Giles' practice covers the full range of advisory work on direct and indirect tax issues. Particular areas of expertise cover corporate reorganisations, employee share incentive schemes, controlled foreign companies’ legislation, tax warranty and indemnity claims, professional negligence, IHT and CGT planning for family-owned businesses, high net worth individuals and onshore and offshore trusts. He has substantial experience and expertise in advising upon and negotiating compromises of Inland Revenue and Customs’ investigation cases. He also sits as an accredited Mediator and is qualified to accept Public Access instructions.
Professional Negligence
Areas of experence: pursuing and defending claims for substantial damages arising out of allegedly defective direct or indirect tax advice given to individuals, trustees of both UK and non-UK settlements, and companies.
Mediation
Over recent years Giles has gained significant experience drafting mediation submissions and appearing for clients at mediations of complicated tax-related disputes, in addition to having acted as Mediator in a number of disputes.
VAT
In the field of VAT, he has acted for taxpayers in a number of significant cases including the zero-rating of building works, exempt supplies of education services, the imposition of serious misdeclaration penalties and the VAT treatment of off-balance sheet structures.
Investigations
See in particular the House of Lords decision in R (Morgan Grenfell) v Rounding. He regularly advises and lectures upon the exercise of both the Revenue and Customs' information and search powers.
Income tax, capital gains tax, corporation tax, stamp duty/SDLT and national insurance
He has recent substantial experience in structuring and advising clients on the consequences of stamp duty/SDLT and NIC mitigation arrangements.
Inheritance Tax
He regularly advises client on the availability of Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief, tax-efficient methods of giving away the family home and transferring assets into and out of family settlements.
Called 1983, Middle Temple (Harmsworth Scholarship)
R (Morgan Grenfell & Co Ltd) v Rounding (House of Lords); Lloyds UDT Finance Ltd v Chartered Finance Trust Holdings plc (High Court); ABTA v IRC (Special Commissioners); R (Carvill) v IRC (Administrative Court); Blackburn v Keeling (Court of Appeal); Liverpool Archdiocesan Trustees v Goldberg (High Court); Government of Mauritius v Maroussem & Ors (Privy Council); Oriel Support (Special Commissioners) London Recruitment Ltd (Special Commissioners); Secretary of State for Work & Pensions v Smith (House of Lords); Gabem Management (Special Commissioners); Maco Doors & Windows (Court of Appeal) Tower Mcashback (Special Commissioners); Raymond Stewart partnership (High Court); Tower Mcashback (Supreme Court)
Inheritance Tax Planning (with James Kessler & Andrew Thornhill)
Financial Provision and Taxation on Divorce (Key Haven) (with Robert Venables QC and Martin O'Dwyer)
Revenue Bar Association
London Common Law & Commercial Bar Association (Treasurer)
Professional Negligence Bar Association
Harrow School
Trinity College, Cambridge (M.A. in Law)
University of Virginia Law School (LLM in US Tax & Commercial Law) (1984)
Corporate Tax
Ranking: Leading Silks
Giles Goodfellow QC is "excellent at the paperwork" and a good all-round advocate. He, too, is an expert on employee benefit trusts, and has a further specialism in tonnage taxation. The past year has seen him handle the ongoing Tower Radio v HMRC matter, which examined the potential taxation issues concerning restricted securities used to remunerate employees (2013)
Professional negligence tax issues are a key area of expertise for Giles Goodfellow QC. "He is a terrific tactician, a very fluent advocate and someone who'll really roll his sleeves up for the client", say sources. Goodfellow is rapidly developing a niche in his practice for matters concerning tonnage tax (2012)
Private Client
Ranking: Leading Silk (2012)
'Combines a ferocious intelligence with a pragmatic and workable commercialism' (2012)
'strong private client practice' (2009) and 'produces well-reasoned opinions' (2010)
Tax: Corporate
Ranking: Leading Silk (2012)
