The HMRC R&D tax credit statistics published in 2022 illustrate an undeniable trend: Scotland is a hotbed of innovation. Scotland has seen the most significant overall rise in the total number of research and development (R&D) tax relief claims (an increase of 19%). It’s no surprise to us at ForrestBrown: We’ve proudly served Scottish businesses for many years.
That’s why today, we’re delighted to announce the opening of our new office in Scotland. Based on West Regent Street in Glasgow, it becomes ForrestBrown’s third office alongside London and our headquarters in Bristol.
Deepening our ties in Scotland
This new office demonstrates our commitment to a country that is at the forefront of the engineering, renewables, and software sectors. We look forward to strengthening our ties in Scotland for many years to come.
Our Scottish office is led by Stephen Leishman. Stephen is an R&D tax specialist and joins us as Lead Consultant, Scotland. Stephen and his team will be focused on providing dedicated local support to ensure that Scottish businesses are maximising their reward for their investment in innovation.
“I’m incredibly proud to be leading ForrestBrown’s new Scottish office,” Stephen says. “It’s an exciting time to be joining the business. I’ve seen first-hand the innovation taking place in Scotland, and I have helped hundreds of businesses unlock vital funding to help with their growth plans.”
Misconceptions around R&D tax relief
According to Stephen, despite widespread awareness of the incentive, among Scottish businesses misconceptions persist. Specifically, around what can and cannot be included in an R&D tax relief claim.
Combined with HMRC’s tightening approach to compliance, ForrestBrown’s expertise is more needed than ever to help tackle uncertainty. “ForrestBrown’s service is unrivalled. And our Scottish office will be focused on providing dedicated local support to clients seeking specialist consultancy advice for R&D tax relief.”
ForrestBrown is proud to support Scottish businesses with market-leading R&D tax relief advice and we look forward to deepening our ties in the years to come. To find out more, please get in touch with Stephen Leishman directly at s.leishman@forrestbrown.co.uk.