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Grant Thornton offers solutions to the digital risk issues you are sure to face. Our skilled and experienced security team can helping by advising and consulting, giving you peace of mind, clear value for money and an enhanced ability to react to attacks.
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Motivating and assisting our clients to pursue, maintain and secure the benefits of digital solutions is at the core of our Digital Transformation teams' agenda and goals. We work with business leaders to deliver efficient digital strategies and operating models that provide new or enhanced capabilities.
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Economic Advisory
Our all-island Economics Advisory team combines expertise in economics and business with a wealth of experience across the public and private sectors.
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Forensic Accounting
We have a different way of doing business by delivering real insight through a combination of technical rigour, commercial experience and intuitive judgment. We take pride in delivering responsive and tailored solutions to all our clients, capitalising on the wealth of experience housed within our Belfast and wider Forensics team
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People and Change Consulting
The Grant Thornton People & Change Consulting practice works with clients on these issues as well as on all aspects of how they attract, retain, engage develop, deploy and lead their people.
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We work with a wide variety of clients and stakeholders such as high street banks, private equity funds, directors, government agencies and creditors to implement solutions which provide the best possible outcomes.
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Corporate and International Tax
Northern Ireland businesses face further challenges as they operate in the only part of the UK that has a land border with a country offering a lower tax rate.
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Employer Solutions
Our team specialises in remuneration and incentive planning and works closely with employers, shareholders and employees to ensure that business strategies are aligned and goals achieved in the most tax efficient, cost-effective manner.
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Entrepreneur and Private Client Taxes
Our team of experienced advisors are on hand to guide you through any decision or transaction ranging from the establishment of new business ventures, to realising value on exit, to succession planning and providing for loved ones.
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Global Mobility Services
Grant Thornton offer a different approach to managing global mobility. We have brought together specialists from our tax, global payroll, people and change and financial accounting teams across Ireland and Northern Ireland, while drawing on the knowledge and insights of our global network of over 143 offices of mobility professionals to provide you with a holistic approach to managing global mobility.
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Outsourced Payroll
Our outsourced service provides valued service to over 150 separate PAYE schemes. These ranging from 1 to 1000 employees, working for micro, SME and global employers. The service is supported by the integrated network of tax and global mobility teams and the wider Grant Thornton network delivering a seamless service. Experienced staff deliver a personal service built around your business needs.
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Our Tax Disputes and Investigation team is made up of tax experts and former HMRC investigators who have years of experience in dealing with a variety of tax investigations. Our expertise and insight can guide you through all interactions, keeping your cost at a minimum while allowing you to continue with the day to day running of your business.
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VAT and Indirect Taxes
At Grant Thornton (NI) LLP, our team helps Northern Ireland businesses manage their UK and global indirect tax risks which, as transactional taxes, can quickly become big liabilities.
Employers have become familiar with the Real Time Information (RTI) processes of PAYE. Given that HMRC have had the information from RTI at their disposal, just how long will it be before Government departments start to scrutinise the data?
One key reason for the switch to RTI by HMRC was to deliver employee information in support of Universal Credits, with information being accessible in Real Time. It is only a matter of time before the data is accessed by other departments (data mining) who are keen to drive their compliance. The upcoming move to Making Tax Digital will only increase the volume and accessibility of employee data.
The full data specification in RTI is comprehensive, from marital status to nationality and if available your passport number, regardless of where the passport was issued. Enquiries about individual workers often originate through payroll records. One aspect closely aligned with the hire process is that of capturing worker ID and establishing the right to work in NI and the UK. Once the worker is on the payroll, they become “visible” to HMRC and other branches of government.
A key requirement for all employers in the PRE/POST BREXIT employment market will be how they maintain and record their “right to work” checks for staff. The Rt. Hon. James Brokenshaw, former Minister for Immigration (now Secretary of State for NI) stated earlier in 2016 that “illegal workers will face the prospect of having their earnings seized and rogue employers could have their business closed, their licenses removed or face prosecution if they continue to flout the law”.
With penalties of up to £20k per illegal worker levied against employers, approximately 2,600 such penalties were issued in 2015/16. Increased powers now enable Government to initiate criminal proceedings which on conviction can result in a custodial sentence of up to 5 years and unlimited fines. Employers who flout the rules can also have their businesses closed for 48 hours. Illegal workers can become personally subject to criminal proceedings and the potential of illegal earnings (reported through RTI) being seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Quite how this last measure will impact the PAYE record remains to be seen. Do existing submissions remain valid or would amended PAYE records be required?
Employers will undoubtedly intend to comply with these checks. They should also be aware of the increasing volume of information and misinformation on websites and online forums in this respect.
A sensible starting point for employers is to follow the Governments basic “3 step rule”:
- Obtain - original versions of documents to examine;
- Check - validity of the documents in the presence of the worker; and
- Copy - retain a clear and legible copy of each document recording the date the check was made and by whom.
Full employee details (the RTI data standard) should be entered into your payroll software or HMRC’s Basic PAYE Tools from the outset.