VAT & Customs Duty

VAT has a bearing on most business transactions, but is often overlooked or misunderstood.

Beyond the basics which apply to most businesses and are well understood by finance professionals, VAT is a specialist area of taxation which can soon spiral into complex matters with far reaching commercial implications.

Are you confident that you would be able to identify the VAT issues or opportunities in your business?

VAT Compliance

We can assist you to set up the most effective VAT registration structure for your business, including the special VAT accounting schemes such as the Cash Accounting or Flat Rate Schemes.

In addition, we offer a VAT return preparation service, where our staff will prepare your VAT returns from your underlying accounting records and ensure that your obligations are met – leaving your staff to focus on adding value to your business.

And if your business is subject to a VAT inspection by HMRC, we can assist here too – for further details see our Tax Investigations page.

VAT Consultancy

VAT can be an outright cost to a business, or simply a cashflow issue. Either way, it is often possible to structure your business in a way that minimises the financial costs of administering this tax.

Business transactions that can cause particular complexity include:

• Buying or selling land and property
• Trading internationally
• Buying or selling a business

Customs Duty

Customs duty is paid on goods entering into the UK from outside the EU and is usually a non-recoverable cost to your business. This tax has its own set of complex rules and procedures which set out how it is calculated and in many cases there are legitimate ways to reduce the duty paid on your goods.

We advise a large number of businesses which import goods from outside the EU, and as such have the specialist knowledge and practical experience to review and reduce the Customs Duty costs payable by your business.

Contact George Lovell for a free initial consultation: 0161 767 1200 or email