I was recently appointed accountant. I am the VAT point of contact at our office. If you are the only VAT person in the office, you quickly run the risk of ‘drying up’. That is why I am happy to be able to participate in the Young Professional Program (YPP) of LENOS c.s.
The partners of LENOS c.s. have (a lot of) experience and can therefore play with the matter. They still know the background of the rules and often also the parliamentary history. And they were also young once (really), so they are familiar with the problems and pitfalls of the novice VAT professional.
In the Young Professional Program I am involved in the development of my VAT knowledge. By discussing case law and literature, this is increasing rapidly. Thanks to the treatment of real cases, you immediately put the knowledge into practice and the matter comes to life.
I am treated as a professional, I can brainstorm freely and everything I say is taken seriously and discussed. ‘There are no stupid questions’, they say here. It is also great that I can rely on the men of the Young Professional Program in my daily practice.
I have now noticed that VAT questions asked by clients do not always reflect the real problem. That is what is behind the questions asked. Fact finding is very important to answer a question correctly. Don’t assume anything yourself, but worm information out of the client. And if necessary, ask additional clarification questions.
The VAT practice is much broader and more difficult than I thought. The rules depend on exceptions. Still, I find VAT a nice and useful addition to my daily work.
