CIOT

A group of organisations representing tax advisers and accountants have issued the latest version of their guidance on professional conduct.

The document – which replaces the February 2014 publication – is shared by the Association of Tax Technicians, the Association of Accounting Technicians, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the Chartered Institute of Taxation, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Taxation publisher launches charity drive

The 2012/13 tax gap was £34bn, or 6.8% of tax liabilities, according to newly released HMRC figures, which show a small rise on the £33bn (6.6%) in the previous year (revised down from an initial £35bn).

The government must exercise caution in its plans to take the tax system online, according to the new president of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT).

Anne Fairpo, who succeeds Stephen Coleclough, believes “wild enthusiasm for the wonders of technology [ought to be] tempered with practical reality”, not least because not everyone wants to deal with their own tax affairs digitally.

Members of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) are to get their own HMRC helpline aimed at providing answers about alternative dispute resolution (ADR) – but only for a day.

The dedicated service will be offered by the Revenue at the end of this month, on a date yet to be confirmed, with the aim of increasing awareness and understanding of the ADR system.