It’s episode 100 of the podcast. To celebrate, host Richard Hattersley has invited a couple of familiar voices back to the show to reminisce over some of the big news stories covered on No Accounting for Taste.

Days after the then Chancellor Philip Hammond his Budget in late November 2017, AccountingWEB launched its podcast, No Accounting for Taste. The editorial team crowded around the microphone and dissected what was an underwhelming Budget. At the time, we questioned whether the Budget was really the best way to launch the government’s fiscal policy.

With two different chancellor’s since Hammond and a lot of fiscal policy announcements, it’s safe to say a lot has changed since then. We’ve also had a global pandemic, grappled with SEISS and furlough and seen IR35 eventually roll out in the private sector. On the show this week we welcome back former editor Tom Herbert and former business editor Francois Badenhorst discuss all this and more. 

Richard Hattersley is also joined by AccountingWEB’s tax editor Rebecca Cave to race through the big stories of the past seven days. Again, Making Tax Digital dominates the headlines. This week we heard that the gap between the amount of VAT paid and VAT expected to be paid has increased by £2.3bn during the first year of MTD for VAT. 

Rebecca also summarises the issues emerging from the NIC health hike and the MTD for VAT software codes.

On this episode of No Accounting for Taste, we probe the government’s new health and social care levy, chew over the latest MTD ITSA developments and take a deep dive look at the ‘guilt free’ exit plan of employee ownership.

Chris Maslin, the founder of Maslins tax advisers, steps into the virtual pod booth this week to tell AccountingWEB’s Richard Hattersley and John Stokdyk about his decision to transfer a controlling stake in his firm to an employee ownership trust. 

The pod team also rounds up the big stories of the week, including the unveiling of the new health and social care levy. The PM’s plan is to increase national insurance by 1.25% from April 2022 to stem the post-Covid health and social care crisis. But the accountancy profession has already raised concerns over how this will be a further complication of the tax system. 

And as Making Tax Digital for income tax continues to dominate the headlines, the team looks at the calls to delay the basis period reform and the reasons why some AccountingWEB readers are calling this the “final straw”

Links to the stories discussed on this podcast are available here: https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/content/no-accounting-for-taste-ep99-national-insurance-hike-mtd-itsa-and-employee-ownership

Dan Heelan, director at Heelan Associates, joins No Accounting for Taste to discuss his post-pandemic plans and the latest news from the week, including the calls to delay the mandation of MTD ITSA.

As firms contemplate downsizing office space to accommodate hybrid working, Heelan steps into the virtual pod booth to explain to hosts Richard Hattersley and John Stokdyk why he’s upgraded his office.

Communication tools have made client contact easier throughout lockdowns and continues to ensure teams stay connected, but the need for face-to-face contact remains.

It’s not just for client experience but newer team members can easily learn through osmosis when working in a physical office with their colleagues.

Heelan’s office upgrade is also a result of growth. But this comes with other challenges such as recruitment and getting the right people.

Dan and the AccountingWEB editorial team also chew over the biggest stories of the week, including:

- The on-field and off-field management techniques accountants can learn from the summer of sport

- A £200,000 tax bill handed to a taxpayer that kept an extraordinary lack of records over 16 years

- Calls from leading tax and accountancy bodies to reconsider the timetable for the change in basis periods to the tax year basis, and the mandation of MTD ITSA

Read the stories on www.AccountingWEB.co.uk

In August 2021, Kirsty McGregor, founder of the Corporate Finance Network and informal “accountant in residence” at online finance platform Capitalise.com joined AccountingWEB editor in chief and accountant Keir Warwick from Bulley Davey to discuss the client need for finance and advice in the aftermath of the pandemic and the ins and outs of providing an effective capital advisory service.

For more information on this topic, visit:

https://capitalise.com/capital-advisory#

On the podcast this week we’re discussing the latest Making Tax Digital news, a big fine for KPMG, an embarrassing IR35 error for government departments and later in the show we explore growth - more specifically, why it’s OK now and again to close the door on accepting new clients.

Beth Jackson, the co-founder of 2 Sisters Accounting and 2020 Accounting Excellence finalist, joins the AccountingWEB editorial team this week to discuss her decision to pull the shutters down on new clients. 

Jackson paused the firm’s growth plans while her business partner took a couple months off on maternity leave. She realised that the only way the firm could continue to deliver a good level of service to its existing clients was to stop bringing on new ones. 

Jackson is not alone in taking this measure; accountancy firms across the UK have grappled with the growth paradox since the lockdown restrictions kicked in and small businesses turned to accountants en masse for extra support. But firms have quickly realised that an expanded client base risks diluting service levels. 

This decision was even more difficult for Jackson as talking to new clients is one of her favourite parts of the job. That's not to say there hasn’t been some upshots - the velvet rope approach to growth has only added to the growing waitlist. 

She also joins the team to race through the biggest stories of the week, including:

- A £13m fine for KPMG after it fixed the pre-pack sale of mattress retailer Silentnight to a private equity business it was also advising and dumping pension scheme liabilities

- An accelerated MTD for income tax start date for some self-employed taxpayers following the news of a big bang mandation in April 2023

- An embarrassing IR35 error for the home office and the DWP after it came to light that the government departments owed millions in back taxes for inaccurate application of the rules.

Read the articles in full on AccountingWEB.co.uk.

Host Richard Hattersley welcomes AccountingWEB's John Stokdyk and Maddy Christopher to No Accounting for Taste pod booth to cover the latest news and trends from the profession.

On the show this week the team explores the virtual finance director (VFD) trend which is sweeping the profession and has become a core offering at Lime Advisory, the firm of this week's resident accountant Jamie William.

He has seen the take up of these services increase over the past 18 months as clients have leaned on his firm for cashflow forecasts and Covid loan assistance. Jamie also reveals key ingredients of his firm’s VFD techstack and how he thinks the trend will evolve.

The team also rounds up the big news from the past week. The big news was the abolition of basis periods in 2022. The news was met with exasperation on AccountingWEB. We discuss the effect this will have on accountants and the implementation of Making Tax Digital.

This past week also saw Xero’s Gary Turner announce his departure from operational duties at the cloud accounting software. AccountingWEB’s John Stokdyk reflects on Gary’s legacy and how these cloud titans have shaped the way accounting firms now operate.

Meanwhile, the team highlights the increasing number of firms having had a post-Covid client clear out. Clearing out clients is something accountants tend to do (or need to do) in the first weeks of February after the stress of January, but it feels as if these past 18 months have made that decision easier for some accountants. But is this always the right approach?

To read the articles discussed, visit www.accountingweb.co.uk

On this week’s show the AccountingWEB pod team finds out how veganism became the recipe for success for one accountant, in addition to reviewing the biggest stories of the week.

Keith Lesser, the managing director of Lesser and Co, joins the AccountingWEB regulars Richard Hattersley and John Stokdyk to talk about his latest venture - Vegan Accountants. A vegan himself, Keith took his firm down the niche route after the IR35 reforms ate into his client base. 

Keith explains why it’s important to see this niche as a mission, the biggest challenges for this client base and how he’s stitched the values of his niche into his firm’s infrastructure. 

Keith also shares with the AccountingWEB team his thoughts and opinions on the big stories from the past week in the profession. 

These stories include the pesky new turnover test which may trip up claimants of the fifth SEISS grant, more on the furlough scheme as it starts winding down, and whether the toll of the past 18months has forced him to reflect on the way he runs his firm. 

Read all the stories discussed on AccountingWEB.co.uk

On this week’s show the AccountingWEB editorial team reviews the biggest stories from the world of accountancy, including a potential change to the tax year, and find out why firms should focus on culture. 

Albert Goodman partner Sophie Parkhouse joins No Accounting for Taste regulars Richard Hattersley and John Stokdyk to chew over the latest news on this week’s show. 

Sophie is the technical and training partner at the South West based firm and has a particular interest in people and culture. Albert Goodman recently featured in the Best Companies 2021 list across the South West, which recognised the firm’s efforts in personal growth, wellbeing and teamwork. 

As firms gear up for their post-pandemic back to work plans, Sophie explains why culture matters and shares the ingredients of her firm’s employee engagement strategy. 

Also on this week’s show, the team mulls over this week's big stories. Grabbing the headlines include a potential change to the tax year end and the effect this may have on the processes within a firm, two IR35 cases which highlight the importance of control in the decision, and the Supreme Court ruling that Grant Thornton must pay £13.4m over negligent advice - a story that highlights the importance of risk management. 

To read the stories discussed in this week’s show visit accountingweb.co.uk

On this episode of No Accounting for Taste we put the spotlight on Pride month and review the biggest stories this week in accountancy.

To mark Pride month, we’re welcoming Ben Steele back to the podcast to discuss his experience as an LGBT accountant navigating the profession. 

It hasn’t been easy for Steele. Before starting his own practice, Steele Financial, he was subjected to homophobic abuse and mistreatment. The impact of this prejudice even lingered when he first started his firm, and he worried whether clients would be put off by his sexuality. 

Steele shares his story on this episode and discusses whether the profession has changed since he entered the profession. 

He also joins host Richard Hattersley and AccountingWEB’s John Stokdyk and Maddy Christopher to review all the latest news from the world of accountancy.

The big stories this week include news on mandatory professional indemnity insurance and concerns that it will increase premiums, the trial relaunch of HMRC’s agent dedicated helpline and more debate and discussion on Making Tax Digital. 

To read the stories discussed in this week’s show visit accountingweb.co.uk

This week on No Accounting for Taste we find out why you should look beyond education in your recruitment process and review the stories making the headlines this week on AccountingWEB.

Sarah Wynne, the founder of Wynne & Co, visits the virtual pod booth this week to tell the AccountingWEB team about the qualities she looks for in new recruits. 

A self proclaimed educational underachiever, Wynne argues that people who understand people make better accountants than those that have gone through the university route. 

Wynne’s recruitment ethos echoes the findings from AccountingWEB’s recent talent survey which discovered that while firms recognise technical skills, interpersonal skills and attitude are more sought after. 

In addition to putting the spotlight on recruitment, Sarah joins host Richard Hattersley and PracticeWeb’s Mike Crook to review all the latest news from the world of accountancy. 

The big stories this week include HMRC coming under fire for its poor service and the latest chapter in the long running VAT saga of confectionery or cake as supermarket Morrisons loses a £1m VAT case on snack bars. 

If you want to read more on the stories discussed in this episode, visit accountingweb.co.uk.