Profile: International
Experience and Expertise
Mark’s cases often involve an international dimension. He has extensive experience of customs law, tax litigation involving offshore elements, the OECD model tax convention and the application of the so-called revenue rule precluding the recovery of foreign tax. For example, Mark recently represented the United Kingdom in the European Court of Justice in a customs classification case, known as Kubota, concerned with customs duty and the operation of the customs union. He also represented HMRC in the well-known case of Revenue & Customs v Ben Nevis in which the Court of Appeal upheld HMRC’s arguments regarding the proper approach to the interpretation of a double taxation treaty between the UK and South Africa.
Mark also has particular expertise in the territorial scope of financial services regulatory regimes, such as the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and the operation of the EU passporting regimes.
Cases and Work of Note
- Performers College Ltd v Revenue & Customs [2018] STI 834 (Consistency of a VAT exemption with EU law.)
- Kubota (C-545/2016) (Preliminary reference to the European Court of Justice concerning the classification of products under EU customs legislation.)
- Revenue & Customs v Smart [2016] BPIR 1329 (Operation of the EU mutual assistance directive in the context of a bankruptcy petition. Clarifies whether the court can review the foreign claim on public policy grounds.)
- Savant Distribution v Revenue & Customs [2016] UKFTT 533 (TC) (Customs classification of food supplements.)
- Alpine Electronics v Revenue & Customs [2016] UKFTT 437 (TC) (Customs classification of electronic navigational products.)
- Insectlore v Revenue & Customs [2014] UKFTT 368 (TC) (Customs status of butterfly storage products.)
- Liquid Investments v Revenue & Customs [2014] UKFTT 297 (TC) (Standing of a party to bring a customs appeal in the tribunal.)
- Franck and Tobieson (UK) Ltd v HM Revenue and Customs [2013] UKFTT 648 (TC) (Challenge to UK implementation of VAT directive as regards relief on import VAT.)
- Revenue & Customs v Ben Nevis (Holdings) Ltd & Ors [2012] STC 2157 and [2014] WTLR 1 (Litigation concerning the interpretation of a mutual assistance treaty between the UK and South Africa and a judgment for in excess of £220 million in unpaid tax. Led by James Ayliffe QC.)
- Skillbond Direct Limited v Revenue and Customs [2012] UKFTT 488 (TC) (Case concerning the availability of a preferential rate of customs duty on goods imported from Liechtenstein without presentation of proofs of origin.)
- Furukawa Electric Europe Limited v Revenue and Customs [2012] UKFTT 129 (TC) (Decision concerning the classification for customs duty purposes of car components imported into the UK by a Japanese manufacturer.)
- Advising an international private bank in relation to the territorial scope of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
- Advising in relation to litigation in the High Court of Singapore concerning the operation of dual currency swaps entered into by two high net worth individuals.
- Advising a bank and a regulator in relation to the territorial scope of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.
- Frontier Agriculture Limited v Revenue and Customs [2011] UKFTT 834 (TC) (Decision concerning the classification for customs duty purposes of grain imported into the UK.)
- Maplin Electronics Limited v Revenue and Customs [2010] UKFTT 143 (TC) (Decision concerning the classification for customs duty purposes of memory sticks imported by Maplin into the UK.)
- GE Medical Systems v Revenue and Customs [2010] UKFTT 437 (TC) (Decision concerning the classification for customs duty purposes of medical equipment imported by GE into the UK.)
