Grace Lyon : Chartered Tax Adviser

Grace Lyon : Chartered Tax Adviser

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Welcome graphic

Tax is really no-one's favourite occupation, but it is a necessary chore and I aim to make it as cheerful and hassle-free as possible.

I prepare accounts for self-employed people and small businesses, including start-up companies, followed by the annual tax return and, for companies, the statutory Companies' House returns. I will also come and do your bookkeeping for you, if that would be helpful. So if you have a business where you spend all your energy doing the work, speaking to customers, thinking of new ideas, but your paperwork is several months behind, then it might well be a good idea to get me to come in to look after the bank statement/bookkeeping side of things.

I will also do individual tax returns where you have something a bit more complicated to enter, such as capital gains.

If you have assets of more than £300,000 and are concerned about inheritance tax, I can give you planning advice as to your best course of action.

For anyone, but especially the self-employed and small companies, all this will be cheaper for you if you can keep good records. I prefer it too - and will happily show you what records to keep and think of a good method which will work for you.

Working as a one-man-band, I know all my clients really well and can be very flexible in fitting your accounts and tax requirements around what suits you.

Experience & Qualifications

I have now clocked up more than 25 years in tax. I started with a stint in the Revenue, then moved to one of the "Big 5" firms, KPMG, in London & Glasgow. I now work for myself from home.

I completed my Chartered Tax Adviser qualification in 1992, at a time when this required in-depth knowledge of every one of the current taxes, so I have a broad knowledge base.

I did also qualify with the Personal Finance Society (the professional body for Independent Financial Advisors), so I have a good background knowledge of pensions and investments etc, but I have subsequently let my membership lapse, so please note that I do not give financial advice.

If you are wondering about the MSc, I did my original degrees in Physics. Why I am doing tax is a bit of a mystery.

Grace Lyon MSc CTA

19A Dalkeith Avenue
Dumbreck
Glasgow
G41 5BL

gracelyon@cta.org.uk

Fees - the awful reality no-one mentions.
I charge by the hour and the basic charge is £35 per hour (no VAT).

However, there is a discount to £30 per hour if you can get your accounts and tax return information to me in April or May. This discount then applies to all the work done on those accounts and the return, regardless of when I do the work.

On the other hand, if you do not give me your tax return information until December or January, then the fee goes up to £70 per hour (other than new clients who have just turned up and for whom the £35 charge will apply for the first year).

The same applies for companies, with the two discount months being the two months immediately after the year-end.

So......you can save quite a bit by being well-organised and up to date.