Total Books – Your Expert Tax Planner
Tax planning mistakes can cost you more than just money. Inefficient tax planning and inaccurate tax return filling can lead to stress, missed deadlines, and unexpected HMRC penalties. Many business owners, landlords, and high earners feel overwhelmed trying to keep up with changing tax rules or don’t realise how much they could save with proper planning. Overpaying tax, missing reliefs, or filing late are all common outcomes of going it alone.
At Total Books Accountants, we simplify the process. Our tax planning services are built to help you reduce what you owe, stay compliant, and take control of your financial future. Whether you’re running a business, managing property, or planning for retirement, we give you the tools and advice to plan ahead with confidence.
From income structuring to investment strategies, we focus on practical, personalised solutions that match your goals — so you can focus on growing, not worrying.
What Is Tax Planning and Why It Matters
Tax planning is the process of arranging your finances to reduce your tax bill legally and efficiently. It involves making informed decisions about how you earn, invest, and manage your money so that you pay only what you owe — not more.
Effective tax planning helps you stay compliant with HMRC rules while taking full advantage of reliefs, allowances, and exemptions available to you. It covers a wide range of areas, from income tax and dividends to property sales, pensions, and inheritance planning.
For businesses, it means choosing the right structure, planning salary and dividend splits, and maximising allowable expenses. For individuals, it means using your personal allowances, timing disposals, and preparing for life events like retirement or passing on wealth.
Without proper planning, it’s easy to miss out on valuable opportunities or fall behind on obligations. With expert support, you can protect your finances, reduce long-term liabilities, and make smarter decisions year after year.
The Hidden Risk: HMRC Can Double Your Tax Bill for Mistakes
In serious cases, this can double your tax bill — and even lead to criminal investigation. Poor tax planning, incorrect filings, or missed reliefs aren’t just costly — they can put your business and personal finances at serious risk.
Who We Help
- Sole traders and self-employed professionals
- Landlords and property investors
- Limited companies and SMEs
- Directors and high-income earners
- Families planning generational wealth
- Investors seeking tax-efficient growth
Our Tax Planning and Consultancy Services
We offer practical tax planning and consultancy services for individuals and businesses across the UK. Every service is designed to help you reduce your tax bill, meet HMRC requirements, and plan with clarity.
What we offer:
- Personal tax planning for employees, landlords, and the self-employed
- Capital Gains Tax advice for asset disposals
- Corporation Tax planning for limited companies
- Capital allowances claims for qualifying business assets
- Inheritance Tax planning for families and estates
- Digital tax compliance under Making Tax Digital (MTD)
- Tax-efficient investment planning for wealth preservation
Personal Tax Planning
Personal tax planning helps you manage your individual tax obligations in a way that’s fully compliant and financially beneficial. We help you structure your income from employment, self-employment, or investments so that you make full use of your allowances, including the Personal Allowance, Marriage Allowance, and Blind Person’s Allowance.
We also handle Self Assessment returns, ensuring everything is submitted accurately and on time. If you receive income from savings, dividends, rental property, or abroad, we advise on how to report it correctly and avoid double taxation.
Our tax planning service is particularly helpful during life changes, such as retirement, property sales, or a change in income. These events often have tax implications, and our job is to help you manage them without surprises.
Capital Gains Tax (CGT) Planning
Capital Gains Tax planning helps you manage tax due when selling or transferring assets that have increased in value. We advise UK individuals, landlords, and business owners on how to report and reduce CGT on assets such as second homes, shares, digital assets, and company disposals.
Our team explains how the CGT annual exemption works and helps you apply reliefs like Business Asset Disposal Relief. We also assist with more complex scenarios such as gifting assets to family members or transferring business interests to trusts.
Whether you’re selling property or cashing out investments, the timing, structure, and documentation of the disposal make a big difference to what you owe. We help you understand what qualifies for rollover or holdover relief and how to plan disposals to reduce tax exposure.
With clear advice and expert handling of calculations and reports, Total Books ensures you only pay what is required — and not a penny more.
Corporation Tax Planning
Corporation Tax planning helps your business retain more of its profits while staying fully compliant with HMRC rules. We work with directors and company owners to build a tax strategy that makes the most of available allowances and reliefs throughout the financial year.
We support you in structuring the business efficiently, deciding how to split profits between salary and dividends, and using pension contributions to reduce liabilities. We also ensure you claim all eligible business expenses and capital purchases correctly.
If your company qualifies for R&D Tax Relief or the Patent Box scheme, we will prepare the supporting documentation and calculate the claims properly. Our service also includes digital Corporation Tax filing and guidance on pre-year-end planning to avoid last-minute decisions.
Whether your company is growing or you want to restructure for tax savings, Total Books offers ongoing support to ensure you’re managing Corporation Tax smartly and strategically.
Capital Allowances Claims
Capital allowances allow businesses to reduce their taxable profits by claiming relief on qualifying expenditure. We identify every item in your business that qualifies for allowances — from office equipment and machinery to fixtures in retail, hospitality, and commercial property.
We help you claim Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) for eligible purchases up to £1 million, and apply Structures and Buildings Allowance (SBA) for property costs. If you’ve recently fitted out a shop, café, hotel, or workspace, we review your costs line by line to uncover claims that are often missed.
We also advise on First Year Allowances for energy-efficient equipment, as well as plant and machinery items that qualify for long-term depreciation relief.
This service is ideal for new business set-ups, property investors, and companies undergoing renovations or expansions. With Total Books, you gain expert insight into the value hidden in your assets — and use it to reduce your next tax bill.
Inheritance Tax (IHT) Planning
Inheritance Tax planning helps you pass on your wealth in the most tax-efficient way. At Total Books, we provide compassionate and practical advice to help you and your family avoid unnecessary IHT costs while staying fully compliant.
We assess your estate and help you use the £325,000 nil-rate band and the additional £175,000 residence allowance where applicable. We also guide you on making tax-free gifts, using surplus income exemptions, and setting up trusts to manage family wealth and reduce the value of your estate for IHT purposes.
Our team supports business owners and farmers in claiming valuable reliefs for qualifying assets and works with clients to keep wills and pension plans updated for tax efficiency.
Inheritance Tax is often overlooked until it’s too late to plan. With our help, you can structure your estate now — making sure your loved ones inherit more and face less stress during difficult times.
Making Tax Digital (MTD)
Making Tax Digital is HMRC’s initiative to modernise the tax system using approved software. We help sole traders, landlords, and limited companies get MTD-ready and ensure ongoing compliance through smart digital recordkeeping and cloud-based tools.
Our support includes setting up and training you on MTD-compatible software such as Xero and FreeAgent. We help you manage your digital submissions and spot opportunities for tax savings using real-time data insights.
We also provide ongoing monitoring and reporting services to reduce errors, save time, and ensure your records meet HMRC standards. Whether you’re submitting VAT returns, Self Assessment data, or Corporation Tax digitally, we make the process seamless.
Going digital doesn’t need to be difficult. With Total Books, you’ll have expert guidance from day one — turning MTD from a compliance task into a planning advantage.
Tax-Efficient Investment Planning
Investment planning is more than choosing the right assets — it’s about how those assets are held and how gains are taxed. We help UK clients invest smarter by using tax-efficient structures and planning tools that reduce Income Tax, CGT, and Inheritance Tax exposure.
We advise on using your ISA allowance for tax-free growth, as well as pension contributions that qualify for tax relief up to £60,000 per year. For higher-risk investors, we offer guidance on Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs), Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS), and SEIS — all of which offer generous reliefs.
We also support families in setting up Family Investment Companies (FICs) to manage assets over the long term, as well as investment bonds that allow for deferred tax withdrawal.
Whatever your goal — long-term income, business reinvestment, or estate planning — Total Books helps you build a plan that keeps more of your returns protected from tax.
Why Choose Total Books as Your Tax Consultant
Total Books Accountants is led by Buhir Rafiq (MAAT), a licensed accountant with over 30 years of experience across the public and private sectors. As Managing Partner of Total Books and Principal at RX Virtual Finance Ltd, Buhir brings practical thinking, strong ethics, and a hands-on approach to every client relationship. He’s supported by a team of tax experts and bookkeepers with over three decades of combined experience in accountancy, tax compliance, and business advisory.
We support small and medium-sized businesses across Cardiff, Newport, Bristol, and surrounding areas. Our clients range from ambitious start-ups to established companies looking for expert tax planning and consultancy with a personal touch.
At Total Books, we combine professional insight with the latest cloud accounting tools. We’re a licensed AAT firm and registered HMRC tax agents, giving you peace of mind and a clear path through complex tax rules. We prioritise long-term relationships, honest advice, and systems built around security, efficiency, and your business goals.
With modern tools like Xero, Bright Manager, and TaxCalc, and the backing of Redtree IT for cyber security, you get expert tax support that’s secure, digital, and completely tailored to you.
Understand What Type of Tax Planning You Need
Answer a few quick questions to find the right tax advice for your situation.
Book Your Free 15-Minute Tax Consultation
Start with a no-obligation chat with one of our tax consultants. We’ll look at your current tax setup and give you clear next steps on how to save more, stay compliant, and plan ahead. Book your free consultation today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a tax adviser and a financial adviser?
A tax adviser focuses on helping you reduce your tax liabilities and stay compliant with HMRC rules. They advise on allowances, reliefs, and the most efficient way to structure your income, assets, or business. A financial adviser helps manage your broader financial life — including investments, pensions, insurance, and retirement plans.
How often should I review my tax plan?
You should review your tax plan at least once a year or whenever your financial situation changes. This includes changes like starting a business, buying property, receiving dividends, or planning for retirement. Regular reviews ensure you’re using the right reliefs and that your tax strategy remains legally effective.
What taxes can I reduce legally with planning?
You can reduce Income Tax, Corporation Tax, Capital Gains Tax, and Inheritance Tax through legal planning. This includes using allowances, structuring income more efficiently, timing asset disposals, and setting up trusts or pensions. A well-planned approach helps you stay compliant while keeping more of your earnings.
Is tax planning only for businesses?
Tax planning is useful for both individuals and businesses. Landlords, investors, sole traders, and high earners can all benefit from using allowances and reliefs effectively. You don’t need to run a company to benefit from tax planning — anyone with income, assets, or savings can reduce what they owe.
Can tax planning help avoid HMRC penalties?
Yes, tax planning helps you stay ahead of deadlines, submit correct information, and avoid costly HMRC penalties. We ensure you’re tracking the right records, using compliant software, and submitting returns on time. Good planning keeps you away from late filing fines, interest charges, or accidental overpayments.
How can digital tools support tax planning?
Digital tools like Xero and TaxCalc make your finances easier to track, submit, and manage. They provide real-time insights into income, expenses, and tax liabilities. We use these tools to identify tax-saving opportunities, ensure accurate records, and simplify submissions under HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) rules.
Do I need tax planning if I already use an accountant?
Yes, tax planning is different from routine accounting. Your accountant may help you file returns, but tax planning focuses on actively reducing what you owe. It involves reviewing your position in advance, applying reliefs, and setting up your finances more efficiently for long-term savings.
What’s included in a tax planning consultation?
A tax planning consultation includes a review of your current income, assets, business structure, and tax filings. We identify unused reliefs, look at future tax liabilities, and suggest legal ways to reduce your bill. You’ll leave with clear next steps tailored to your financial goals.
When is the best time of year to plan my taxes?
The best time to plan your taxes is before your financial year-end or ahead of any large financial event. Waiting until the deadline often limits your options. Planning early helps you use available allowances, structure income more efficiently, and avoid last-minute decisions that cost more.
Is tax planning worth it for individuals, not just companies?
Yes, tax planning is extremely useful for individuals, especially landlords, investors, and high-income earners. You can legally reduce tax on rental income, capital gains, and investment returns. Planning also helps when dealing with pensions, inheritance, or retirement — not just business-related decisions.
