I trained in a small (three partner!) firm in Glasgow and qualified as a chartered accountant. Audit never interested me, but I realised that ‘specialisation’ would open more doors – I chose tax because I had done a class in that at university, and actually quite liked it!
What are you working on at the moment?
HMRC is becoming more aggressive in its search for cash, and it seems that payroll taxes and VAT are its key areas. Increasingly, I find HMRC taking a harder stance on areas that might not previously have been the case. As a bit of ‘light relief’, I’m looking closely at the new CFC rules and how they will apply practically.
What advice would you give to someone entering the profession?
Make sure you understand the question, and never be afraid to say you don’t have the answer!
A memorable time in your career?
The whole of 2001! I was involved in a merger of two FTSE 100 companies, an IPO, a £1.8bn private purchase and a demerger, all in the space of seven months! It was a very busy period, with lots of issues to juggle, but we had a great team, both internally and externally, which also made it a pleasure to work on.
Should corporates be more transparent on tax issues?
This is a favourite topic of mine at the moment! I think that corporates are being very badly misrepresented in the media, and I’m disappointed that there hasn’t been a stronger push back (in particular, from the ‘big four’). Most large companies are transparent in their tax dealings, and I don’t think any more needs to be done, nor should it.
What’s the future for outsourcing in tax?
I think there will be more moves towards retaining work in-house; SAO has meant that companies shouldn’t reply for others and, in any event, I think that in-house is the only way to truly be in control of your own tax affairs.
How do you engage with business to become a ‘real’ partner?
It can be hard and a lot of patience and doggedness is required. I’ve been here 23 years, and I don’t think I could say that I’ve ever fully achieved what I would want in ‘business partnering’. However, I’ve always made efforts to get to know people and to try and help, and that usually gets me there in the end.
What do you think about the way tax law is made in the UK?
The process has greatly improved; there is much more consultation and ‘prior’ warning, although on occasion HMRC has not been as open as it claims, and I am seeing effective retrospection and/or clearances not being honoured.
If you could make one change to UK tax law, what would it be?
Abolish capital allowances and permit allowable depreciation.
What’s your view on HMRC?
At the senior level, it is only concerned about governance, reporting, etc, and is not paying attention to the very low morale at the sharp end, nor to the inconsistency in approach or the poor service that this results in.
You might not know this but …
I’m not a golfer, and would much rather be wandering across the hills in the North of Scotland in search of hidden lochs, in order to flyfish for wild trout – the scenery is stunning and the solitude wonderful!
I trained in a small (three partner!) firm in Glasgow and qualified as a chartered accountant. Audit never interested me, but I realised that ‘specialisation’ would open more doors – I chose tax because I had done a class in that at university, and actually quite liked it!
What are you working on at the moment?
HMRC is becoming more aggressive in its search for cash, and it seems that payroll taxes and VAT are its key areas. Increasingly, I find HMRC taking a harder stance on areas that might not previously have been the case. As a bit of ‘light relief’, I’m looking closely at the new CFC rules and how they will apply practically.
What advice would you give to someone entering the profession?
Make sure you understand the question, and never be afraid to say you don’t have the answer!
A memorable time in your career?
The whole of 2001! I was involved in a merger of two FTSE 100 companies, an IPO, a £1.8bn private purchase and a demerger, all in the space of seven months! It was a very busy period, with lots of issues to juggle, but we had a great team, both internally and externally, which also made it a pleasure to work on.
Should corporates be more transparent on tax issues?
This is a favourite topic of mine at the moment! I think that corporates are being very badly misrepresented in the media, and I’m disappointed that there hasn’t been a stronger push back (in particular, from the ‘big four’). Most large companies are transparent in their tax dealings, and I don’t think any more needs to be done, nor should it.
What’s the future for outsourcing in tax?
I think there will be more moves towards retaining work in-house; SAO has meant that companies shouldn’t reply for others and, in any event, I think that in-house is the only way to truly be in control of your own tax affairs.
How do you engage with business to become a ‘real’ partner?
It can be hard and a lot of patience and doggedness is required. I’ve been here 23 years, and I don’t think I could say that I’ve ever fully achieved what I would want in ‘business partnering’. However, I’ve always made efforts to get to know people and to try and help, and that usually gets me there in the end.
What do you think about the way tax law is made in the UK?
The process has greatly improved; there is much more consultation and ‘prior’ warning, although on occasion HMRC has not been as open as it claims, and I am seeing effective retrospection and/or clearances not being honoured.
If you could make one change to UK tax law, what would it be?
Abolish capital allowances and permit allowable depreciation.
What’s your view on HMRC?
At the senior level, it is only concerned about governance, reporting, etc, and is not paying attention to the very low morale at the sharp end, nor to the inconsistency in approach or the poor service that this results in.
You might not know this but …
I’m not a golfer, and would much rather be wandering across the hills in the North of Scotland in search of hidden lochs, in order to flyfish for wild trout – the scenery is stunning and the solitude wonderful!
