How To Drive New Business To Your Tax Practice—Market Globally And Affordably

Kat Jennings, CEO TaxConnections

TaxConnections has a first row seat to what is driving new business to tax professionals around the world. Let me share a story with you that we received recently from one of our members. Allow me to preface this story with the fact that it would not have been possible for this tax professional to connect with this taxpayer if not for www.taxconnections.com. What is a taxpayer to do when caught between two country tax revenue authorities? TaxConnections connects our members with new clients all over the world.

In this case, a (UK) taxpayer cashed in a South African Retirement Annuity for a Lump Sum which was subsequently taxed by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) as an emigration withdrawal. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) decided to tax it under Article 17 of the Double Taxation Agreement between the United Kingdom and South Africa. It was a blog post written by Hugo van Zyl and distributed globally through the TaxConnections network that this taxpayer noticed that put things in motion. Hugo van Zyl wrote a post about Lump Sums not being taxable under Article 17. With this information, the UK resident personally submitted a tax refund claim to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). They insisted that despite it not being a periodical payment, Article 17 was applicable. HMRC refused and reclassified it under Article 20 where it was still classified as UK taxable (yet the South African taxes could be claimed as a refund).

This prompted this taxpayer to contact Hugo van Zyl directly for assistance and he advised taxpayer what to submit to HMRC. His newly discovered tax advisor Hugo van Zyl advised Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs that they erred in their interpretation of Article 20 in that they had completely ignored paragraph 3 in Article 20. This particular paragraph extends taxation rights to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) on items of income of a resident of the United Kingdom, not dealt with in foregoing Articles of the Convention and arising in South Africa. Read in conjunction with Article 21, paragraphs 2(a) and 3, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs had mistakenly disallowed the tax credit the taxpayer had claimed in respect to taxes legitimately levied by the South African Revenue Service (SARS).

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs told the taxpayer that a closure notification for an appeal had been issued earlier under the United Kingdom tax law i.e.the taxpayer would have to submit an application for appeal to be allowed. Hugo van Zyl replied to them that under Article 23 read with Article 24, the taxpayer had the right to an appeal and that Article 24 has no timeline to it.

Thankfully, this taxpayer discovered Hugo van Zyl in TaxConnections Worldwide Directory of Tax Professionals which enabled him to find and connect with Hugo and ask questions before the taxpayer ever hired him. As a result, the outcome was that Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs has accepted and agreed to taxpayers appeal and they received the tax refund. Without connecting with Hugo van Zyl, this taxpayer told us they would have been unsuccessful with their claim to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs who tried every avenue to dismiss the taxpayer’s claim for a refund. Congratulations on a great and profitable connection between Hugo van Zyl and one of our taxpayer visitors searching for tax expertise on TaxConnections.

Do you have a story to tell about how the TaxConnections network is connecting you to new clients? Please write us and we will talk about you in one of our upcoming stories about how we market our tax professional member services.

TaxConnections mission is connecting tax professional members to taxpayers all over the world.

(Part 3 of 12 Series on Marketing Tax Services)

TaxConnections is where to find leading tax experts and technology around the world. Discover tax professionals who offer you a wide range of tax expertise and be more informed about the technology that supports them in operating efficiently and successfully.

TaxConnections connects tax professionals with new tax clients and tax jobs around the world. Tax Professional Members establish higher visibility online so prospective clients and employers can find our members easily. Each members also receives a Virtual Tax Office which is the most valuable online real estate available today! TaxConnections makes a difference in your professional life.

We offer a Special Membership rate to tax professionals out of work.
https://www.taxconnections.com/special-membership

Kat Jennings, CEO
TaxConnections
858.999.0053
kat@taxconnections.com

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