Q&A with Helpful Technology
Helpful Technology is a digital development company, working with a wide range of clients across the public sector and private businesses. We talk to Managing Director Steph Gray about why applied for the Fair Tax Mark.
Why did you apply for the Fair Tax Mark?
I heard of the Fair Tax Mark through one of our suppliers, Bytemark Hosting and thought it sounded like a great way to demonstrate transparency and support for the idea that businesses paying their share of tax is a good thing for society.
Since I set up the firm, I’ve tried to establish a set of sustainable business principles to help articulate our position across the board from how we treat subcontractors and employees through to our transport choices and how I’m paid as the owner. Many of our clients are in the public and policy sectors so I’d like us to be able to stand with them against big businesses who exploit tax loopholes to avoid paying for their share of public services.
The benefits of the Fair Tax Mark
For us, the Fair Tax Mark hasn’t changed the amount of tax we pay, but it’s helped us be transparent and consistent in how we report our tax and financial affairs to the outside world.
I hope it demonstrates to potential employees and clients that we’re a firm committed to honesty and openness, and that we support business paying its share towards public services.
How was the accreditation process?
The process was straightforward and friendly. The Fair Tax team gave us an overview of the process, reviewed our current documentation and published information, and helped us refine our reporting to be more consistent. We published the additional information on our website and asked our accountants to include the detail in our next annual accounts.
We’re a small, busy team and wouldn’t have time to go through a bureaucratic accreditation but on the other hand, we can make changes quite quickly: the Fair Tax Mark process was perfect for us.
