Steve Blacker

Steve is a tax partner who leads KPMG’s UK Innovation Reliefs & Incentives (“IRI”) Group and the Corporate Tax team in Yorkshire.  Based in Leeds, in IRI He leads a multidisciplinary team of scientists/engineers, accountants and tax specialists who assist clients across all industry sectors, from major multinationals through to technology start-ups, particularly in the fields of IT technology, energy, industrial manufacturing, food and drink, and the construction industry. 

Steve has been involved in claims for R&D tax credits since 2006 and later Patent Box, innovation grants and research and development (R&D) allowances.  This deep experience of how the regime has evolved over time coupled with leading monthly meetings with senior HMRC stakeholders to discuss best practices, risk management and help shape the R&D tax regime, has enabled him to assist clients in managing and facilitating agreement of enquiries from HMRC.  He leads our alliance with Axillium Research and has experience of standing up regional innovation clusters, working alongside our alliance partner, to promote closer working between large companies with innovation challenges and their potential regional solution providers, often under innovation grant funding. 

Recently, Steve has begun working with clients around the implementation of R&D tax technology solutions to facilitate efficient and risk managed R&D claims, and the importance of robust R&D tax claim governance, e.g. through innovative data and evidence gathering and real time data reporting on R&D projects. 

Steve is also the sponsoring partner of the African Caribbean Network in the North.