27th January 2021
Matt Hodgson, Partner at Claritas, talks to Lifecycle about tax, to-do lists and escaping the day-to-day.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m a Chartered Tax Adviser with over 21 years’ experience in senior management positions in Big Four and Mid-Tier firms. I established Claritas’ Manchester office in May 2019.
What’s the first thing you do at the start of your working day?
Check what’s in front of me that day and try to deal with the things I keep putting off!
How do you plan out your day? A good old fashioned to-do list, or more go with the flow?
I live by Outlook but as my wife will testify to, I do love a list.
What’s your desk and workspace like?
I hate clutter and I’ve always been a fan of a clear desk policy. Even though I split my time between home and office, both desks are identically organised. Just writing this makes me realise there might be a touch of OCD going on, but surely that’s not a bad thing if I utilise the same skills in my client work?
What is the big issue affecting your sector at the moment?
Our tax system is just not fit for purpose and needs to evolve quickly to reflect the changing industrial landscape, how people work and buy goods. Tax reliefs need to be better targeted at increasing productivity and hence the UK’s GDP.
Do you have a business niche?
I’m predominantly an M&A tax specialist and I like nothing better than helping a shareholder through a transaction. That said, I’m possibly a dying breed of tax adviser with a broad interest and knowledge covering most taxes. The beauty of our business though is that I’m never far away from someone who’s a deep specialist in one area of tax.
What do you do to escape the world of tax and accounts?
I recently read on LinkedIn that we all need a ‘third place’ i.e. the one after work and family and that for most people, COVID and lockdown has stopped us getting to that third place. My third place covers a few things, but mainly golf, cycling and tennis.
Have you always been interested in numbers and can you remember your first calculator?
Numbers are a surprisingly small part of a tax adviser’s job – tax is rules based, so I spend most of my time interpreting these rules to ensure our clients pay the right amount of tax (and no more!).
Tell us something that not many people know about you?
I ran a student night in Leeds whilst at University in the late ‘90’s called Colombia. I’ve always loved dance music so I thought I’d try and make some money out of it to fund my way through University, which worked as I managed to leave University debt-free.
How has your practice benefited from being part of the Lifecycle accountancy network?
Lifecycle is a fantastic network of high-quality accountants and gives us access to a much greater network of qualified professionals across the UK than we’d otherwise have.
Find out more about the Lifecycle network at https://lclifecycle.co.uk or get in touch on 03300 242 333.