One minute with Katharine Arthur, head of tax at haysmacintyre.
You head the tax team at haysmacintyre. What sets the team apart from those at other firms?
Our size and setup attracted me to the firm. Our specialist corporate tax, VAT, employment tax, private client and trusts partners and directors lead teams with great technical and commercial experience, combining skills to provide advice to our commercial and not-for-profit clients.
What’s in your in-tray?
My immediate challenges include recruiting some key hires to join our growing tax team, ensuring clients meet the imminent 1 October ATED filing deadline, and helping non-domiciled clients plan for the fundamental changes ahead (see below).
What advice would you give to someone new to the profession?
Never stop learning: from study, courses, articles and of course from those you work with. The key challenge in tax is knowing what you don’t know! Specialise and develop your skills, but not to the exclusion of all other areas of tax.
What’s the number one practical issue on tax for your clients?
Understanding and dealing with the complexity of tax law and practice and changes in legislation. In an increasingly international world, planning ahead for UK requirements is challenging enough. Doing business cross border or living life in more than one jurisdiction takes some careful thought.
What caught your eye in last Budget.
The summer Budget announced significant changes for longer term UK resident non-doms. The introduction of deemed domicile for income tax and capital gains after 15 (out of the last 20) years’ of residence from 2017 will fundamentally affect the way many non-doms are taxed. There are limited incentives for non-doms to invest their funds in the UK. Many have threatened to do so before, but many with significant non-UK assets may decide to leave the UK this time.
If you could make one change to UK tax law or practice, what would it be?
Stop or at least reduce the constant tinkering with tax legislation. Colleagues and friends will tell you that I love it really (and they might be right), but businesses and individuals need stability and certainty to plan for the medium and longer term.
Aside from your immediate colleagues, whom in tax do you most admire and why?
Loughlin Hickey, former global head of tax at KPMG, and my one-time boss. He was a great role model in client relationships, leading a business and leading a team. He would be interviewed by the national media on new tax rules one minute, and welcoming the most junior recruit the next.
You might not know this about me but …
I love working in London, with everything the city offers, but I am happiest in the middle of nowhere photographing wildlife in general, and bears in particular.
One minute with Katharine Arthur, head of tax at haysmacintyre.
You head the tax team at haysmacintyre. What sets the team apart from those at other firms?
Our size and setup attracted me to the firm. Our specialist corporate tax, VAT, employment tax, private client and trusts partners and directors lead teams with great technical and commercial experience, combining skills to provide advice to our commercial and not-for-profit clients.
What’s in your in-tray?
My immediate challenges include recruiting some key hires to join our growing tax team, ensuring clients meet the imminent 1 October ATED filing deadline, and helping non-domiciled clients plan for the fundamental changes ahead (see below).
What advice would you give to someone new to the profession?
Never stop learning: from study, courses, articles and of course from those you work with. The key challenge in tax is knowing what you don’t know! Specialise and develop your skills, but not to the exclusion of all other areas of tax.
What’s the number one practical issue on tax for your clients?
Understanding and dealing with the complexity of tax law and practice and changes in legislation. In an increasingly international world, planning ahead for UK requirements is challenging enough. Doing business cross border or living life in more than one jurisdiction takes some careful thought.
What caught your eye in last Budget.
The summer Budget announced significant changes for longer term UK resident non-doms. The introduction of deemed domicile for income tax and capital gains after 15 (out of the last 20) years’ of residence from 2017 will fundamentally affect the way many non-doms are taxed. There are limited incentives for non-doms to invest their funds in the UK. Many have threatened to do so before, but many with significant non-UK assets may decide to leave the UK this time.
If you could make one change to UK tax law or practice, what would it be?
Stop or at least reduce the constant tinkering with tax legislation. Colleagues and friends will tell you that I love it really (and they might be right), but businesses and individuals need stability and certainty to plan for the medium and longer term.
Aside from your immediate colleagues, whom in tax do you most admire and why?
Loughlin Hickey, former global head of tax at KPMG, and my one-time boss. He was a great role model in client relationships, leading a business and leading a team. He would be interviewed by the national media on new tax rules one minute, and welcoming the most junior recruit the next.
You might not know this about me but …
I love working in London, with everything the city offers, but I am happiest in the middle of nowhere photographing wildlife in general, and bears in particular.
