The VAT Trap That Quietly Burns Cash (Even When You “Have an Accountant”) with Peter Moran from Linkmybooks

aus Future Tax Podcast: Trends. Technologie. Transformation. · 06.04.2026 · 58 Min.

Beschreibung

In this episode of the Future Tax Podcast, Sebastian Thalhammer sits down with Pete Moran (co-founder & CTO of Link My Books) to unpack what “knowing your numbers” really means for e-commerce sellers — and why most businesses (and even many accountants) still get it wrong. You’ll hear how Pete built Link My Books out of his own Amazon FBA pain, how VAT/tax jurisdictions and fee structures can quietly destroy your margin when your data isn’t mapped correctly, and what’s changing in e-commerce right now (TikTok Shop, Temu, aggregators, Chinese competition). From there, the conversation shows why accountants who embrace automation can move up the value chain into strategic advisory — faster than they think. In this episode: • The “$10k payout ≠ $10k sales” trap and why it matters for VAT and profitability • Why spreadsheets and summary journals fail for marketplaces like Amazon • How the right tooling turns e-commerce accounting from “scary” into scalable • Why niche mastery (and understanding local buyer behavior) is an unfair advantage • The one habit Pete recommends to every business owner right now: use AI daily Chapters: 00:00 Intro & why “know your numbers” is business 101 02:05 The real bookkeeping problem in e-commerce (sales, fees, VAT, jurisdictions) 05:55 Why “summary entries” break VAT correctness (and Making Tax Digital pressure) 08:35 Common mistakes sellers make — even with accountants 10:45 How Link My Books started (built from the founders’ own Amazon pain) 13:20 Core markets (UK/US/AU) and why the EU is different 15:05 What changed after the Visma acquisition (security, best practices, AI) 16:40 Where e-commerce is heading: TikTok Shop, Temu, and changing buyer behavior 20:20 What separates winners from churn (cash flow, differentiation, barrier to entry) 24:40 Accountants: why many avoid e-commerce — and why that’s a missed opportunity 30:40 The “strategic advisor” shift: from bookkeeping to profit conversations 35:30 Build a network/mastermind to escape the silo (and spot opportunities) 43:10 Niche advantages & local market psychology (UK vs Germany example) 55:10 Pete’s No 1 software recommendation: use AI (daily) 56:40 Wrap-up & where to learn more Links & resources Guest: Pete Moran, co-founder & CTO of Link My Books Link My Books: https://linkmybooks.com Host / Future Tax Collective: Future Tax Index Assessment: https://www.futuretaxcollective.com/r/future-tax-index — Future Tax Collective: https://www.futuretaxcollective.com/ Alle Folgen mit Transkript: https://www.futuretaxcollective.com/future-tax-podcast Tax Tech Radar: https://www.futuretaxcollective.com/future-tax-tech-radar Future Tax Briefing: https://www.futuretaxcollective.com/future-tax-briefing Sebastian Thalhammer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastianthalhammer/