Support for Accountants

AVN Venus Tax does not have an accounting practice or undertake any form of tax compliance. We are an independent firm and we focus on what we do best which is tax dispute resolution and prevention. Much of our work is referred to us by practising accountants. It is not in our interests to compete with accounting firms.

We have received instructions from firms of all sizes from sole practitioners and small practices with no in-house tax specialism to international firms that want specialist help, moral support, a second opinion, or where there might otherwise be a conflict of interest. Our focus is on getting the best possible result for you and your client.

We do not charge for “helplines”. We welcome telephone enquiries and when we can solve a problem in a short conversation, we will. We do not encourage firms to spend money on lost causes so if we think HMRC may be right we will say so. If something is beyond our capabilities, we say so – but we make sure we always know a genuine specialist who will be able to help. When, as is usually the case, we can help, we will always agree a basis for charging before you are committed to anything. This means that firms who work with us have access to a level of support and expertise that might otherwise be unaffordable, thus helping to solve any problems with no threat to the client base. Indeed there have been many examples of how our support has helped firms retain valuable clients.

We are flexible about how we engage with accountants and their clients. We do not insist on a direct relationship with the client although many firms do prefer that approach. Many firms enter into a generic relationship with us which saves time and administration when something urgent arises. There are no costly “retainers” in these cases so there is no risk to the practice, only the comfort of knowing we are at the end of the telephone.

We will always quote fixed fees for phases of work whenever possible and we honour quotations. In some situations we may be able to offer a contingent arrangement. We will also quote hourly rates in insured situations, in “Code 9” cases, where litigation costs may be recoverable, or if that is simply our client’s preference.

We have experience of a huge range of situations; we are always up to date with HMRC’s latest thinking and their initiatives (and how to deal with them); we know how to get results, and we are adept at analyzing all the technical arguments. So working with us is a natural choice for accountants in practice.