Armstrong Watson appoints new Employment Tax partner

Armstrong Watson has appointed Brian Rudkin to head up its Employment Tax services. Rudkin joins the firm from Johnston Carmichael, where he was director and head of Employer Services. The firm said he has specialised in the areas of employment taxes, staff reward and pay governance for more than 30 years, through roles at HMRC and in practice, including 15 years with Big 4 firms. He has advised all types of employers, from small family businesses to large, global brands across the whole spectrum of pay-related issues. Rudkin also has a number of external roles, two of which are with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) where he is chair of the Employment Taxes Working Group and a member of the Tax board. He is also a long-serving member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation-sponsored Employment Taxes Forum. In his new role, he will work to support large employers, family, owner-managed and privately owned businesses at Armstrong Watson with employment tax and pay-related matters, including off-working payroll, National Minimum Wage legislation, benefits in kind and expenses, Construction Industry Scheme, salary sacrifice and termination payments. Rudkin said: “Employment Tax is such an important area for any business with employees to get right. There has been an unprecedented amount of change to tax and pay rules for employees over the last few years, with more complexity than ever for employers to contend with. The financial and reputational impact of non-compliance with regulations can be significant, and so my role is to help our clients to manage the risks around this. “Armstrong Watson has a great reputation in the North of England and Scotland. I am excited to be joining the firm and working with many interesting employer clients over the months ahead and supporting the firm’s continued growth.” Becky Bowness, head of Tax, added: “We are delighted to have Brian join our growing tax team to lead our Employment Tax advisory offering. “Brian is a highly respected specialist bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience in this very complex area of tax that impacts many of our clients. It has been one of our strategic goals to grow this service offering and Brian’s expertise and passion for client service make him the ideal person to drive this forward.” Paul Dickson, CEO and managing partner, said: “Employment taxes can be a complex area where many of our clients need expert help and guidance. Having Brian join our already very strong tax team to lead on this very niche, specialist and often complex area of being in business ensures we are better able to support our clients. I am very pleased to be able to welcome Brian to Armstrong Watson, enhancing our offering for the benefit of our clients.”