Tax advisory service for accountants

Q&A Service 

We provide a question-and-answer advisory service to other accounting firms who either may not have their own internal taxation resource, or they do, but are just looking for that second opinion. Our goal is to provide an answer to all questions within 24 hours.  

Having a tax specialist on call so that you can offer reliable, timely, cost effective taxation advice to clients without the need to send them elsewhere, is a great business strategy.  

Our tax team has a well-rounded knowledge in all areas of taxation, and outsourcing to our advisory service will also provide you with the opportunity to increase your own available time, to spend on those aspects of your service offerings to your clients that you are more skilled at, and potentially obtain greater enjoyment from.  

In terms of any communication with your clients, unless specifically requested to do so by you, we will not make any direct contact with your clients. Our service has no minimal monthly fee, you simply use us as required and then at the end of every month, we’ll send you an invoice with an attached WIP report, the latter providing you with complete transparency as to where our time has been spent, and also enabling you to then on-charge our costs to your clients. 

Optimising Structures 

We can also assist with business structure reviews to ensure taxation optimisation, and if you have a client going off-shore or coming on-shore, then we also have a wealth of knowledge to assist with the transition, as well as connections to both trusted accounting and legal advisers in most foreign jurisdictions across the globe – where some local knowledge is often a key to getting the set-up right first time, and avoiding those costly mistakes.  

Tax Opinions 

Another component of our advisory services, is preparing detailed tax opinions for your clients in relation to a specific taxation issue that they may be facing, providing commentary and advice with respect to the correct application of New Zealand tax legislation. We also provide second opinions if you want to make sure your own conclusions are correct.  

IRD Communications 

Finally we can assist you with an IRD Risk Review or Full Audit of your clients tax affairs. The level of our involvement ranges from simple strategy advice to complete management of the process. We can also provide solutions when it comes to negotiating debt repayment, from simple instalment repayment plans, through to applications for a full write-off of debt.  

Our Team 

Tax partner Richard Ashby leads the Gilligan Sheppard tax team and has over 30 years’ experience, including time spent within the IRD investigations unit – a real asset available to you and your firm.  

We have structured our client service team to maximise client service, quality of delivery and continuity of service to you. In this respect, our fees will be based on the degree of responsibility, experience, the skill involved and the time we estimate will be necessary to complete the specific engagement.  

We’d love to talk about how we can assist with your taxation requirement. Give one of our specialists a call, or fill in the enquiry form to make an appointment. We look forward to working with you.

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Richard Ashby

Partner and tax expert.
Read Richard’s profile.

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As a client Gilligan Sheppard you will have access to international networks and resources to enable optimal outcomes for your business / trust / transaction. xero logo It’s small business accounting software that’s simple, smart and occasionally magical. Log in online anytime, anywhere on your Mac, PC, tablet or phone to get a real-time view of your cash flow. 
As a client Gilligan Sheppard you will have access to international networks and resources to enable optimal outcomes for your business / trust / transaction. tax traders logo Tax Traders allows you to buy someone else’s tax to settle your account with Inland Revenue, as well as save on interest and late payment penalty charges.
As a client Gilligan Sheppard you will have access to international networks and resources to enable optimal outcomes for your business / trust / transaction. smart ar logo Astute cash flow management is essential for operating a small business.
As a client Gilligan Sheppard you will have access to international networks and resources to enable optimal outcomes for your business / trust / transaction. myob logo Trusted by 1.2 million businesses, myob is New Zealand’s largest accounting solutions provider. The platform is equipped to support the needs of New Zealand organisations.
As a client at Gilligan Sheppard you will access to international networks and resources to enable optimal outcomes for your business/trust/transaction.  accountancy insurance logo Tax Audit Insurance specifically designed for accountants in public practice. This provides cost effective protection and peace of mind against the substantial cost that may be incurred should IR or other government authorities conduct a random review, investigation or audit.
As a client Gilligan Sheppard you will have access to international networks and resources to enable optimal outcomes for your business / trust / transaction. cpa logo A CPA is a finance, accounting and business professional with a specific qualification. It indicates a soundness in depth, breadth and quality of accountancy knowledge and gives you competitive advantage over your peers.
As a client Gilligan Sheppard you will have access to international networks and resources to enable optimal outcomes for your business / trust / transaction. agn international logo AGN International is a worldwide asociation, composed of four regions, of independent accounting and advisory businesses.
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Richard Ashby (our tax specialist) provides advice, comments and updates on what’s been happening in the world of tax each week.