Stewart McKinnon

Formed in Dunfermline in 1996, M&S’s ability to provide high quality expertise and advice at an affordable cost, all underpinned by exceptional customer service, have been the major factors in our success.

That success is, of course, dependent on a combination of our clients’ own success plus our ability to create business advantage and add value for them. We do this in a number of ways: by working in partnership; by making the complex simple and by taking a proactive approach to account management, whilst also communicating regularly to keep clients up-to-date with changes to tax and financial regulations.

Work is frequently referred from other accountancy and legal firms to obtain access to the specialist tax services that M&S Accountancy and Taxation offer.

Our success and longevity are also firmly rooted in M&S being home to, arguably, Fife’s most highly-qualified tax professionals, with expertise in delivering integrated UK and US tax advice. And, to back it all up, we use innovative, cloud-based technologies to augment this depth and breadth of experience. M&S provides comprehensive accountancy and taxation services to a wide range of SMEs, and also to much larger clients from Scotland and around the world.

Stewart is a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) and a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. He began his professional career with HMRC before moving to Ernst & Young and then setting up M&S with Jim Slater (now retired) in 1996.

CTAs are the acknowledged tax experts in the UK and Stewart has a wealth of experience which has helped establish M&S’s reputation in this field. His commitment to continuing professional development for all our other tax and professional staff ensures that the firm is at the forefront of current tax issues and able to deliver legitimate and affordable tax planning so HMRC’s tax take from our clients is minimised.

This involves implementing complex tax planning arrangements for clients and conducting specialist enquiries with HMRC. As the powers available to tax officers become ever more wide ranging, he is a robust negotiator on behalf of his clients – as HMRC will testify!

As one of the founders of the company, Stewart is determined that we maintain the levels of service and the personal touch which have been key to M&S’s success. In particular, his insistence on the need to provide progressive tax planning in easily understood formats is something that is instilled in all our professional staff.

Outside M&S, Stewart’s major interests are his family, St Johnstone FC, football coaching and voluntary work with the charity Tax Help for Older People.