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Corporate Finance and Deal Advisory
We offer a dedicated team of experienced individuals with a focus on successfully executing transactions for corporates and financial institutions. We offer an integrated approach, with our corporate finance specialists working seamlessly with tax and other specialists to ensure that every angle is covered.
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Digital Risk
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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Technology Consulting
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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Restructuring
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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Tax Disputes and Investigations
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.
Yesterday afternoon, the UK Government lost another Brexit vote in Parliament when MPs voted down a motion of support for the UK Prime Minister, Theresa May’s Brexit negotiating plans. These were the same plans which MPs had supported only 2 weeks ago! Whilst this was a pretty meaningless, procedural vote it doesn’t strengthen the UK’s hand in continued negotiations with Brussels.
It is exactly three months since the Withdrawal Agreement and political statement on the future trading relationship were agreed in principle with the EU. It is also now a month since the Brexit deal was rejected by MPs in Parliament. Today, there are just six weeks left before the UK is due to leave the EU.
Nothing has changed, except that we are one more week closer to Brexit and once again the prospect of a No Deal Brexit has increased.
The key issue remains that most MPs want changes made to the current Northern Ireland ‘backstop’ provisions. See ‘what the backstop’ means here.
What next?
It could go down to the wire at the end of March. The most likely outcomes remain either a No Deal (cliff edge Brexit at 11pm on 29 March) or a last minute deal on the Withdrawal Agreement that includes an extension to Article 50 and allows some details to be ironed out.
We now understand that HMRC has around 3,000 people working on No Deal preparations and the UK government is issuing updated No Deal guidance documents on an almost daily basis. All organisations should pay careful attention to this: if you have not done so already, activate your No Deal preparations now.
What does this mean for business and other organisations?
- Don’t wait for the politicians to reach an agreement. By the time this political deadlock breaks, it will be too late to make contingency plans for 29 March. So…
- If you can, plan for all eventualities. If you haven’t already done so, it is vital to do some scenario planning, assessing how the different options impact on your organisation, your markets and suppliers. We can help and there are more things you can do whatever stage you are at in your Brexit planning.
- Identify opportunities that uncertainty and disruption in the market create: where are your competitive advantages; how can your goods or services help others navigate this uncertain time; are there opportunities to increase exports in the rest of the world or acquire undervalued assets?
- If nothing else, plan for No Deal: and work out when you need to implement plans to ensure ongoing business continuity.
- Get match fit: focus on the business basics: cashflow; retaining and attracting talent; sweating your assets; meeting customer needs; and removing unnecessary costs
It is not yet too late to start.
We have been working with clients from a wide range of sectors on covering all aspects of Brexit planning, such as developing, stress testing and implementing Brexit plans; reporting on Brexit risks and opportunities; assessing Brexit impact on deals; Brexit-proofing data protection; supporting relocation of operations; getting your tax and customs Brexit ready; helping you expand in new markets; preparing for market turbulence by reducing costs; and developing your employer proposition.