Maria McConnell Director - Indirect Tax

Maria is an Indirect Tax Director based in our Edinburgh office with a specific focus on VAT advisory services. Her expertise covers various aspects of VAT, including HMRC audit assistance, VAT mitigation & planning advice and registration & compliance obligations, including Customs Duty. 

Experience

Maria has worked in indirect tax for more than 25 years, primarily focusing on VAT. She has spent the majority of this time in mid-tier firms and enjoys working closely with her clients and colleagues to build trusted relationships. She helps clients navigate complex tax matters by simplifying tax jargon and helping implement proactive solutions. 

She often assists charity and not-for-profit clients to navigate liability and compliance issues, but also advises more generally on land and property transactions, HMRC enquiries, M&A transactions and cross-border supplies, including Customs duty implications.

Work highlights

Maria's work highlights include a successful Court of Session decision in a prominent land and property case, resulting in the removal of uncertainty for the client regarding the liability of its supplies, resulting in full VAT recovery.  She has assisted clients to obtain extended time to pay arrangements with HMRC, where cashflow limitations were a threat to the viability of the business. 

Maria enjoys meeting clients face to face and learning how we can help make indirect tax less onerous for their organisations, via one to one training, VAT compliance simplification and the provision of ongoing ad hoc advice.