Business owners, whether they are involved in small businesses or big ones need to prepare their accounts for auditing and taxes. The process can be elaborate, complex and time consuming and taking professional help is advised. This is where accounting and taxation professionals come of assistance. They ensure that all the financial records of a business are in order and the financial resources have been properly audited. However the range and types of services offered by independent accounting professionals can be significantly different. There are those who offer only accounting services and also those who offer only tax consultancy. One also comes across services providers who offer both accountancy and taxation services. Before one selects and hires the services of a provider it would be helpful to have an idea of the scope of their work.

In layman terms accounting refers to the process of recording the transactions that take place in the running of a business on a day to day basis. These transactions can be in the form of cash sales, sales invoices, cash received, purchase receipts, expense invoices and credit notes among others. The transactions are entered into accounting books following the double entry system. The increasing use of computers and availability of simple and feature-rich accounting software has ensured that more businesses prefer to maintain computerized accounting records. Professional accounting services providers also encourage the use of computerized accounting and their services may include developing custom accounting software for the unique requirements of their client's business as well as training personnel who will be working on it. The accounting software available nowadays support a wide range of features and can create many different kinds of reports which help decision mak
ers analyze the state of their business objectively and accurately, and arrive at the best decisions.

Accounting and taxation services frequently go hand-in-hand because taxation depends upon accounting records. Now taxation rules can be quite complex and they keep getting updated. It would be too much to expect from business owners to keep themselves updated with all the tax laws that are applicable to their business. Taxes are a major revenue generating source for the government and it levies several types of taxes on businesses and individuals. Income tax is a type of tax that is calculated depending upon the income of a business or individual. Every year the government determines a series of scales for the payment of taxes. People then pay taxes according to the scale they fit in.

Business taxation system is more complex compared to calculating and paying individuals' income taxes. These taxes are based on a company's profits which can also be termed as its taxable income. They are not only applicable to business organizations but also to associations, clubs and societies. Value added tax or VAT is a type of tax that is levied on business organizations. VAT is governed by very complex regulations, it has many requirements like VAT registration, compulsory registration timing, VAT planning and administration, Customs and Excise VAT, VAT on imports and exports, and the positive and negative points of voluntary registration. Accounting and tax consultants help individuals and organizations by determining their tax liability and helping them fill out the relevant forms and pay their dues.

The accounts of a business organization or an individual are thus not only important for running the business smoothly and profitably but also in satisfying the government's tax requirements. With such critical purposes to be fulfilled it is but necessary that one should take the assistance of qualified accountancy and tax consultants.