Tax consultancy grows amid digital shift

A Newcastle tax consultancy has expanded its team amid growing demand for advice as businesses and landlords prepare for changes to the UK’s tax system.

TH Ward Tax Consultancy has recruited a new team member and taken on its first apprentice as HMRC continues the rollout of its Making Tax Digital (MTD) programme.

Founder Martin Wardle launched the business in 2025 after more than 30 years working in tax, having originally entered the profession through a Youth Training Scheme placement in the early 1990s.

The consultancy, based opposite the Great North Museum: Hancock, now advises hundreds of clients, with landlords and property owners forming a significant part of its customer base.

Around 90 per cent of its clients are based in the region, alongside landlords elsewhere in the UK and overseas.

Its expansion comes as MTD introduces new requirements for qualifying taxpayers to maintain digital records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC.

Martin believes many landlords remain unprepared for the changes at a time when the sector is also adapting to wider legislation and compliance requirements.

He said: “This is a change that has been talked about for almost a decade, yet there are still huge numbers of people who either don’t know it applies to them or don’t understand what they need to do.

“For years people have completed one tax return annually.

“Now many will have to use software and report quarterly instead.

“That’s a major shift and it's causing genuine confusion.”

Alongside his consultancy work, Martin helps organise educational events through GB Landlords, bringing together property owners, legal experts, local authorities and other industry specialists.

He added: “Some people actively choose to become landlords, while others inherit a property unexpectedly and suddenly find themselves responsible for tax returns and compliance requirements they know very little about.

“One of the biggest issues is that people don’t always know what they can legitimately claim as expenses or what needs to be declared.

“Good advice can save people a lot of worry and potentially a lot of money.”

The growth of TH Ward has also enabled Martin to create new employment opportunities.

Its first apprenticeship holds particular significance for the founder given his own introduction to the tax profession through a training scheme more than three decades ago.

Martin added: “I never dreamed of becoming a tax adviser.

“I simply ended up in a tax department, discovered I enjoyed it and built a career from there.

“I started my career through what would now be called an apprenticeship, so it’s nice to be able to offer that opportunity to someone else.”

The consultancy also has an unusual connection to Newcastle’s past. 

Its office occupies the former home of Victorian naturalist John Hancock, whose collections helped establish what became one of the North East’s best-known museums.

While its surroundings reflect that history, TH Ward’s latest expansion is focused firmly on helping clients navigate an increasingly digital future for tax.

Martin added: “There is actually a portrait of John Hancock on the ground floor, and my office is in what I presume was one of his former studies or bedrooms.

“It’s a fantastic building with a remarkable history.”

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