Raj applies a practical business minded approach to advising clients on their most complex transactions and tax disputes
Raj Juneja is a partner and the Co-Head of McCarthy Tétrault’s National Tax Group. Based in Toronto, he has more than 19 years’ experience navigating clients through evolving tax environments in foreign and domestic markets. Raj is an advisor that provides creative solutions in a way clients can understand and is one of Canada’s most prominent tax lawyers.
Raj has extensive experience as both a corporate tax planner and a tax dispute resolution expert. As a tax planner, Raj advises on corporate finance, private equity, derivatives, domestic and cross-border reorganizations and mergers and acquisitions. Clients highlight his commitment to client success, creativity and pragmatic problem-solving capabilities. As a tax dispute resolution expert, Raj advises on large complex tax disputes and often resolves tax disputes in his clients favour where other firms are unable to do so. Raj is often called upon in high stakes tax disputes where others have failed.
Raj has advised on some of the largest and most complex transactions undertaken in Canada over the past number of years, including:
- Restaurant Brands International Inc., as special tax counsel, with respect to RBI’s agreement to acquire all of Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc.’s issued and outstanding shares that are not already held by RBI or its affiliates, for an aggregate consideration of US$1 billion
- Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Inc. in its acquisition of IAA Inc. for $7.3 billion
- Glencore plc in its binding agreement to acquire an interest in Teck Resources Ltd.’s steelmaking coal business for US$6.93 billion
- Rio Tinto plc’s US$3.3 billion acquisition of the remaining 49% stake in Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd
- Lithium Americas Corp., as special tax counsel, in its C$4.75 billion “butterfly” divisive reorganization into two independent lithium companies known as Lithium Americas Corp. and Lithium Americas (Argentina) Corp.
- Brookfield Infrastructure Partners in its asset purchase agreement to acquire substantially all of Cyxtera Technologies’ assets for US$775 million as part of Cyxtera’s Chapter 11 filing
- Newcrest Mining (Newcrest) in its C$3.5 billion acquisition of Pretium Resources
- Brookfield Infrastructure in its C$13.5 billion acquisition of Inter Pipeline Ltd.
- Husky Energy Inc., as special tax counsel, in its C$23.6 billion combination with Cenovus Energy
- Restaurant Brands International Inc., as special tax counsel, in its US$1 billion acquisition of Firehouse Subs
- Endeavour Mining in its US$2.4 billion combination with Teranga Gold Corporation
- Newcrest Mining on its US$460 million acquisition of gold prepay and silver stream facilities and offtake on Lundin Gold's Fruta del Norte gold mine in Ecuador from Orion and Blackstone
- Cineworld Group plc in the C$2.8 billion definitive agreement to acquire Cineplex
- Endeavour in its acquisition of SEMAFO Inc. to create a combined company to be valued at more than US$2.1 billion
- SSR Mining in its merger with Alacer Gold Corp. to create a combined company with a market capitalization of approximately $5.6 billion
- Cortland Partners, LLC, an Atlanta-based multi-family real estate company, in its US$1.2 billion acquisition of Pure Multi-Family REIT LP.
- GI Partners, a US-based private equity firm, in the acquisition of Insurity, Inc.
- Burger King Worldwide, in connection with its acquisition of Tim Hortons Inc. for approximately US$12.5 billion, the US tax inversion of Burger King under Restaurant Brands International Inc., the related financing, which involved a US$3 billion preferred equity investment from Berkshire Hathaway Inc., a secured US$7.25 billion credit facility and a private placement of US$2.25 billion of second lien secured notes, and an associated tender offer for Tim Hortons' outstanding US$1.2 billion of debt securities.
- Restaurant Brands International Inc., owner of Burger King and Tim Hortons, in connection with its US$1.8 billion acquisition of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc.
- Fortis Inc. in connection with its acquisition of ITC Holdings Corp. for cash and share consideration totaling US$11.3 billion, and Fortis’ related financing transactions.
- Fortis Inc. in connection with its US$1.2 billion sale of a 19.9% interest in ITC Holdings Corp. to GIC, a sovereign wealth fund of the Government of Singapore.
- Enercare Inc. in connection with its $4.3 billion sale to Brookfield Infrastructure and its institutional partners.
- McKesson Corporation in connection with its $3 billion acquisition of Rexall and Rexall Pharma Plus.
- Stericycle Inc. in connection with its acquisition of Shred-it International for US$2.3 billion in cash.
- J. Heinz Company in connection with its US$36 billion merger with Kraft Foods Group Inc.
Raj has published numerous papers for various publications and conferences, including the Canadian Tax Foundation and the International Fiscal Association. Raj also co-authored the text book Taxation of Corporate Reorganizations (third edition).
Awards & Rankings
Chambers Global
Band 1: Tax - Canada
Chambers Canada
Band 1: Tax
The Legal 500 - Canada
Hall of Fame: Tax
Tax Experts Guide
Tax Leader (Toronto)
Who’s Who Legal
Corporate Tax
The Best Lawyers in Canada
Ranked in the area of Tax Law
The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory
Leading Lawyer: Corporate Tax; Investment Funds & Asset Management - Investment Funds – Tax
The Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada
Leading Lawyer: Corporate Tax
Lexpert Rising Stars
Leading Lawyers Under 40 (2012)
Lexpert Special Edition: Finance and M&A
Leading Lawyer
Lexpert Special Edition: Insolvency and Restructuring
Leading Lawyer
The Tax Directors Handbook
International Tax Review
Leading Lawyer: Transactional Tax