík. In addition to tax matters, he also undertakes general criminal defence work.

Areas of practice

Tax disputes – responses to reassessments, appeals to the Internal Revenue Board and litigation before the District Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Tax investigations – representation from the outset of an investigation, during interviews and in dealings with investigators and prosecutors.

Corporate tax advice – operations, restructuring, mergers and the acquisition and sale of companies.

Inheritance tax – estates, advance inheritance and generational transfer of family businesses.

International tax – double tax treaties, tax residence and the cross-border taxation of income and assets.

Criminal defence – general criminal defence work, from police interviews to proceedings before the courts.

How a tax case proceeds

Education and qualifications

2026   Admitted to practise before the Supreme Court of Iceland

2023   Admitted to practise before the Court of Appeal (Landsréttur)

2002   Securities trading examination

1994   Admitted to practise before the District Courts

1990   Cand. jur. (law degree), University of Iceland

Career

2008–   Attorney in private practice, Lögmenn Promptus slf.

2007–2026   Assistant Professor (lektor) of tax law, University of Iceland Faculty of Law

2003–2008   Head of Tax, Landsbanki Íslands hf.

2003–2007   Adjunct Lecturer (aðjúnkt) in tax law, University of Iceland Faculty of Law

2000–2003   Head of Tax Advisory, Búnaðarbanki Íslands hf.

1996–2003   Sessional Lecturer in tax law and property and company law, University of Iceland

1998–1999   Legal Counsel, Office of the Althingi Ombudsman

1993–2000   Head of the Audit Office, Reykjavík Tax Director

1991–1993   District Director of Taxes, Westfjords

1990–1991   Legal Officer, Ministry of Finance

Teaching and professional activities

Lecturer and course instructor for, among others, the Directorate of Internal Revenue, University of Iceland Continuing Education, Reykjavík University, the Icelandic Bar Association, the Icelandic Lawyers’ Association and the Association of State Authorised Public Accountants.

Board member of the Icelandic Lawyers’ Association from 1994 and its chairman 2002–2005. Chairman of the Association of Icelandic Tax Directors 1992–1993. Chairman of the editorial committee of the Handbook on the Collection of Public Levies (Handbók um innheimtu opinberra gjalda).

Selected publications

Skattasniðganga / Tax avoidance. Tímarit lögfræðinga, issue 3, 1999.

Um málsmeðferðarreglur á skattstjórastigi / Procedural rules at tax director level. Úlfljótur, no. 4, 1993.

Skattframkvæmd frá sjónarhóli framkvæmdavaldsins / Tax administration from the perspective of the executive. Viðskiptablaðið, 1998.

Nýjar málsmeðferðarreglur skattalaga / New procedural rules in tax legislation. Tíund, April 1997.

Tímafrestir endurákvörðunar / Time limits for reassessment. Tíund, October 1997.

Contact

Please call or send a short email describing your matter. All enquiries are treated as confidential. Please do not send sensitive documents until we have been in touch.

Telephone: +354 777 0550 · Email: kgv@kgv.is · Office: Borgartún 28, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland