Nigel Gibbon (Director of VAT and Customs Appeals) has conducted more cases before the VAT and Duties Tribunal than any other advocate in the UK.

The myriad variety of cases fought by Nigel cover the entire spectrum of indirect taxes and include:

• VAT liability of food products
• VAT on share issues
• VAT complexities faced by Tour Operators
• Even the resolution of the origin of tuna fish for preferential rates of customs duty.

These are are all cases where Nigel was instructed by multi-national PLCs. He has also won a high profile case at the European Court of Justice for a major PLC client.

Other cases include:

• Fraudulent evasion of VAT
• Misdeclaration penalties and default surcharge appeals
• Listed buildings
• Liability of construction services
• Business/non-business issues in the not-for-profit sector
• Repayments of VAT and the 3 year “cap”
• Partial exemption and entitlement to input tax
• Issues with ‘security deposits’ and detention/seizure of excise goods.

Remember: Appeals to the VAT and Duties Tribunal should always be seen as a last resort. Early advice should be sought before engaging in discussions with HM Revenue and Customs, because doing or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time may well compromise the chances of negotiating a successful settlement or of winning at the Tribunal.