STUART RILEY

A Broad Corporation Tax Remit

“My week involves supporting clients with corporation tax compliance, tax accounting and proactive tax advice. That includes reviewing corporation and deferred tax figures for inclusion in financial statements, reviewing corporation tax returns for submission to HMRC, and assisting groups of companies with the effective use of losses and relevant allowances. I also advise on how much tax companies should pay and when, including quarterly instalments, manage a varied compliance portfolio spanning owner-managed businesses and multinational groups across a wide range of sectors, and draft and review technical reports on a range of taxation advisory topics. I also support clients on tax governance and transparency helping them to identify and manage tax risks, and spend time developing the technical knowledge of junior team members and their ability to communicate effectively with clients.”

Finding the world of Tax

“There wasn’t a specific lightbulb moment for me. I found the world of tax through a role in the in-house tax team of an energy company while I was at university. I then went on to become a Chartered Accountant while working in Corporate Tax with AAB. Working in tax is genuinely motivating, as there are so many complex challenges to solve and the rules and requirements are constantly changing.”

Seeing Both Sides of the Table

“I have comprehensive and diverse experience of UK corporation tax compliance and advisory, gained both within an accountancy practice and in an industry environment. That industry experience allows me to provide tax advice with a genuinely commercial focus, understanding how tax decisions impact the wider business and how they can practically be implemented within the operational challenges clients face. Strong communication skills and good attention to detail help me deliver high standards of work to clients and colleagues, with an ability to translate complex tax issues into commercial language.”

Learning From the Other Side

“Through working in an industry role, I learned how it feels to be on the other side of the client relationship, and the importance of commercially focused, timely  and practical tax advice. Tax advice should be delivered with a deep understanding of the client’s business and how it will be practically applied, and that’s the approach I apply to supporting clients today, having seen first-hand what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that advice.”

Understanding the Business First

“I aim to build a strong understanding of a client’s business, including its drivers, business cycles, stakeholder priorities and tax risks. Clients have a lot of demands on them, and I want to build a relationship where they can come to me for clear, practical advice that’s genuinely tailored to their business needs. Some of the best client relationships are built when you take the time to meet a client face to face and understand more about their business. As a tax advisor, the deep technical work can be done from the office or remotely, but meeting the client in person allows you to really understand the business and what they want from the advice.”

Making Complex Tax Simple

“The most satisfying aspect of working with clients is making complex tax legislation and compliance requirements easier to understand, so that clients can focus on the many other demands they face. The Corporate Tax team at AAB is committed to helping clients and delivering the best possible service; to do that, we all need to be at our best, and we support each other through sharing technical knowledge and working together to develop the skills of the wider team. The greatest compliment a client can give me is when they value our expertise and trust AAB with other services, or recommend us to their peers and industry contacts.”

More Than Compliance

“The greatest challenge in my specialist area is developing a deep understanding of a complex tax area while having the ability to explain it clearly to clients. I approach that by understanding a client’s business and explaining tax advice within that business context. A common misconception about the profession is that corporation tax is just compliance work; compliance is vital, but when it’s done on time and accurately, it underpins opportunities for value-add tax advisory that supports clients’ wider commercial goals.

My top strengths come from comprehensive experience of UK corporation tax developed both within an accountancy firm and in an in-house industry environment. That means I have the communication skills to explain complex tax issues to clients, while also having been in their shoes and understanding the commercial environment they’re operating in. Looking ahead, AI technology is changing how tax professionals and clients approach their work, and I’m excited about how we can use these technologies to automate more routine data entry tasks, freeing up the team to focus on deeper technical issues.”