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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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Corporate Finance and Deal Advisory
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.
The Gender Pay Gap is an emotive topic and there is significant public interest in it. One Welsh MP is reported as stating the findings from recent studies were “astonishing” and “immoral”.
From the end of this current tax year it may also be an issue that impacts directly on the business of large employers with over 250 employees.
The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations came into force in April 2017 and by 5 April 2018 private sector businesses with more than 250 employees are obliged to publish some data on their “Gap” (30 March 2018 deadline for public sector employers).
The Regulations require the “Gap” information to be easily identifiable and disclosed on a business’s website, where it will remain for up to 3 years. As one would expect, the data is also required to the Government, and large businesses can now register online at https://genderpaygap.campaign.gov.uk/ .
In general businesses are required to report on 3 areas: 1) an annual snapshot of gender pay differential, with mean and median values reported; 2) a 12 month look-back, for bonus and Long Term Incentive Plan(LTIP) schemes, with mean and median values; and 3) quartile details of employee gender and pay differentials.
Remuneration is defined in the regulations, and specific hourly rate calculations must be used per employee when conducting the necessary analysis.
There is undoubtedly a challenge for employers to resource the reporting of the “Gap”. For example, who in an organisation will be responsible for it? – is it a finance, HR or payroll issue?
Who has the information and where is it stored? Is it held in-house, in common formats, or is it necessary to access data held by a 3rd party vendor? How is the confidentiality of the data dealt with?
When should the organisation start to prepare for the reporting requirements?
With resources typically committed elsewhere around the end of the financial year, key areas such as the timetable, analysis, web content and marketing implications should be considered now to avoid a crisis later.
As the “Gap” data will become public, commentary is being encouraged by Government but it is not mandatory. It may however only be the brave who publish their “Gap” and move on.
A business’s “Gap" will be available to the public, staff, competitors and importantly potential recruits. Much consideration should therefore be given to management of the messages and the feedback.
Some data has been published already and over 500 employers are reported to have published in advance of the April deadline. Is there anywhere to hide? Probably not.
For the time being businesses with less than 250 employees could reasonably assume it is safe to ignore their own “Gap”. They ought to be mindful of the stated desire from Unions and Government to push more firms to voluntarily publish data. Indeed, it could reach a point were an employer may find that by not reporting on “Gap”, they could be perceived as having something to hide.
