Emma Craig West joins Alma Consulting Group from HMRC

Alma Consulting Group has boosted its UK team with Emma Craig-West. She joins from HMRC, where she spent the past 13 years. At Alma, Craig-West will join the research and development tax practice as R&D Tax Manager.

Emma Craig-West has 20+ years of experience in the field of research & development and tax. She spent the past 13 years with HMRC, based in Leicester, in her last role as R&D Unit Inspector. During this time Emma was HMRC’s R&D Software Specialist, working to improve software guidelines and training R&D units on dealing with the specialist nature of software claims. Prior to her spell at HMRC, Craig-West worked for Midlands Co-operative Society.

In her new role at Alma Consulting Group, a specialist in R&D tax relief for the software and green technology industry, she will on behalf of Alma’s clients liaise with HMRC, providing advice and support. “I am delighted to have joined the Alma team, and to be part of an organisation that strives for and supports innovation while maintaining the highest quality standards,” says Craig-West.

In Craig-West’s view it is for UK businesses key to understand the benefits and potential risks of HMRC regulation. “Having an informed understanding and practical experience of HMRC’s view on claiming R&D tax relief for IT and software projects is undoubtedly going to be key this year, following the latest insight from April’s HMRC consultative committee meeting, which shows that this is far from a clear-cut area – with much thought still being given to whether costs are capital or revenue within the software field.” As a result of a trailing knowledge in the field, she highlights that companies may be missing out on lucrative opportunities: “We see that there is often IT development fundamentally underpinning clients’ R&D activities, across engineering, construction, manufacturing and other industries. Yet many companies aren’t claiming for eligible R&D costs in their IT department, as it isn’t a black and white area.”

“Hiring Emma was a no-brainer,” says Martin Hook, Managing Director of Alma Consulting Group UK. “Her skills and experience help us to further support our clients’ innovation and growth, whilst leaving the complexities of identifying eligible costs to claim R&D Tax Relief to Alma.”