Liaison VAT Consultancy has been acquired by Investor Group / Clydesdale Bank

Liaison, the UK's No.1 value added tax (VAT) consultancy specialising in the National Health Service (NHS), has been acquired by an investor group led by entrepreneur Bruce Thew.

Bruce will be working closely with the incumbent management team at Liaison led by General Manager Andy Armitage.

Established in 1988, Liaison has grown successfully and consistently under the guidance of its husband and wife founders. Having spotted a niche advising NHS hospitals on VAT compliance, training and, most importantly, how best to recover over-paid VAT from HM Revenue & Customs, the founders decide to focus exclusively in this area. Liaison estimates that it has helped hospitals to recover over 700m of VAT for redeployment into patient spending.

The company's founders passed day-to-day management of the business to Andy Armitage and his senior team several years ago and decided to explore a sale of Liaison to enable them to focus their attention on their other business interests in early 2007.

Alex John, Director at Arrowpoint Advisory, commented: “This is a great deal for all concerned. Liaison retains its independence, the founders can devote more time to their other activities and the investor group has acquired a market leading company in an exciting niche. While we spoke to a number of interested corporate acquirers, Bruce came up with a solution that worked for everyone.”

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