Garry Bell FCA CTA

Partner and Head of Tax

+44 (0)7797 713779

I am originally from the U.K. and met my wife Claire at Oxford Brookes University – the same University as Rob and Clive.

On completing my Law degree in 1993 I moved to Jersey and trained as an English Chartered Accountant with Deloitte – where I worked with Mark. In 1997 I moved into a tax role with Deloitte and have specialised in tax since then. I am UK tax qualified and an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

I am a former Chairman of the Jersey Branch of the Chartered Institute of Taxation and currently sit on the committee. I also sit on the Fiscal Strategy Group of Jersey Finance and previously sat on the tax sub-committee of the JSCCA.

I have written a number of articles and presented on Jersey and UK tax issues at local, UK and international conferences. I regularly appear in the media – I have a face for radio!

In 2008 I joined PwC in Jersey as a Tax Director, having previously worked at Abacus Financial Services Limited and Ernst & Young. Whilst at PwC I was responsible for Private Client Tax in the Channel Islands. In 2017 I joined Smith and Williamson as head of the Private Client Tax Team in Jersey.

I joined PKF bba in 2020 because I wanted to work in a client focussed, locally owned accountancy practice with a wide breadth of services and expertise. PKF already act for a substantial local client base and my knowledge is complementary to the existing Jersey tax experience within the practice.

I advise on both Jersey and UK tax matters. I have dealt with the tax affairs of individuals, local and international companies ranging from local trading organisations, finance sector companies, investment managers and banks. Economic substance has been a focus recently.

I deal with the Jersey and UK tax affairs of high net worth individuals and their structures. I have assisted a number of individuals and businesses relocate to the Island and have extensive experience of the Jersey requirements for high value residency and essentially employed status, having undertaken a number of housing and business applications over the years.

I enjoy the challenge of solving problems and applying complex rules to real situations to achieve practical solutions. My approach is to listen and work with clients to find solutions that work for them. My role is to make the complex simple and practical.

Hobbies

Outside of work myself and my wife Claire have a busy family and social life. With our eldest at University and the younger one about to follow we are spending less of our lives acting as taxi drivers and are able to spend more time at our house in France.

I enjoy being in the gym, spinning classes, cycling and am a keen swimmer. I have taken part in two round Island Jersey relay swims and also swam from Sark to Jersey as part of a relay team.