Seminar To Be Held Next Week

South Yorkshire businesses are being invited to find out how to protect and prepare their business for trading internationally at a special seminar hosted by law firm Irwin Mitchell.

The seminar, entitled ‘Avoiding The Pitfalls’, will be held by the South Yorkshire International Trade Forum (SYITF) together with SYITF sponsors accountants Barber Harrison & Platt, law firm Irwin Mitchell and Yorkshire Bank.

SYITF aims to provide an independent platform to exchange and share expertise and knowledge amongst its membership.

Laurence Gavin, a Partner in the Commercial team at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Trading both domestically and internationally can be fraught with problems and challenges which businesses may not foresee if they enter the market unprepared.

“Businesses can fall foul of anti-trust laws, taxation requirements, supply and distribution agreements, and product protection legislation, and so must be as prepared as possible before entering a new market.

“There are many opportunities for South Yorkshire business to grow by exporting their products and services, especially as the region has a reputation for producing items of real quality. Our job is to make sure we prepare them to make the most of this potential.”

Zoe Roberts, a Tax Associate at Barber Harrison & Platt, will also give an overview of the tax pitfalls and missed opportunities that can arise from trading internationally. She said: “Many overseas economies such as Brazil, Russia, India and China are growing at remarkable rates. For our region to achieve growth it is vital that more businesses are in a position to enter these markets.

“UK and overseas tax liabilities should always be considered when entering new markets as it is easy to fall foul of the rules and trigger unexpected costs.”

The event takes place at Irwin Mitchell’s Riverside East offices on Wednesday 14 September 2011 at 5.30pm, and is free for SYITF members (£20 for others).

To book a place, please contact Renate Halton at renate.halton@syitf.co.uk.