Interview with Sally Campbell, Tax Director at Hilton Sharp and Clarke

We caught up with Sally Campbell, Tax Director at Hilton Sharp and Clarke, about her job and the joys of doing business in Brighton. Hilton Sharp and Clarke are sponsoring our 'Share it out' Pop-up Breakfast on Thursday 3rd March. 

Tell us a bit about what you do

I am the Tax Director at HSC, which basically means that I look at all the tax stuff that other people don’t want to! Tax is a pretty complex and specialised area, so it’s very hard to keep up with everything that’s going on. So, if a client has something which can potentially get a bit complicated, such as getting their company ready for inward investment, or selling their successful company, this is where I get involved.

What sets Hilton Sharp & Clarke apart from other accountants?

HSC has an amazing team; I have only been at HSC a few months but all the guys here are exceptionally helpful and approachable. This then translates over to our clients- everyone here is always willing to go the extra mile to help them out.

What’s your favourite part of your job?

It’s got to be the clients! I really love helping people through tricky tax situations and guiding them on what they can and can’t do- both from a legal aspect and also a pragmatic one.  Better for me to tell them upfront if I think there will be a problem than for HMRC to tell them further down the line. There are a lot of tax reliefs out there which HMRC actively want taxpayers to claim, and it’s very satisfying being able to make sure my clients can claim these reliefs wherever possible for them.

(Actually, my very favourite part is early morning coffee at my desk, but don’t tell my clients that!)

How do you help businesses to reach their goals?

We take a long term approach, and find out what clients really want from their business. We can then help with day-to-day matters like payroll, VAT returns etc as well as preparing annual accounts and tax returns. However, we always help them plan for the future - whether they want a business which ticks along on a nice even keel to give them a good lifestyle or whether they want to grow and expand up to the next level and beyond. Our website gives a lot of info and resources, but the main thing is that we are always at the other end of a phone or email if clients want to have a chat.

Do you have any specialist areas, or do you work with any particular sectors?

My own specialist area is start-up and early-stage companies; I advise on things like Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS) and Seed EIS. A newer and similar relief is Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) which is specifically designed for Social Enterprises; these are all Government-backed reliefs which give up-front tax relief for angel investors and so can be very valuable to a company which needs to attract capital.

I also do a lot of R&D tax relief claims for innovative companies - I am passionate about companies claiming this relief; it’s probably one of the few times a company can get cash back from HMRC.

HSC doesn’t work with any particular sector; like most accountants we do pretty much anything for anyone. The variety is what makes it fun; this week for example I have looked at a share incentive scheme which a design company has set up for its employees, started two R&D claims (one for a software company, the other for a boat builder), and told a new CIC involved in local community initiatives that HMRC have approved my application for their investors to get SITR.

What’s great about doing business in Brighton?

I moved here at the end of last summer from a quiet town in Suffolk and I love the energy here and the entrepreneurial vibe. If it can be done, someone in Brighton will be doing it!

How do you keep on top of what’s going on in Brighton?

Just by getting out there and chatting to people. I love networking and finding out how I can help people with their tax issues and I go to as many events as I can pack in….and what I really love is finding out the backstory – things then start to fit together.

What do you like about being part of Brighton Chamber?

The networking at Brighton Chamber is great and everyone is so helpful and supportive.

Why did you decide to sponsor the ‘Share it out’ Pop-up breakfast?

We wanted to be able to show that accountants don’t just sit behind a desk all day doing sums or working out tax planning schemes. We are there to help clients by sharing our knowledge of the complexities of accountancy and tax legislation, so that it works for them.

Anything businesses should be aware of at the moment.

As always, there are lots of tax changes coming up….changes to dividend tax rates, changes in the buy-to-let rules. Check out our website for up-to-date info and if you want to chat then email or phone us. However, I think the biggest change is in the culture around tax avoidance.  HMRC are targeting a lot of tax avoidance schemes but it’s often difficult for “normal” people to tell what is a bright idea and what HMRC are going to consider too aggressive. Guiding clients through that maze is one of our biggest challenges at the moment.

Thanks Sally Campbell, Tax Director at Hilton Sharp and Clarke, for the insights and thanks Hilton Sharp and Clarke for sponsoring our Pop-up Breakfast. Our ‘Share it out’ Pop-up Breakfast will be held at Verano’s on Thursday 3rd March with guest speakers Benita Matofska, founder of Compare and Share, and Dan Webb from Goodmoney CIC.

Click here for Hilton Sharp and Clarke's website.

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