The Proactive Consultancy Group is ideally placed to support you through an HMRC VAT inspection or assessment.

Our advisers have years of experience working with and alongside HMRC. We can guide you if you think that HMRC has made an unfair decision or if you disagree with the outcome of a VAT assessment.

As a finance director, you may notice HMRC asking pointed or focused questions – for example, asking in detail about a specific transaction, or asking for specific governance or control documentation.

A VAT consultant with a proven track record will work closely with your finance department to optimise your VAT processes to maximise efficiency and minimise errors.

VAT specialists immerse themselves on a day-to-day basis in HMRC VAT regulations so that they can provide input to decisions based on up-to-date information.

A VAT adviser can provide expert support during a VAT investigation, assessment or dispute. The Proactive Consultancy Group draws on a team of legal and accounting experts who can take your case from the first assessment right through to tribunal if necessary.

Our VAT compliance services will give you confidence that your organisation is meeting its obligations to VAT regulations and legislation. The Proactive Consultancy Group can carry out VAT compliance checks and advise on the steps your finance department needs to take to meet HMRC’s requirements.

As well as extensive experience working within HMRC, advisers working for The Proactive Consultancy Group specialise in:

We can provide a VAT advisory consultancy that meets your needs. Whether it is for a short-term project or interim cover for a staff absence, or a longer-term project, count on us. We can even act as an in-house VAT compliance team if needed. Our level of expertise is such that we can provide peer-level support to your tax leaders so they can affirm their approach and make decisions about VAT with confidence.

Even high-value businesses commonly misallocate or underclaim VAT. We also see a lot of clients who have not reviewed their VAT processes for a while, so they are missing recovery opportunities.

Businesses that are partially exempt, that is, they offer products and services to which VAT applies alongside products and services that are VAT exempt, may be using a recovery method that does not reflect the true use of costs. They could be using a special method, permitted by HMRC, which would provide a more advantageous result. Learn more about HMRC’s partial exemption guidance.

HMRC guidance encourages businesses to directly attribute VAT to taxable costs, rather than putting it into a general pool. By improving attribution, some of our clients have made significant improvements to their recovery percentages.

Larger organisations with a group structure often experience VAT leakage because they have not optimised VAT grouping.

Large retail businesses can often benefit from using data analytics to identify recoverable VAT opportunities within purchase ledgers from the last few years.

Each sector has its own VAT recovery opportunities.

Yes, we can advise on international VAT. Our services include review of supply chains and VAT exposures in foreign jurisdictions. We can also advise on registration requirements.

We work with high-value charities and businesses in the following sectors: healthcare, financial services, property, education and insurance.

Most of the businesses we advise are already compliant with VAT regulations. Where we come in is when there is complexity outside the expertise of the finance department. Our advice will streamline decision-making to make your processes more efficient.

Our well-resourced team is ideally placed to respond promptly to VAT queries.

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HMRC uses ADR to settle disputes with small and medium-sized businesses and with individuals. It is not usually an option for our clients, but if it is appropriate, we can explore it with you.