Melanie Hall KC KC > Monckton Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile
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Melanie Hall KC KC
Position
Melanie Hall has been an acknowledged leader in the field of VAT for decades, having appeared in many of the iconic cases which have built the foundations of the tax such as Abbey National, Kretztechnik, EC v Ireland, The Wellcome Foundation, Midland Bank, Weald Leasing, EDS, Church Schools Foundation, Redrow, Dr Beynon, ICAEW, Mobilx and Sub-One to name a few. Melanie is instructed by both HMRC and the private sector in high profile and complex cases. This not only deepens her understanding and experience of the tax but ensures that any legal opinion she expresses will be respected by the other side. There are very few areas of VAT upon which she has not advised.
In addition to VAT, Melanie continues to take a lead role in shaping the response to sector-wide challenges concerning landfill tax and the aggregates levy which have been litigated in the domestic and Europeans courts during the past decade.
Career
Qualified 1982; Inner Temple. Made QC 2002.
Memberships
Melanie is a member of the editorial board for The Tax Journal, a Trustee of Somerset House and co-founded the charity The Circle with Annie Lennox to support disempowered women and girls. She is an Honorary Fellow of Law at Durham University.
Education
Durham University (1981 BA).
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Tax: VAT and excise
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Melanie Hall KC – Monckton Chambers ‘Extremely personable. Very quick to grasp complex arrangements. Strategic thinker often outside the box. Very positive and reassuring – is confident in her position.’
Monckton Chambers includes members regularly active for both the taxpayer and HMRC, with strength in VAT buoyed by the set’s long track record of public law and EU law work. The group has experience in a range of sector-specific matters, including cryptocurrency, pension plans, and the transfer of assets abroad. Melanie Hall KC has key expertise in the financial services sector, and is noted for her strength in matters relating to the landfill tax. Hall KC acted for the taxpayer in HSBC v HMRC, a dispute as to if HSBC’s offshore companies are entitled to belong to UK VAT groups. Valentina Sloane KC is consistently active in innovative matters, appearing in the First Tier Tax Tribunal in 2023 on behalf of the taxpayer in Bolt v HMRC, a test case on the application of VAT to the ride-hailing industry. Philip Moser KC has an extensive background in cases involving alleged VAT fraud, with further expertise in customs cases and general VAT matters. Senior junior Raymond Hill has a long history in EU law, and appeared on multiple occasions before the European Court of Justice on VAT matters.