Paulette Peterson
I lead the expatriate tax consulting and compliance activities within the firm, providing the delivery of a specialist tax service to those personal and business clients with international tax issues..
From a background of nearly 30 years spent in expatriate tax with two of the Big 4 firms, I find the experience of working on a more intimate and personal basis with our clients very rewarding. I get a huge amount of satisfaction from helping clients understand the issues arising from any involvement in overseas tax jurisdictions, whether the client is an individual going to live abroad, a business expanding overseas or, indeed, a foreign business transferring employees into the UK.
Each territory presents its own challenges and I like to feel that I can make a positive difference to our clients' experiences in emigrating or moving to the UK.
Increasingly financial planning is playing a more important role when decisions on international relocation are taken and it is vital that our clients feel that they can leave this aspect, as well as the tax considerations of any move, in safe, capable hands. The expatriate tax team and the financial planning team work closely together to ensure that the tax and personal financial planning objectives are both compatible and cost effective for the client. I have recently worked with my financial planning colleagues to ensure a smooth transition of investments of one of our clients from a French bank to a UK institution following the client's permanent relocation to the UK and we were able to provide a complete service, using our respective technical expertise and even my language skills helped when in difficult discussions with the French bank
history
After graduating with a degree in Geography & French, I joined the accountancy firm of Arthur Andersen and, instead of following the normal graduate career path into the Audit Department, I found I enjoyed my time in the Tax Department so much, I remained there for many years! I specialised in UK expatriate and US personal tax and numbered the expatriate employees of many well known international corporations amongst my clients.
I moved home and job to East Anglia and subsequently joined Ernst & Young to head up their Expatriate Tax Department in Cambridge. I remained there for 13 years but then, in 2005, decided it was time for a change of scene. I now alternate my time between Cambridge and a home in the south-west of France.
In 2006, I was excited by the opportunity to work with Andrew to expand his Personal Tax Department and offer clients a specialist expatriate tax service. This has dove-tailed perfectly into the pattern of my life in both the UK and France and my presence in France has enabled me to forge a strong professional relationship with a firm of French accountants with whom we now work closely to offer an expanded compliance and consulting service to clients who are considering or have already relocated to France.
other business
I am undertaking a “hands on” renovation of a barn in France which occupies most of my time when over there but the experience of negotiating with French suppliers and businesses has proved very valuable in the business environment!
outside interests
The entire family have been actively involved in motor sport of one form or another for a very long time – racing, marshalling or just riding, driving and being a spectator. I am also helping to restore several motorbikes of 1920s vintage and a 1953 MG
the future
I hope to be able to oversee further expansion in the expatriate tax services, building and developing our ties with compatible firms in other jurisdictions throughout Europe. In this way, in a few years our European, as well our US network, could be extensive