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Business Risk Services
Our Business Risk Services team deliver practical and pragmatic solutions that support clients in growing and protecting the inherent value of their businesses.
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We offer a dedicated team of experienced individuals with a focus on successfully executing transactions for corporates and financial institutions. We offer an integrated approach, with our corporate finance specialists working seamlessly with tax and other specialists to ensure that every angle is covered.
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Economic Advisory
Our all-island Economics Advisory team combines expertise in economics and business with a wealth of experience across the public and private sectors.
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Forensic Accounting
We have a different way of doing business by delivering real insight through a combination of technical rigour, commercial experience and intuitive judgment. We take pride in delivering responsive and tailored solutions to all our clients, capitalising on the wealth of experience housed within our Belfast and wider Forensics team
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People and Change Consulting
The Grant Thornton People & Change Consulting practice works with clients on these issues as well as on all aspects of how they attract, retain, engage develop, deploy and lead their people.
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Restructuring
We work with a wide variety of clients and stakeholders such as high street banks, private equity funds, directors, government agencies and creditors to implement solutions which provide the best possible outcomes.
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Technology Consulting
Motivating and assisting our clients to pursue, maintain and secure the benefits of digital solutions is at the core of our Digital Transformation teams' agenda and goals. We work with business leaders to deliver efficient digital strategies and operating models that provide new or enhanced capabilities.
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Corporate and International Tax
Northern Ireland businesses face further challenges as they operate in the only part of the UK that has a land border with a country offering a lower tax rate.
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Employer Solutions
Our team specialises in remuneration and incentive planning and works closely with employers, shareholders and employees to ensure that business strategies are aligned and goals achieved in the most tax efficient, cost-effective manner.
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Entrepreneur and Private Client Taxes
Our team of experienced advisors are on hand to guide you through any decision or transaction ranging from the establishment of new business ventures, to realising value on exit, to succession planning and providing for loved ones.
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Global Mobility Services
Grant Thornton Ireland offer a different approach to managing global mobility. We have brought together specialists from our tax, global payroll, people and change and financial accounting teams across Ireland and Northern Ireland, while drawing on the knowledge and insights of our global network of over 143 offices of mobility professionals to provide you with a holistic approach to managing global mobility.
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Outsourced Payroll
Our outsourced service provides valued service to over 150 separate PAYE schemes. These ranging from 1 to 1000 employees, working for micro, SME and global employers. The service is supported by the integrated network of tax and global mobility teams and the wider Grant Thornton network delivering a seamless service. Experienced staff deliver a personal service built around your business needs.
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Tax Disputes and Investigations
Our Tax Disputes and Investigation team is made up of tax experts and former HMRC investigators who have years of experience in dealing with a variety of tax investigations. Our expertise and insight can guide you through all interactions, keeping your cost at a minimum while allowing you to continue with the day to day running of your business.
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VAT and Indirect Taxes
At Grant Thornton (NI) LLP, our team helps Northern Ireland businesses manage their UK and global indirect tax risks which, as transactional taxes, can quickly become big liabilities.
First ‘tax day’ provides platform to build regime fit for 21st century
Peter Legge
25 Mar 2021
For many of those closely involved in working with the UK’s tax system, there has been little doubt that it has, for some time, been crying out for reform.
The government had already announced its 10-year strategy to “build a trusted, modern tax administration system”, and now we know more about what that will entail, and how it may impact businesses and individuals.
The UK’s first ‘Tax Day’ earlier this week saw a raft of announcements signalling changes to the tax regime, with the government setting out a series of measures and new consultations that it said will foster greater visibility and transparency.
There remains an emphasis on closing the ‘tax gap’ - that is the difference between the tax that is paid and what should be paid. Currently at a record low of 4.7%, authorities want to bring that down further, by removing errors and by doing more to tackle non-compliance, tax avoidance and evasion.
In practical terms, this will undoubtedly mean greater scrutiny of the tax affairs of businesses and private individuals and we have already seen evidence that HMRC is strengthening its armoury in that regard with a £100m investment in a 1,200-strong Taxpayer Protection Taskforce.
With Making Tax Digital to be further extended over the coming years, much of HMRC’s investigations will likely be carried out online as progress is made on delivering the tax administration strategy to modernise the system. This will deliver a fully digital regime designed to operate much closer to real time than at present.
Among the Tax Day announcements, it was particularly welcome to see efforts to raise standards in the tax advice market and discussion around making professional indemnity insurance compulsory for all tax advisers.
As a result, those with complex tax requirements will increasingly benefit from seeking advice from large teams with the requisite insurance, qualifications, and breadth of expertise across a multitude of disciplines.
Tax Day also saw some potential new measures revealed, for example, the government said it will consult on a new tax on the largest residential property developers with a new levy to be introduced in 2022 that will help to pay for the costs of cladding remediation.
There is much detail in the consultations that we as tax advisers will be poring over throughout the coming days and weeks.
The government hopes that by this increased scrutiny of tax measure will improve the quality of tax policy and legislation, relied upon by millions of taxpayers, and that is to be welcomed.
We look forward to working with government over the coming months as it shapes a fully digitised tax system befitting the 21st century.