Tax man v tax advisor: things get nasty

Go to: Forums > News & Current Affairs: Business

There are 5 postings to this topic on our Member website and this page runs 7 days behind our Member website. For the full topic click to sign up to OUTeverywhere.

Topic started by Martin T (mart2929)

I'm a food-loving, slim, walking, event-organising, low-tax-campaigning, pragmatically academic, internationally working, property investing, troubleshooting coffee-addict seeking friends and contacts. If you have suffered tax injustice that the system cannot solve, I'd like to hear from you.

A topic from News & Current Affairs: Business

mart2929Sat 22/03/08 15:52

"HMRC believes half of tax advisers' fee income is earned from tax avoidance."

http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/news/2212431/advisers-half-fees-avoidance

If only!!!

My UK tax advisors charge me only for my companies' compliance with tax law. At every opportunity, they tell me to keep paying tax, especially in areas where the law is ambiguous (e.g. "entertaining expenses" and "subsistence expenses").

Tax advisors haven't been advisors for a number of years. They are nothing more than bureaucrats. Private-sector bureaucrats at that!!

It's happened because the advisors' insurers are terrified of the costs of bring HMRC to justice when HMRC bend/break the law.

Insurer: "Just take the route of excess caution, every time."

Advisor: "But the that means that HMRC profits from breaking the law!"

"Yeah."

"That's not right!"

"Yeah, but it's expensive to fight. You can use your own funds to do it, but don't claim on us because you are fighting your clients' causes. We're not covering any part of the costs if you lose. Just give in. Just surrender. It's so much cheaper for us insurers. And, by the way, your premium is going up next year."

"WHAT!? Why???!"

"Because your standard letter of engagement with your clients currently excludes endorsement 78.XV/34 stardate 16234.652/2008."

"What's that?"

"The following text: 'I/We* [the client; delete as applicable] undertake to structure our business transactions in any way that maximises the tax charge. I/We* [etc] will disregard any advice that Big Firm UK LLP gives regarding compliance with the law where such compliance - whether genuine, contrived or artificial - results in the efficient use of resources both within the business and to the government.' "

"That's scandalous! Why would a client sign up to that?"

"Because they will want you to prepare the tax return. It's still 10 pages of utter tedium, no? Just carry on charging a fortune for a little of box-ticking, remember to expose your clients to massive tax bills when HMRC breaks the law and pay my premia and we'll all get along just fine.... Your client will be stitched up like a kipper, which is where we all want him, right?"

There are 4 more postings on this topic on our Member website. For the full topic click to sign up to OUTeverywhere right now.

Enjoy chatting with our members

Imagine joining a social network of people from all around the country and see how you'll feel a year from today. You're increasing your circle of friends. You're doing more of the stuff you enjoy. You're having a great time meeting new people in your area. You're seeing all the benefits of becoming a member of OUTeverywhere. It still feels great making new friends and every day you're hearing more and more about the stuff that everyone's doing. You're joining in. Now, that was easy, wasn't it?

We make meeting people easy. Click to sign up to OUTeverywhere and get up and do something different!

PLEASE NOTE: Events are listed on this website on behalf of organisers in accordance with the Terms of Membership of OUTeverywhere and only if they have chosen broad publicity when adding their event to the Member Events calendar. As such, events are not necessarily affiliated to or endorsed by OUTeverywhere and may not be organised by the person who has listed the event: the person listing this event may simply be attending an event organised by another person or organisation and may wish to meet other people sharing their interest in the event. The mention or appearance of any person or organisation featured on these pages is not to be taken as any indication of sexual, social or political orientation of such persons or organisations. We cannot guarantee that the information is accurate and recommend that you always seek to contact the organiser directly to confirm full details of any event. Under no circumstances will we be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on, use or misuse of, the information on this website.

Our Vision | Our Team | Privacy Policy | Identity Theft Protection | Terms of Membership

Chat and Meet People

Enter one or two words to tell us something you enjoy:

Or enter a postcode or the name of a place:

Latest Shout OUT

Broadcast to the gay world with our public Shout OUTs service! Post on our member website or from your mobile phone and raise your profile.

Carbon Based Lifeform Wotsit :-) (bazzart) from Around The Corner From A Field Of Cows in Macclesfield in United Kingdom shouts OUT: "What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

Events Calendar

< May 2008 >
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

This Topic's Tags

Members tag topics with key words to help us find similar topics.

Discover GMEET

Add all your web profiles to the new GMEET.com website profiles directory service. Supports Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Bebo, LinkedIn and dozens more. For social and business networking, web personals and online dating.