The Tax Team work hard to make sure the University complies with complex tax laws and offer their advice and expertise to other parts of the University. We caught up with Tax Manager Shona Blair to find out more. What do your team do? Image The Tax Team is responsible for ensuring that the University complies fully with all relevant tax laws, rules, regulations, statutory reporting and disclosure requirements wherever we operate. We provide proactive advice and guidance to our Colleges, Schools, and departments across the University on increasingly complex tax related matters that arise from our core activities and strategic aims. The team is responsible for developing and implementing appropriate and effective tax risk management processes and controls to provide assurance that the requirements of the University’s Tax Strategy, published for the first time in 2017, are being met. What is your role? As Direct Tax Manager, I’m responsible for all aspects of direct taxation for the University and its trading companies. This covers corporation tax, which the University itself is largely, but not entirely, exempt from as a charitable organisation and employment taxes, including payroll, benefits and expenses compliance. As a global institution, I’m also increasingly involved in navigating the tax complexities and risks of operating globally, both at a strategic level for the University and at an operational level for staff involved in delivering programmes and projects internationally (working closely with colleagues in payroll, OneHR, pensions and insurance). Details of event and award? I recently attended the British Universities Finance Directors Group (BUFDG) annual Tax Conference at Loughborough University, where nearly 200 delegates gathered to participate in topical tax sessions, connect, catch up, share ideas, and have some fun with counterparts across UK higher education. I co-presented 2 sessions; one on Tax governance, strategy and policy and the other on global mobility of staff. I was thrilled to receive BUFDG’s ‘Nigel Clothier award for special contribution to University Tax’ for the work I delivered on the new Criminal Finances Act, successful implementation of the ‘IR35’ rules and developing the University’s Tax Strategy. What are you working on right now? As well as meeting a number of statutory year end filing deadlines, I’m also involved in an variety of exciting projects, including providing tax specialist input to our Finance Transformation programme, initiatives to optimise the University’s future tax position and driving process efficiencies across a number of key areas - all the while managing an audit by HMRC of employment tax/payroll compliance! Even more change is on the near horizon for the coming year with Brexit and Making Tax Digital colliding at the end of March/beginning of April 2019. Change is the norm in the tax world these days, never a dull moment! This article was published on 2024-07-01
