Business Advisory & Tax Planning

Advisory · Strategic tax planning

Table of Contents

A finance director on call, without the salary.

Tax planning before the year-end, not after. Valuations that hold up under due diligence. Exit and succession planning years before you need it. HMRC investigations handled with experience. That’s what advisory means at Mercian.

Book a free 30-min call → See our fees

Tax planningAll year, not just March

ValuationsFor sale, gift or share schemes

Exit & successionModelled 3-5 years ahead

HMRC investigationsDefended end-to-end

The work that pays for itself, several times over

Compliance gets your tax filed. Advisory makes sure you’re not paying more than you have to, and that the business you’ve built is set up to be sold, passed on, or grown sustainably.

We work shoulder-to-shoulder with founders, family business owners, and SME finance teams on the decisions that have a five-, six- or seven-figure tax impact: incorporation, share schemes, exit structuring, family investment companies, group restructures, EIS/SEIS, and HMRC investigations.

In your fixed fee

What we cover

Annual tax planning review
Business valuations (SME and SMP)
Exit and succession planning
EMI and unapproved share schemes
Family Investment Companies (FICs)
Group restructures
Capital Gains Tax planning (BADR / Investors’ Relief)
Inheritance Tax planning
HMRC enquiries, COP9 and voluntary disclosures
Cash-flow modelling and management reporting

Why Mercian

Why clients stay

A genuinely modern approach

Cloud accounting, MTD-ready workflows and secure document portals — no shoeboxes of receipts, no surprise emails in March.

Fixed fees, no clock-watching

A clear monthly price agreed up front. Call us as often as you need without worrying about a meter running.

Senior advice, not call-centre answers

Every client has a named accountant who knows your business — not a ticket queue.

FAQ

Common questions

What’s the ROI on hiring an advisory accountant?

Most engagements pay for themselves several times over in tax saved or risk avoided. We model the saving before quoting.

We’re thinking about selling the business in 2-3 years, when should we start?

Now. Pre-sale tax planning, share restructuring and Business Asset Disposal Relief eligibility all need lead time. Two years is ideal, three is comfortable.

Can you help with HMRC investigations?

Yes, including COP8, COP9, Worldwide Disclosure Service, and Let Property Campaign disclosures. We have defended hundreds.

What’s a Family Investment Company?

A limited company used to hold family wealth in a tax-efficient way. Useful for IHT planning, control over distributions, and intergenerational wealth transfer.

Do you do EMI share option schemes?

Yes — design, valuation, HMRC notification, and ongoing compliance. Common for tech and growth-stage businesses.

Related services

Ready to talk to a real accountant?

Book a free 30-minute call. We’ll tell you straight whether we can help, what it would cost, and what to do next. No sales pitch, no obligation.

Book a free call → Email hello@mercianaccountants.co.uk