Manchester-based specialist tax relief company, Catax, today announced it has hired Chartered Accountant and tax adviser, Nigel Holmes, as a Senior R&D Consultant.
Holmes’ appointment follows Catax’s rebrand in early April and reflects CEO Mark Tighe’s intention to scale up the company’s R&D division. He joins Catax from Carlisle-based Armstrong Watson and will continue to operate out of Carlisle.
Holmes qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1994 and as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 1998, with a particular focus on Research & Development tax relief in which he has over 16 years’ experience. He was recently nominated for Tolley’s Taxation, Tax Writer of the Year Award 2017.
Catax, which employs just under 100 staff and has 12,000 UK clients, is a specialist tax provider for companies seeking to reclaim tax relief on the back of R&D activity they have performed or, where commercial property is owned, via unused capital allowances.
R&D tax relief is a key focus of the current Government, which announced in its recent Budget plans to make it easier for UK firms to make claims in this area. To date, Catax has secured its clients an average R&D tax benefit of £39,000.
Nigel Holmes, Senior R&D Consultant, Catax, commented: “Research & Development tax relief is an area that I have a strong passion for. Over the years I’ve saved companies around the UK millions in tax on their R&D activities but sadly the vast majority of SMEs simply do not realise that they can make a claim. In fact, HMRC figures show that fewer than 1% of eligible UK firms are taking advantage of this extremely generous relief. This is something I’m keen to rectify under the highly respected Catax brand.”
Mark Tighe, CEO, Catax, added: “With our new brand providing real impetus, we are seeking to significantly scale the business in the months and years ahead — and hiring someone of Nigel’s experience is one of the first major steps in that direction. Nigel has a forensic knowledge of R&D tax and has even provided guidance on it to HMRC, so in bringing him onboard we have someone we are confident will hit the ground running. Our goal is to raise awareness of this valuable tax relief and Nigel is central to our plans.”
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