One minute with ... Mike Dawson

How did you end up in tax?

I started in tax just before my first daughter was born over 26 years ago. I was persuaded by my employers at Spicer and Pegler that my talents lay more in tax than auditing! The added responsibilities of being a father gave me the impetus to make the move. 

What are you working on now?

Currently we have a couple of big corporate disposals on the go – we are handling the tax advice for the vendor shareholders in both cases. One deal involves a local company where I was involved in its birth over 15 years ago. From an initial share capital of £50 000 it is now worth around £40 million. 

Is there a common problem in tax you come across time and again?

The biggest difficulty is...