Tell ICAS – new group to share views on how tax works in practice
Discover more about Tell ICAS, a new group to share how tax is working for you
Tell us how it is
Life as a tax practitioner means dealing with HMRC as part of your everyday job. Phoning. Completing online tax forms. Submitting returns. Looking for rulings. VAT. Income tax. MTD. Penalty appeals. R&D claims. Tax refunds. Registering new clients. Getting a UTR. The list goes on and on.
Everyday life, dealing with HMRC.
Whatever it is, whatever you do. We want to know. We are looking for the nitty gritty of tax. The 45-minute wait. The letter that never arrives. Things that work, and the things that don’t.
Is this you?
You’re hands on. Perhaps a few years qualified with a large or mid-size firm, or you run your own smaller practice. Either way, you know what’s happening on the ground with regards to HMRC service standards.
The HMRC nudge letters are sending you and the clients mad. The VAT login failed for the tenth time. There’s a 60-day CGT return to do, but the client doesn’t know a mouse from a byte.
Sound familiar? Then you are just who we’re looking for.
The basic format
We want this to be a positive experience. An informal group, meeting ad hoc. Say what you like, come when you can. A two-way street where you can propose a topic. Come to all, or come to none (you could even email us your views instead at tax@icas.com)
We’re envisioning an occasional 30-minute Teams call with other practitioners (and a few ICAS staff) - and possibly HMRC - on a subject that is of interest to you and is relevant to your work.
Invitations will be sent out about a week in advance: If it’s your subject, please come. If it isn’t, wait for the next one, or send in a suggestion.
Why join?
We can share experiences. And practical fixes. We can canvass views and hold HMRC to account with actual examples. We can’t promise to solve all the ills, but we may solve some. We can also help to shape the system.
ICAS has committees that can formulate high-level policy: This is different. It’s about the detail.
HMRC closed VAT and CT helplines on Fridays in December to help it catch up on a backlog of post. Were you affected? Should the experiment be repeated? Across other helplines? Have HMRC helpline staff been giving out information that is against its stated policy? Are calls being answered within the published guidelines?
These are the kinds of questions we can answer in a group like Tell ICAS.
If you choose to join then you would be part of a large pool, but meet in a small group, where daily experience matters more than technical knowledge.
You’d be positive for change, but realistic about influencing HMRC. Willing to gain insights from others, find support, share what works. Am I the only one, or is it like this for all? What’s it like in different areas of tax? Different practices, different parts of the country?
ICAS has many routes into HMRC. We can feed back examples and experiences. As HMRC overhauls its IT and we move towards a more real-time digital tax system, there is a need for practical insights into what works.
How to get involved
Tell ICAS will be a light imposition on time. Gripes and gremlins welcome. Informal and with a minimum of rules. Pick it up if it suits you. Don’t if it doesn’t.
All taxes. All welcome.
If you want to take part, then give us a shout at tax@icas.com.