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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.
Fraudsters were most prevalent between April and May 2020, and again in January 2021, when national lockdowns were in place. This is the tip of the iceberg as the National Crime Agency estimates that just one in five (i.e. 20%) of alleged frauds are reported to the Police.
Reported frauds relating to online sales are 42% higher during the pandemic, compared to the preceding year (i.e. 2019), with the increased demand for online shopping providing fraudsters with greater opportunities to illegally obtain online shoppers’ personal and financial details.
Several techniques developed by hackers include researching social media profiles of potential targets in an attempt to crack passwords and identify the correct answers to possible security questions, which are still often based on an individual’s birthdays, pet’s name, hobbies, sporting heroes, personal interests, activities, etc.
It is, therefore, crucial that privacy settings are set to significantly reduce the amount of personal information that you disclose online or on social media platforms, and to be suspicious and cautious of unsolicited requests to connect with people you are unfamiliar, and/or unconnected with.
The first draft of the U.K.'s Online Safety Bill was announced in the recent Queen's speech. The draft legislation imposes a duty of care on digital service providers to moderate user-generated content in a way that prevents users from being exposed to illegal and/or harmful content online. The Bill also includes provisions to tackle online hate crime and scams, such as romance fraud, and fake investment opportunities. However, the Bill does not include frauds using false advertisements, emails, or cloned websites in its provision.
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The Online Safety Bill is also an important first step in helping to protect children online and in clamping down on online racist abuse, which can only be to the benefit of society. In addition, the Regulator, Ofcom, will be able to issue fines to entities of up to £18m or 10% of an entity’s global turnover, whichever is higher, if firms fail to comply with the new proposed rules. This should stimulate firms to take action on the draft legislation.
However, without fraud being included in the scope of the Bill, social media firms, search engines, and other online websites may not be fully incentivised to address the potential vulnerabilities in their systems from being exploited by criminals in order to commit fraud. Whether the Online Safety Bill is upgraded in the future remains to be seen, but the only certainty is that while vulnerabilities exist, both criminals and fraudsters will continue to exploit them.
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Sinead O'Neill Sinead’s experience includes investigating whistle-blower claims in a number of publicly funded entities. These claims include misappropriation of public funds, employee fraud and employee misconduct.View Profile -
Samuel McCormick Samuel is an Assistant Manager in our Forensics and Investigation Services department.