What can I do for you?
I can advise on the full range of corporate taxes including corporation tax, VAT, SDLT, employment taxes and the construction industry scheme. I also advise companies on establishing and maintaining employee share schemes. I am lucky to be able to work with a variety of clients including start up companies and established businesses, educational clients, local authorities, NHS trusts, property developers and property investors. It’s important to know your client and tailor your advice appropriately. You will often find that I become involved in a matter when specialist tax support is required and I am called on by colleagues in teams across Mills & Reeve.
Supporting my clients’ objectives
I often assist with advising on tax aspects of the sale and purchase of real estate investments. One project stands out where our client, a large charitable educational institution, was planning to develop land adjoining its existing research park. That involved detailed consideration of the application of VAT, SDLT (especially the more stringent rules on how charities relief from SDLT operates) and the extent of the charitable exemption from corporation tax. With a very different type of client, I have been advising a prospering R&D company on the operation of its EMI (Enterprise Management Incentives) share option scheme. Its great to be able to assist a client like this to make effective use of a tax advantaged scheme that helps it recruit and retain the best staff.
What do others say about me?
I was involved with giving VAT advice to Newnham College, Cambridge for the construction of its new library right through from the initial planning when I was a trainee solicitor to the final hearing seven years later in the House of Lords giving a landmark decision in the college’s favour on the meaning of occupation in the context of the VAT anti-avoidance rules. Lord Walker of Gestingthorpe described the arrangements we had put in place for the college as “a skilfully prepared and carefully executed plan.” I’d like to think that everything I do is skilful and careful enough to withstand scrutiny from the House of Lords again! My fervent hope though is not to be involved with something similar again - I’d prefer to achieve the result the client wants straight off when we first approach the tax authorities.