Do you go to tax discussion groups?
By Donald Drysdale for ICAS
13 November 2019
ICAS encourages its members to include attendance at tax discussion groups within their CPD, and Donald Drysdale reflects on the advantages of this.
Why keep up to date?
As an ICAS member working in tax, or another professional with an equivalent qualification working in that environment, you have no option but to keep your relevant tax knowledge and expertise up to date.
To find authority for this you need look no further, for example, than the ICAS Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Requirements or the standards of behaviour set out in Professional Conduct in Relation to Taxation (PCRT).
Update opportunities
Tax training opportunities come in a variety of different forms. Tax changes are so ubiquitous that you ought to choose your most effective way of absorbing them. There’s a huge choice of methods available to you, and the range of options has increased as new digital channels have developed.
The printed word still has a big role to play, and many of us would be lost without our tax books and periodicals. In my case I browse the latest tax journals at breakfast and wouldn’t capture half the content if these were only available online.
Nonetheless, like most practitioners I find that the internet has become my key delivery mechanism for tax updates. Online newsletters hit inboxes in scores, and online reference works can be instrumental in finding answers to tricky technical questions.
Online podcasts and webinars give flexible access to key technical explanations and discussions, and social media is helpful in flagging up the latest developments. Your choice of the most appropriate media for you may even be influenced by how you commute.
For some, formal tax courses and conferences offer great learning opportunities, while for others they would involve too much time away from the office. If you are in this category, a tax discussion group may provide a more relaxed and convenient access to CPD.
Tax discussion groups
Typically, a tax discussion group allows members, affiliates and students to meet for a short time, often over lunch or straight after work, to hear experienced tax experts expound on the intricacies of new, evolving or long-established tax law and practice. Most meetings are free.
Speakers – many of them well-known throughout the UK tax profession – come from a range of backgrounds including public accounting and law practices, the Bar, government and tax authorities and professional bodies.
At all such gatherings, the technical discussions and informal networking opportunities encourage a sharing of tax knowledge and expertise among attendees of all ages and experience.
In Scotland, most tax discussion groups are currently run jointly by ICAS and CIOT.
Edinburgh
The Edinburgh Tax Network, a CPD-providing umbrella group for ICAS, ICAEW, CIOT, STEP and TrustBar (the Faculty of Advocates Trusts, Fiduciaries and Executries special interest group), holds events in central Edinburgh, usually on the last Thursday of each month. Times and venues vary. Attendance is usually free, but places should be reserved by calling 0131 260 5606 or emailing seminars@terrafirmachambers.com.
Next week, on 21 November, Derek Francis will speak on ‘IR35 and interposing Personal Service Companies: Where can you do it? Where will it work for the Taxpayer?’ This will be followed on 28 November by Karen Davidson speaking on ‘Advisory Issues and Computational Aspects re IR35’.
On 20 February Mike Martin will speak on ‘(Tax) Year End Planning for Individuals & Owner Managed Businesses’, and on 27 February Bob Langridge will address ‘Entrepreneurs’ Relief Bear Traps’. Then on 26 March, Matthew Paul Clark will speak on ‘Tax Issues on Importing and Exporting’.
On 23 April Mark McKeown will cover ‘Aspects of Taxation + U.S. Revocable Trusts and their Interaction with IHT’, while on 30 April Alan Dean will address ‘Topical Issues – personal tax’.
A meeting on 14 May will provide an ‘Update on Scottish Taxes’, while on 28 May Martin Bell will deliver a ‘Corporate Tax Update’. A meeting on 25 June will focus on ‘Family Investment Companies’, while on 30 July Carl Bayley will provide a ‘Property Taxes Round-up’.
Further information on the above meetings can be found online here, and details of future meetings can be obtained by joining the mailing list held by seminars@terrafirmachambers.com.
Glasgow
The Glasgow Tax Forum meets in central Glasgow each month from October through May. Enquiries about the Forum should be emailed to Jillian McAulay at glasgow@tax.org.uk.
On 3 December Derek Francis will speak on ‘IR35 and Interposing Personal Service Companies’. Then on 11 February, Benjamin Jones and Natalie Martin will address ‘IHT and Family Wealth – Thinking Outside the Box’.
On 10 March Joanne Walker will deliver a ‘Scottish Taxes Update’, on 14 April Rachel Chalmers will provide an ‘Employment Tax Update’, and on 12 May either Charlotte Barbour or Philip McNeill will present the ‘ICAS Spring Update’.
Further information on the above meetings can be found online here.
Aberdeen
The Aberdeen Tax Discussion Group meets in central Aberdeen, mainly during the winter and spring months. Details can be obtained from Lindsey Stewart CA at ac-g@icas.com or on 07941 365627.
Early next week, on 19 November, Joanne Walker and Chris Young will give a joint presentation on ‘Scottish Taxes’.
Other talks currently scheduled are on ‘Tax reliefs for innovative businesses’ by Dougy Agnew on 2 December, a ‘Topical Update’ by Charlotte Barbour on 3 February, ‘International Tax Aspects’ by Peter Courtney and Julie Buchanan on 2 March, and ‘Finance Act 2020’ by Martin Findlay on 27 April.
Further information on the above meetings can be found online here.
The Scottish Borders
Anyone interested in tax is always welcomed at meetings of the CIOT’s Borders Tax Discussion Group. It holds a full-day event in November and three smaller events each year. Further details are available from Steven Turnbull at scottishborders@tax.org.uk'.
In just a few days’ time, on 21 November, Tim Palmer will present a full-day tax conference which will include talks on ‘IR35 update and planning’, ‘Capital allowances refresher and planning’ and ‘Tax planning for the family company’.
On 19 March Carl Bayley will deliver a ‘Scottish Taxes Update’, and on 7 May Charlotte Barbour will present a ‘Spring Update’.
Further information on the above meetings can be found online here.
Other UK locations
CIOT offers a range of tax discussion groups and other events through its branch network. If you are interested in finding out more about its branch events, email branches@tax.org.uk and ask to be put in touch with the relevant branch.
ICAS would be willing to organise a tax discussion group in London if there was a demand for this, or in any other centre of population where sufficient demand exists. If you’re an ICAS member, affiliate or student and would like to attend such a group covering a range of different tax topics, please make your interest known by emailing tax@icas.com.
Conclusion
Substantial efforts are made by those who organise and speak at meetings of the various tax discussion groups. Topics covered are wide-ranging, and the groups provide great opportunities to meet some of the leaders of the tax profession.
If you can attend any of the forthcoming meetings I have listed, don’t miss these excellent chances to keep up to date.
Article supplied by Taxing Words Ltd