Tax Advisory Services - Strategic Tax Planning From Chartered Tax Advisers
Tax planning is not about avoidance. It’s about making sure every legitimate relief, allowance, and structure available to you under UK law is actively used, before the opportunity closes. At Merit Accountants, our Tax Advisers deliver structured, year-round tax advisory services that consistently save clients far more than the cost of their fees.
Our managing partner holds CTA (Chartered Tax Adviser) status, the highest tax qualification in the UK, awarded by the Chartered Institute of Taxation. We have direct experience working alongside HMRC, which means we understand not just what the law says, but how it is applied in practice. We’ve used that knowledge to overturn HMRC disputes, recover overpaid tax, and build long-term tax strategies that compound year after year.
What Is Tax Advisory, And Why It's Different from Accountancy
Most businesses have an accountant. Very few have a tax adviser. The difference matters enormously.
An accountant records what happened and ensures you are compliant. A tax adviser plans what should happen and ensures you are paying only what you legally owe. At Merit Accountants, we do both, but it is the advisory layer that delivers the most measurable financial benefit for our clients.
Our tax advisory service covers both business and personal taxation, meaning we look at your entire financial picture, company profits, director’s remuneration, dividends, property income, investments, pension contributions, and inheritance planning, and create a strategy that minimises the overall tax burden across all of them.
Our Tax Advisory Framework: A Structured Year-Round Approach
We do not wait until January to think about your tax bill. Our advisory framework operates across the full financial year:
✓ Monthly Monitoring (Full-Service Clients):
Ongoing review of your financial position against your tax forecast. We flag any changes in income, expenditure, or legislation that require action.
✓ Quarterly Tax Planning Reviews
A formal review every quarter covering your current tax position, any HMRC legislative changes, available reliefs for the period, and recommended actions. You will never be surprised by a tax bill.
✓ Six-Monthly Comprehensive Tax Review
A deep-dive into your overall tax strategy, including personal and business taxation, investment structures, property holdings, and pension planning. We revisit your long-term strategy and update it for any changes in your financial circumstances.
✓ Pre-Year-End Tax Planning Session
The most valuable meeting in your financial year. In the weeks before your year-end, we identify every action that can legally reduce your tax liability for the closing year. This single meeting routinely saves clients thousands of pounds.
✓ Annual Tax Strategy Report
A written summary of your tax position, strategies implemented, savings achieved, and recommendations for the year ahead. This becomes the foundation for the following year’s planning.
Business Tax Planning
Our business tax advisory covers corporation tax, VAT, PAYE, CIS, and all associated reliefs. Key areas where we consistently find savings for business clients include: R&D tax credits, capital allowances on plant, machinery and property, employment allowances, directors’ salary and dividend structuring, business exit planning including Entrepreneurs’ Relief (now Business Asset Disposal Relief), and EIS and SEIS investment schemes for qualifying companies.
Personal Tax Planning
High earners, property investors, landlords, and company directors often face a personal tax burden that is significantly higher than it needs to be. We provide personal tax planning that covers self-assessment optimisation, income tax reduction strategies, Capital Gains Tax planning on property and investments, Inheritance Tax planning, trust structures, pension planning, and residency and domicile advice for internationally mobile individuals.
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What Our Track Record Looks Like
In the last two financial years alone, we have saved clients collectively over £9.2 million in tax. See our case studies for individual results of tax savings generated for clients.
Ready to Find Out How Much You Could Save?
Our initial tax advisory consultation is free and confidential. We’ll review your current tax position and give you a clear picture of where savings exist and what actions are needed. No jargon, no obligation.
Tax Advisory Service FAQs
Tax planning means reviewing your business or personal affairs in advance to reduce tax legally and efficiently, making the right decisions at the right time, rather than simply reporting transactions after the year has ended.
Because once your year end passes or a transaction completes, many planning options disappear. Proactive planning identifies opportunities while you can still act on them, which usually means more flexibility and better outcomes. It’s the difference between an accountant who records what happened and a Chartered Tax Adviser who plans what should happen.
They’re particularly valuable for business owners, company directors, landlords, investors, high earners, clients with group structures, and anyone facing more complex tax issues or significant financial decisions.
Yes. We review your circumstances and advise on practical, legitimate ways to reduce your corporation tax, including timing, structure, remuneration planning, capital expenditure and wider reliefs such as R&D and capital allowances where they apply.
Yes. Some clients come to us for specific one-off advice; others want ongoing, year-round support. We scope the work around your needs and the complexity of the matter.