ARCANUS Accountants & Belastingconsulenten

Arcanus is an independent firm of accountants and tax advisers founded in March 2009 and based on Luikersteenweg in Hasselt, Limburg. Its name comes from Latin and means "confidential, trust": the firm stresses professional secrecy and the confidential handling of its clients' financial data. It is approved by the institute of accountants and tax advisers, now the ITAA, and makes continuing education central to staying up to date. Its tagline is "We make it personal".

The firm is run by two partners who came from the same Limburg practice. Marino Elens, a graduate in accounting, tax sciences and accounting expertise, obtained the title of accountant and tax adviser in 2003 after twelve years at Groenweghe, later Van Havermaet Groenweghe; he specialises in accounts for companies and sole traders, tax advice and company formation. Gery Steyls, who worked at Deloitte & Touche Fiduciaire in Hasselt and then at Groenweghe, set up his own firm Accolim in 2010 before becoming a partner and manager of Arcanus in 2013; he handles conversions of company form, liquidations, valuations and start-ups among other things.

Clients are self-employed people and SMEs from every sector: construction, trade, industry, services and the liberal professions. In bookkeeping, Arcanus organises and processes the accounts or supervises them, helps set up general or cost accounting and computerised systems, codes supporting documents, offers full or partial outsourcing and files VAT and Intrastat returns. The website names the software it uses: Admisol for accounting, OkiOki for invoicing, Intellifin for financial analysis and Hannah for financial plans.

In accountancy, the firm checks and corrects the books, prepares the annual accounts and reports, provides analytical management accounting, consolidates small groups and carries out private and court-appointed expert work and valuations. It also looks at the business's creditworthiness and profitability so it can respond to developments in time. Its statutory assignments cover the conversion, dissolution and liquidation of companies, assistance to individual partners and support during mergers and demergers.

In tax, Arcanus advises on personal income tax, corporate income tax, legal entities tax, non-resident tax, VAT and registration duties. It assists and represents clients before the authorities, carries out the tax analysis at year-end closing, and deals with wealth and estate planning, international tax and the structuring of groups of companies.

The legal side includes advice on setting up companies or associations, drafting contracts and deeds, applying company law, supporting the board, for example with reports or a transfer of registered office, and statutory assignments. The website also offers a series of articles on the history of accounting and taxation.