Tax Planning
Traditionally, tax planning is the service clients most like to receive and the most satisfying for us to deliver. Typical areas where a little prior tax planning can result in minimising your overall tax leakage are:
- Inheritance Tax:
- Will drafting,
- Lifetime gifts,
- Transferring assets into trust.
- Restructuring shareholdings.
- 11th hour planning,
- Reviewing whether a post death deed of variation would be advantageous.
- Capital gains tax:
- Elections on second (including holiday) homes,
- Business exit planning,
- Negligible value claims on equities.
- Income tax/NIC:
- Remuneration planning for the SME owner manager, including tax free benefits in kind,
- Holding investments in tax efficient ISA/Pension/SPV ‘wrappers’,
- SA302 elections, to minimise payments on account,
- Business use of vehicles,
- Pensions and retirement.
- Corporation Tax:
- Trading through the most tax efficient medium,
- Company pre year end planning,
- Making use of tax free benefit in kind rules to extract profits tax efficiently,
- Short life asset elections,
- Other strategies to optimise capital allowance claims,
- R&D tax relief.
- VAT:
- Taking best advantage of registration and deregistration rules.
- Transaction structuring (including property options to tax),
- Selecting the most appropriate basis, scheme and interval to complete your VAT returns,
- Delaying VAT payment to HMRC.
- Stamp Taxes
- Transaction structuring, to minimise Stamp Duty and Stamp Duty Land Tax by claiming appropriate reliefs and exemptions.
As well as making sure the tax returns we prepare and advice we give is in accordance with tax legislation, statements of practice, extra statutory concessions and HMRC manuals, we will also be mindful of opportunities presented from relevant case law:
Useful precedents 
Quinn (R&D Relief) | May (Capital allowances) | Daniels (IR35) | Anderton (Business asset roll over relief) | Foulser (Share valuation discounts) | Ames (EIS) | Phillips (Business property relief)
Agreeing your business tax liabilities with HMRC is principally achieved by completing and submitting the relevant ‘self assessment’ tax return. Clients who are fearful that this ‘disclosure’ may be investigated by HMRC may wish to consider taking out our tax investigation insurance.
