VAT

With VAT affecting almost every business transaction, our specialist VAT advisers can help you to minimise your liability.

Although the basic concept of VAT is relatively simple, the legislation and regulations governing VAT are ever changing, thus making it a complex area. Therefore, you should consider engaging the services of a VAT adviser to check on the latest VAT position before you make any commercial decisions.

Specialist VAT advisers

Our VAT advisers are specialists in their field. Not only do they need to understand the complex UK and European rules and the effects of all cases, but also how those rules and interpretations can affect your business.

We appreciate that every organisation is different and the emphasis of our work is to understand individual problems and resolve them in a practical and realistic manner to support you.

Where assignments are of an international nature, we use the local knowledge and expertise of member firms of UHY, our international network, which are located in major business centres throughout the world.

VAT advice and guidance

Almost every business transaction has a VAT effect, so active VAT planning could result in savings being made.

We offer advice on the most tax efficient way to structure specific transactions, whether they are acquisitions, disposals, reorganisations or property deals. We will guide you away from the pitfalls and ensure that the necessary steps are taken to minimise your liability to VAT.

The services we offer include:

  • Consultancy advice in relation to:
    • new ventures
    • overseas businesses
    • international trading
    • partial exemption methods
    • property deals
    • corporate finance
    • seeking formal rulings
    • disputes with HMRC
       
  • litigation advice concerning:
    • reconsiderations
    • negotiations
    • appeals
    • instructions for Counsel
       
  • VAT registrations and de-registrations
  • VAT administration and compliance, completion of VAT returns and dealing with associated problems, errors or corrections
  • advice in relation to VAT inspections and issues arising
  • VAT reviews, health checks and due diligence investigations
Review of your VAT accounting systems

We can review your VAT accounting systems and procedures, to help you avoid penalties for innocent errors or where VAT is accounted for in the wrong VAT quarter.

As well as highlighting errors that could prove costly if identified by HMRC, we will help you review your current operations to identify areas of VAT risks, assess present controls within these areas, advise on any improvements necessary and highlight potential savings that can be made.

Dealing with HM Revenue & Customs

Like any tax authority, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have their agendas and targets, and ways of dealing with taxpayers.

That’s you, the unpaid tax collector administering a complex self-assessed tax where penalties for innocent errors can be as harsh as the treatment handed out to deliberate tax-avoiders. Penalties range from 20% to 100% of any error.

UHY Hacker Young’s Tax Practice has a team of specialist VAT consultants. This includes Chartered Tax Advisors and ex-HMRC officers who can negotiate effectively with the authorities.

They can secure agreement for special partial exemption methods, and investigate ways of improving your VAT recovery generally. Our team have negotiated refunds in excess of £100m for clients and been involved in successful high profile litigation against HMRC. See our Litigation area for information on more specialised services.

The next step

For more information, or to find out how our VAT consultants can help you with value added tax, please contact one of our VAT advisers at your nearest location, or complete the contact form.

Let's talk! Send an enquiry to your local UHY expert.

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