Tax barristers in Manchester.
Public Access tax counsel for Manchester taxpayers, accountants and in house teams — HMRC enquiries, Tax Tribunal appeals at Alexandra House and higher tax litigation.
Specialist tax counsel for Manchester taxpayers and advisers
Clerk and Counsel is a clerking agency that places specialist tax barristers on tax matters affecting clients in Manchester and across the North West. Instructions come in from individual taxpayers, accountants and in house tax teams, and from any law firm in the region needing specialist tax counsel to sit alongside its own team.
Manchester is the financial and professional services capital of the North West, with a large SME base, a growing tech sector and significant property investment activity. That economic profile drives a steady flow of tax enquiries, assessments and tribunal appeals through Manchester, and it is the work that panel counsel handle day in and day out.
Every instruction is placed on a written fixed fee where the shape of the work allows. Members of our panel cover the full spread of tax work relevant to Manchester clients, from a short written opinion on a discrete statutory point through to full representation at the First-tier Tax Tribunal and, where the case warrants it, the Upper Tribunal and higher courts.
Local courts and tribunals
Manchester tax cases are heard at Alexandra House, the regional First-tier Tribunal Tax Chamber centre, with Upper Tribunal and higher court work routed to London. Panel counsel also cover Liverpool, Leeds and Preston hearing centres.
- First-tier Tribunal Tax Chamber, Alexandra House, 14 to 22 Parsonage, Manchester M3 2JA
- Manchester Civil Justice Centre, 1 Bridge Street West, Manchester M60 9DJ
- First-tier Tribunal Tax Chamber, Liverpool hearing centre
- First-tier Tribunal Tax Chamber, Leeds hearing centre
Case management hearings and short interlocutory applications are now routinely listed on video, which keeps travel costs off the tax case budget and means panel counsel can be placed on Manchester matters wherever their diary is based. For substantive hearings counsel travels to the listed venue.
Typical tax instructions from Manchester
HMRC enquiries and assessments
Responses to information notices, discovery assessments, closure notice applications and statutory reviews.
First-tier Tax Tribunal appeals
Direct and indirect tax appeals from Notice of Appeal through case management to substantive hearing.
VAT and indirect tax
VAT registration, partial exemption, option to tax, TOGC and cross border indirect tax appeals.
IR35 and employment status
Off payroll working rules, employment status determinations and personal service company assessments.
SDLT, ATED and property tax
SDLT liability, chargeable consideration, multiple dwellings relief and ATED disputes.
IHT, trusts and residence
Inheritance tax valuations, business and agricultural property relief, trust taxation and residence disputes.
Fixed fee tax advice and representation
Every fee is agreed in writing before any work begins. A written opinion on a discrete tax point typically runs between seven hundred and three thousand pounds plus VAT depending on complexity and document volume. Drafting a Notice of Appeal to the First-tier Tax Tribunal usually sits between eight hundred and two thousand five hundred pounds plus VAT.
Hearing fees run from around one thousand pounds plus VAT for short case management hearings up to three thousand five hundred pounds plus VAT for a full day tribunal appeal at junior level, with refreshers for longer cases. Silks are quoted separately. Longer HMRC enquiries with rolling disclosure are quoted stage by stage rather than as a single fixed fee, so the Manchester client always knows the position on cost before the next stage begins.
Tax barristers in Manchester, common questions
Where does the Tax Tribunal sit in Manchester?
The First-tier Tribunal Tax Chamber hears Manchester cases at Alexandra House, 14 to 22 Parsonage, Manchester M3 2JA, the regional Tax Tribunal hearing centre for the North West.
Can I instruct a Manchester tax barrister on Public Access?
Yes. Manchester taxpayers, accountants and in house teams can instruct any BSB Public Access qualified tax barrister directly, without a solicitor, for written advice, HMRC correspondence and full tribunal representation.
What are typical fees for a Manchester tax barrister?
Manchester written opinions run from around seven hundred pounds plus VAT for a discrete point up to three thousand pounds plus VAT for complex advice. Full day Tax Tribunal hearings typically sit between two and three thousand five hundred pounds plus VAT for junior counsel.
Do Manchester tax barristers travel to Liverpool and Leeds?
Yes. Panel counsel travel to any regional Tax Tribunal centre in the North of England, and case management hearings are now routinely listed on video which keeps travel costs off the case budget.
How quickly can a Manchester tax barrister be instructed?
For listed tribunal hearings and time critical HMRC responses counsel can usually be briefed within 24 to 72 hours. For non urgent written advice the BSB client care letter is typically issued within 48 hours.
Do you cover VAT and IR35 for Manchester businesses?
Yes. Members of the panel cover VAT partial exemption and option to tax, IR35 and off payroll working rules and the full spread of direct tax work relevant to North West clients.