With Christmas and New Year fast approaching, the AccountingWEB team reunites for their final podcast of 2024, reflecting on the year’s biggest stories.

They kick off with the 20-year Post Office scandal, which gained renewed attention in 2024 after the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. The team discusses ongoing lessons and why it’s important to keep this issue in focus.

Next, they tackle HMRC’s pattern of U-turns, including this year’s reversals on double cab pickups and helpline cuts, sharing what these shifts reveal about HMRC’s direction.

The conversation turns to major anti-money laundering (AML) failures, such as Metro Bank’s £16.7m fine and the accountant who faked being an auditor for 34 years. The team questions why AML continues to be an issue and whether things will change.

General election highlights and two budgets – Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget and Rachel Reeves’s inaugural Autumn Budget – also feature, with their impact being examined.

Finally, Richard Hattersley and Tom Herbert share bold predictions for 2025, exploring where the accounting profession might head in the coming year.

In a podcast rounding up 2024 in accounting tech, Tom Herbert, Billie Mcloughlin and Ryan Pearcy discuss the emergence of AI assistants in accounting tech, what the latest round of software consolidation means for accountants, and whether switching bonuses are potentially misaligned with the profession’s ethical standards. For links to all stories featured in the pod, visit https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/tech/tech-pulse/ai-assistants-acquisitions-and-switching-bonuses-2024-in-accounting-tech

Special guest Thomas Adcock, a tax partner at Gravita joins this week's podcast to shed light on the recent protests from farmers. Last week, tractors drove through Westminster to protest the changes announced in the Budget. Adcock discusses the changes that have impacted the farming sector, what farmers can do and whether there is a better route for them.

With the government deciding to create an AI-powered chatbot, Tom Herbert fills us in on the details, where it can be found, what it does and his general thoughts after trying it out.

Finally, Richard Hattersley speaks about his chat with Alastair Barlow and Paul Layte, founders of flinder and Next Level Business. They have announced plans to merge and target the outsourced finance director sector. The team questions how firms have embraced virtual finance services, how technology will play an important role and where this craze will go.

Kicking off the podcast is news that TaxCalc has landed a major investment from private equity firm Symphony Technology Group (STG). Tom Herbert discusses TaxCalc’s history, what we know about STG, what’s next for TaxCalc and the state of the accounting software market.

Richard Hattersley shares tales from his time at the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) Summit. He tells all about how the event was, some of the big headlines like MTD, its focus on the future and what this means for bookkeeping.

Lastly, Matthew Ord reveals some anti-money laundering (AML) woes, specifically Metro Bank which has been hit with a £16.7m fine for failing to monitor potential AML activities. The team questions why companies are still not using the right processes and procedures.

On this week’s No Accounting for Taste, it’s all things Budget. We are joined by Sophie Hossack, head of partnerships at Allica Bank and Dan Heelan, director of Heelan Associates to break down and digest Rachel Reeves’s first Budget.

The panel shares their general thoughts on the Budget, the main tax changes, measures hidden within the Red Book and what impact these will have.

The trio start by looking back at the Accounting Excellence Awards 2024 after a successful night at the Roundhouse in London, where the most ambitious firms and individuals in the profession were celebrated.

With the Budget less than two weeks away, Richard Hattersley examines the rumours and speculation surrounding what Rachel Reeves may announce on the big day. Will we get an increase in employers’ national insurance? And if we did, might that break Labour’s manifesto pledge?

Tom Herbert pulls back the curtain on The Payroll Site announcing its plans to close in 2025. An influx of legislation has made the payroll software market increasingly complex and demanding, while a whole host of competitors have also moved into the cloud payroll space in the intervening years.

Is the role of the CFO evolving? Matthew Ord does a deepdive into what the position may look like in the months ahead, why that shift is well underway and what the challenges could be.

The government has launched a consultation on electronic invoicing to help improve productivity, reduce fraud and close the tax gap for businesses. Tom Herbert explains e-invoicing, what’s been announced and the next steps.

Richard Hattersley looks into the Administrative Burdens Advisory Board (ABAB) survey results which revealed further criticisms around Making Tax Digital for income tax and HMRC’s customer service. The team discusses what’s been said and whether this survey will make a difference.

Looking into another set of results, Matthew Ord shares the The Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS) report into AML supervision. The report said they had not seen any material improvement in supervisors’ effectiveness in the core areas of supervision. Matthew Ord questions what needs to be done.

Tom Herbert’s busy schedule has taken him to NetSuite’s SuiteWorld in Las Vegas and Accountex North in Manchester. He talks about how they were, any similarities or differences and the big topics from the show floor.

After a couple weeks off interrailing, Richard Hattersley returns to the podcast with some insights on dealing with unscheduled work calls on holiday. The team shares their thoughts on whether people should stop ringing unannounced and the importance of setting boundaries.

Lastly, Matthew Ord discusses a report from the ACCA and Chartered Accountants ANZ, in association with PwC about why chief financial officers only have five years to adapt to rapidly changing demands or face becoming obsolete. They look at what this means for finance teams and what needs changing.

This week’s podcast brings together four cloud accounting commentators to discuss the evolving role of technology in accounting, the varying adoption rates of cloud solutions, and the future of artificial intelligence in the industry. Recorded on location at Oracle NetSuite’s SuiteWorld conference in Las Vegas, AccountingWEB technology editor Tom Herbert was joined by American duo Blake Oliver and David Leary from The Accounting Podcast and Australia’s Heather Smith from the Accounting Apps Podcast,

This week AccountingWEB is joined by Bradley Channer, CFO at UBIO and CIMA council member. Channer talks about how the managing director of Mineral Resources wanted to hold his staff captive all day, not wanting them to leave even for a coffee. The team shares their opinion, emphasising why workplaces need to be attractive for employees and what accounting can learn from this.

Tom Herbert speaks about carbon accounting software, explaining what it is, why accountants should care and what kind of software is available.

And finally, with the government proposing to hike windfall taxes from 75% to 78% and the industry raising their concerns, Matthew Ord questions whether the government will listen.