Ian Grant joins Smith & Williamson from Ocra’s London office

Smith & Williamson, the independent investment management, financial advisory and accounting group, has appointed Ian Grant as a private client tax director.

Ian advises high-net-worth individuals, owner-managed businesses and smaller firms of accountants and lawyers who require specialist tax advice for their clients. He has experience of handling a variety of tax situations, particularly setting up appropriate offshore trusts and companies, and dealing with residence and domicile issues.

“The residence and domicile rules have proven extremely topical as a result of the Gaines-Cooper case,” says Ian. “Most jurisdictions count the days you are there – over six months and you’re resident, under six months and you’re not. For a long time, HMRC bowed to IR20, which omitted arrival and departure dates when counting days spent in the UK. However, it’s now decided that this is not appropriate. It’s an interesting turn of events and one to follow closely.”

Ian’s recent assignments have included in-depth involvement with Employee Benefit Trusts for smaller companies, including instructing Tax Counsel on a forthcoming case. He holds a public appointment as a General Commissioner for Income Taxes in London and North Sussex.

Ian joins Smith & Williamson from the offshore corporate service provider, Ocra. He was previously a tax partner at PKF.