Q: Tell us a bit about yourself and your interests.
A: I have two kids at Primary school, so most of my hobbies revolve around spending time with my young family. If I am not supporting the mighty Liverpool FC, you will find me watching movies, in particular a good comedy (in short supply these days!). I am also a big fan of spicy food, especially a good chilli sauce – love a bit of heat!
Q: How would you describe your role?
A: From day to day, I work on both personal and company tax matters which includes drafting advice for clients, reviewing and signing off the work of my fellow tax colleagues, contacting clients and the tax office and potentially having meetings with existing or new clients.
Q: What do you enjoy about your profession?
A: I have worked in the tax industry for many years, first at the Guernsey Revenue Service and have been at BDO for almost 13 years. I enjoy the variety of the work, (it changes daily) and building good and strong client relationships whilst problem solving for our clients.
Q: Who is a typical client?
A: We have all sorts of clients. We could be working for anyone, from a local resident who requires assistance with a simple tax return, to high earners living overseas with local rental properties, to larger companies which require much more involvement.
Q: What do people need to be thinking about now/ at this time of year in terms of tax?
A: Following on from the latest lockdown, the filing deadlines for calendar year 2019 tax returns were extended. This has impacted the amount of time available to complete calendar year 2020 tax returns and so this is a good time to bite the bullet and start collating the necessary information.
Q: What would be your top tip to somebody who is looking to get their taxes in order?
A: Always seek independent advice if you are unsure of something – with tax, (although we can assist with rectifying a situation) problems are best avoided in the first place as they can often be quite costly. Our team at BDO can assist with local, Jersey, UK and French tax returns.