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

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: linkmybooks.com

Host / Future Tax Collective:
Future Tax Index Assessment: futuretaxcollective.com/r/future-tax-index

—
Future Tax Collective: futuretaxcollective.com
Alle Folgen mit Transkript: futuretaxcollective.com/future-tax-podcast
Tax Tech Radar: futuretaxcollective.com/future-tax-tech-radar
Future Tax Briefing: futuretaxcollective.com/future-tax-briefing
Sebastian Thalhammer: linkedin.com/in/sebastianthalhammer