Insights

Last month, we hosted an exclusive roundtable breakfast for finance and operational leaders, focused on the changing R&D tax relief landscape. Ahead of the event, we were hearing the same thing from many of our clients: the process is increasingly complex, is incredibly time-consuming and the worry of getting the claims process wrong is putting people off.

HMRC has launched a new targeted advance assurance pilot for research and development (R&D) tax relief. If your business is an SME, and you are planning to make an R&D claim, this may be an opportunity to secure HMRC's agreement on specific aspects of your claim before you submit it.

Here’s what you need to know – and how to decide whether to apply.

From funded education and EV charging to charity reliefs and food VAT classification, several recent VAT cases and HMRC developments could have wider implications for organisations across multiple sectors. Below, we summarise some of the latest Tribunal decisions, HMRC updates, and what businesses and charities should be aware of.

Barbara Bento, Tax Disputes and Investigations Partner, has contributed an article to HMRC EIP Magazine examining HMRC’s strengthened Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) powers and the risks now facing contractors.

Our Real Estate team recently spoke with Bisnow about the viability pressures continuing to reshape the UK development market, from planning delays and financing constraints, to rising construction costs and evolving regulatory requirements.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup taking place across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the tournament is expected to generate an unprecedented level of sports betting activity. Analysts estimate that betting will exceed the US$35 billion staked during the Qatar 2022 World Cup (though not in Qatar itself, where gambling is illegal), driven in part by the expansion to 48 teams and the growing availability of regulated US sports betting. Insert text here

Key discussions at MACH 2026 highlighted a major issue for the UK: a strong ability to generate innovative ideas, but a persistent challenge in scaling them into successful businesses. An R&D tax relief claim can assist in bridging the gap to scale up, but successful claim hinges on three things: clear eligibility, robust documentation, and a defensible link between qualifying activities and costs. In this article, we outline how to approach a robust, supportable manufacturing R&D claim

Where property values have reduced and traditional funding terms are harder to achieve, structured debt can be an effective way to support transactions. Structured debt arrangements bridge valuation gaps or lender risk appetite by combining a conventional coupon with equity‑like economics, such as profit participation, IRR hurdles, contingent returns, or exit‑linked fees.