Independent Tax

What Independent Tax does

Independent Tax is a privately held UK professional services firm specialising in HMRC dispute resolution, tax investigations, and VAT advisory. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Manchester with additional offices in Birmingham and Leeds, the firm represents individuals, businesses, and professional accountancy practices facing HMRC compliance checks, enquiries, COP8/COP9 investigations, criminal investigations, tax tribunals, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Personal Liability Notices. The senior team is composed predominantly of former HMRC Inspectors and senior tax professionals with a combined 150+ years of experience, led by Managing Partner Gary Brothers and including VAT Partner Stephen Fennell (28 years HMRC plus 17 years running his own VAT consultancy), Associate Director David Pedley, and Senior Manager Guy Smith, who also serves as a Tolley Guidance Consultant Editor and ICAS Tax Bulletin Editorial Board member.

The firm's product suite spans HMRC Disputes Services, Tax Appeals and Tribunals, Code of Practice 9 / Contractual Disclosure Facility support, Tax Investigation Support, a dedicated VAT Services practice (including a VAT Advisory Team launched April 2024), Tax Planning covering R&D relief, property tax, trusts and inheritance tax, and business restructuring, plus specialist services such as expert witness work, forensic services, and a tax investigation insurance product. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is entirely human-expert-led and built on insider knowledge of HMRC processes.

Commercially, Independent Tax operates a sales-led professional services model, billing engagements at fixed-fee or fixed-budget terms rather than open-ended hourly rates, with acquisition driven by professional referrals (with a rebate programme for referring accountancy firms), direct phone and email enquiry, and increasingly by content marketing and industry award positioning. Customers span individual taxpayers, owner-managed and corporate businesses, HNW individuals with complex offshore and trust structures, and accountancy practices seeking specialist dispute support. The firm is independently owned, has no disclosed external investors, and reports no revenue or funding data publicly.

Name

Independent Tax

Legal name

Independent Tax

Website

https://independent-tax.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Independent Tax is a privately held UK boutique tax advisory firm specialising in HMRC dispute resolution, tax investigations, and VAT advisory for individuals, businesses, and accountancy practices, delivered by a senior team of ex-HMRC Inspectors operating from Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tax Advisory Services

NAICS

Other Accounting Services (541219)

akta.pro primary industry

Tax Advisory & Compliance (BPAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Indirect Tax (VAT/GST/Sales & Use) Services (BPAHABAJ), Dispute Resolution, Appeals & Tax Tribunals (BPAIADAK), Transfer Pricing & International Tax Services (BPAHABAI)

Keywords

• Tax investigation services
• HMRC dispute resolution
• VAT advisory
• Tax planning services
• Tax compliance support

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Professional Services Fees: Tax dispute resolution and advisory services billed at professional hourly rates or fixed budgets. The firm emphasizes affordable, fixed-fee engagements rather than traditional open-ended 'on the clock' billing approach used by larger competitors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Independent Tax is a UK tax advisory firm that defends and represents individuals and businesses facing HMRC enquiries, investigations, and disputes, and provides proactive tax planning, VAT advisory, forensic tax, and expert witness services. The firm also supports clients with tax investigation insurance matters and operates as an independent specialist alternative to generalist accountancy practices.

Product overview

Independent Tax is a professional tax advisory firm offering a unified suite of human expert-delivered tax dispute resolution, tax planning, and VAT services. The core offerings include HMRC Disputes Services (covering Code of Practice 9 investigations, tax appeals, tax tribunals, and ADR), Tax Investigation Support, VAT Services (including a dedicated VAT Advisory Team launched April 2024), and Tax Planning (spanning R&D relief, property tax, trusts/IHT, and business restructuring). Specialist offerings include Practice Support for accounting firms, Expert Witness services, Forensic Services, Risk Management, and Tax Investigation Insurance. The firm operates nationally from offices in Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds, with over 150 years of combined experience among its team of former HMRC Inspectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HMRC Tax Investigation Defence
• VAT Advisory and Disputes
• Tax Planning Services
• Forensic Tax Services

Quantifiable outcome

• One client was saved from a potential tax bill of £1 million

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kington Consultancy Services: UK tax investigation specialist firm offering HMRC enquiry and dispute representation to individuals and businesses. Highly comparable to Independent Tax given its niche focus on HMRC investigations and COP9-style work.
• The Tax Guys (UK): UK tax investigation and dispute resolution specialist serving individuals and businesses facing HMRC enquiry. Comparable to Independent Tax due to its narrow focus on tax defence and enquiry representation.
• RWB Chartered Accountants (UK Tax Disputes): UK independent tax accountancy firm with a dedicated tax investigations and dispute resolution practice serving HMRC enquiry and COP9 cases. Comparable to Independent Tax as a specialist mid-sized UK practice focused on dispute-led tax advisory work.
• McCambridge Duffy: UK accountancy firm with a dedicated HMRC Tax Investigations and Dispute Resolution service line. Closely comparable to Independent Tax in service mix, including COP9 support and tax tribunal representation.

Broad incumbents

• BDO UK (Tax Disputes & Investigations): Major UK accounting firm with a dedicated Tax Disputes and Investigations practice advising on HMRC enquiries, COP9 matters, and tax tribunals. Comparable on mandate type but with significantly greater scale and geographic reach than Independent Tax.
• Crowe UK (Tax Controversy): Top-10 UK accounting firm with a tax investigation and dispute resolution practice. Comparable as a competitor for HMRC dispute mandates, but operates a broader portfolio beyond tax disputes.
• PKF Smith Cooper Tax Disputes: Mid-tier UK accounting firm with a dedicated HMRC Tax Investigation and Dispute Resolution team. Overlaps with Independent Tax on HMRC enquiry work but offers a wider general practice service portfolio.
• RSM UK (Tax Investigations): Large UK accounting firm with a tax dispute and investigations service line covering corporate and personal HMRC enquiries. Comparable on dispute matters but offers the resource scale of a national firm.
• HW Fisher (Tax Investigation): London-based UK accountancy firm with a dedicated HMRC Tax Investigation service. Competes with Independent Tax for UK HMRC dispute work but from a broader full-service firm base.

Others

• Tax Investigation Insurance providers (e.g. Mark Davies & Associates): UK specialist in tax investigation fee insurance and VAT/dispute support. Adjacent to Independent Tax on the tax investigation insurance product line and as a referral adjacency within the same HMRC dispute ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/intaxteam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Independent Tax