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 the behind-the-scenes story of how
Pete built Link My Books out of his own Amazon FBA pain, what
typical bookkeeping mistakes look like in practice, and how
VAT/tax jurisdictions and fee structures can quietly destroy your
margin when your data isn’t mapped correctly.From there, the
conversation zooms out: what’s changing in e-commerce right now
(TikTok Shop, Temu, aggregators, Chinese competition), what
separates businesses that scale from those that churn, and why
accountants who embrace automation can move up the value chain
into strategic advisory — faster than they think.Key themes
include:- 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 dailyIf you’re building an e-commerce business
— or advising e-commerce clients — this episode is a practical,
candid look at what’s really going on behind the numbers.Links
& resources- Link My Books: https://linkmybooks.com- Future
Tax Collective (for Austrian tax advisors & accountants):
https://futuretaxcollective.comChapters00:00 Intro & why
“know your numbers” is business 10102:05 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
accountants10:45 How Link My Books started (built from the
founders’ own Amazon pain)13:20 Core markets (UK/US/AU) and why
the EU is different15:05 What changed after the Visma acquisition
(security, best practices, AI)16:40 Where e-commerce is heading:
TikTok Shop, Temu, and changing buyer behavior20:20 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 opportunity30:40 The “strategic advisor” shift:
from bookkeeping to profit conversations35:30 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