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In this episode of The Tax Professionals Podcast, host Jack Bonehill joined MTD Therapy, a community for accountants and tax advisors, for an unfiltered discussion — sometimes full-on ranting — about the latest UK Budget.

Around the ranting, you’ll hear clear explanations of the key Budget announcements and expert insights into them.

Episode show notes

The Tax Lab: free webinars to improve your tax skills. Real scenarios, tackled live.  

MTD Therapy

Timings

• [00:01:49] First rant
• [00:08:07] Start of technical discussions on the announcements
• [00:14:22] Pension Salary Sacrifice Changes
• [00:20:17] Electric cars
• [00:25:56] Writing Down Allowances (WDAs)
• [00:29:25] Employee benefits/expenses tax changes
• [00:36:45] Working from home expenses
• [00:39:21] Tax industry - positive or negative direction?
• [00:41:27] Regular payments throughout the year for self assessment
• [00:45:18] MTD

Guests

• Robyn Milstead, Director of Tax at LKA Chartered Accountants & Director of Accountants Therapy
• Tom Bickle, Director of JP Blackmoor & Director of Accountants Therapy
• Emma Rawson, Director of Public Policy, Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT)

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Your advice is probably full of unnecessary tax jargon without you even realising it. However, you can use simpler language without losing meaning — and your advice will be much better for it. In this episode, host Jack Bonehill identifies the overly complex wording in a real piece of tax advice and shows how the same points can be written in plain English that clients actually understand and will love you for.

Episode show notes

The Tax Lab: free webinars to improve your tax skills. Real scenarios, tackled live.  

The Tax Advice Masterclass: teaching you a repeatable method to write high-quality tax advice with confidence and less self-doubt.

Timings

 00:14 – Intro: turning complex tax language into plain English that clients love.
 01:11 – Client scenario: husband-and-wife partnership selling business units.
 03:15 – Simplifying “income tax implications.”
 06:13 – Simplifying “capital disposal” and removing jargon.
 10:18 – Explaining rollover relief in plain English.
 13:17 – Breaking down business asset disposal relief (BADR) simply.
 15:45 – Using examples and numbers to make advice tangible.
 

Similar episodes:

TTPP124: Two Questions That Make Your Tax Advice Instantly Better in Your Clients’ Eyes

TTPP83: Improve Your Tax Advice Skills – Stories and Tips of 2 Tax Professionals

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You might be giving technically perfect tax advice — but if it’s too long or too complicated, it won’t land well with clients.

In this episode, Jack Bonehill shares a real story where two simple questions helped turn a colleague’s advice from technical to client-friendly. You can use these questions to instantly make your advice clearer, shorter, and more valuable from a client’s perspective.

If you want to deliver better advice that clients truly value — this episode is for you.

Show notes: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/TTPP124

The Tax Lab (real scenarios, tackled live:  https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/thetaxlab/

Masterclasses for tax professionals: https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/masterclasses/

Timings

• [00:00:25] Story: reviewing a colleague’s draft of tax advice and simplifying it with two simple questions
• [00:02:13] Example: how we tend to overcomplicate advice with unnecessary detail
• [00:03:34] Why cutting complexity throughout a report makes advice stronger overall
• [00:04:38] How to make your advice more client-friendly
• [00:06:22] A two-step method — draft first, refine later using the two key questions
• [00:07:41] Exercise: how to apply the two questions in your next piece of advice
• [00:09:29] Upcoming sessions and future topics in The Tax Lab

The Tax Lab

Sharpen your skills as a tax advisor by seeing exactly how I think and approach real scenarios that we encounter as tax professionals, with The Tax Lab.

The Tax Lab gives you a glimpse inside my mind — my thoughts and my approach — as I tackle real scenarios live, so you can refine your own way of working.

Sessions of The Tax Lab are free to attend. Sign up so I can invite you to all future sessions.

Sign up here

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Claritas Tax started in 2012 as a one-person venture. Today, it’s a 100-strong firm with eight offices across the UK. In this episode, Iain Wright, founder of Claritas, shares the journey from leaving a safe career path to building arguably the UK’s fastest-growing specialist tax firm.

We talk about the first business plan, the earliest hires, how Claritas scaled, the challenges of competing without a big brand, and the trust it takes to let go of work in order to grow. 

Show notes: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/TTPP123

The Tax Lab (real scenarios, tackled live:  https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/thetaxlab/

Timings

• (1:00) Intro to Iain, Claritas Tax, and time-based billing story
• (8:00) Iain's options immediately before starting Claritas Tax, back in 2012, and his thought process
• (11:00) The business plan Iain drew up prior to starting Claritas - the plan and vision
• (13:40) The first hire - was it senior or junior?
• (18:02) How did Iain scale the business to 100 employees?
• (22:52) What challenges did the business run into as it started to get bigger (past 11 or so staff)
• (26:29) How Claritas solved the "lack of brand" awareness problem/challenge
• (29:24) The differences between running a small firm and a larger one
• (32:33) What's Iain's role like now?
• (36:03) The importance of trust
• (38:57) Stand out lessons to Iain from his journey - what he wished he knew when he started
• (41:01) What's been the hardest part of the journey for Iain?

The Tax Lab

Sharpen your skills as a tax advisor by seeing exactly how I think and approach real scenarios that we encounter as tax professionals, with The Tax Lab.

The Tax Lab gives you a glimpse inside my mind — my thoughts and my approach — as I tackle real scenarios live, so you can refine your own way of working.

Sessions of The Tax Lab are free to attend. Sign up so I can invite you to all future sessions.

Sign up here

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Want to get better at tax research? In this episode, I share my five-step process to always get to the answer — and show you how it worked in a tricky but real client case so you can start using it yourself.  

Tax Research Masterclass:

Go to thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/trm for details and to enrol.

Show notes:

https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/ttpp122/

Timings

[00:00] Introduction — why tax research feels overwhelming

[00:00:22] My 5-step process in action: real-life client story

[00:07:34] My 5-step tax research process explained

[00:08:31] Deep dive into each of the five steps

[00:10:47] Typical challenges tax professionals face during tax research

[00:13:30] Exercise: try the 5-step process yourself

[00:13:59] How the Tax Research Masterclass would help you

Resources

TTPP60: Improving Your Tax Research Skills - Stories and Tips of 3 Tax Professionals

Croner-I's Online Tax Research Platform: Free Trial

Subscribe

https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/subscribe/

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From this episode, learn what a Tax Editor does and hear advice on how to become one. Andrew Rainford – Tax Editor at Lefebvre for over ten years, shares what he enjoys, the challenges, and the different types of tax-editing roles that exist. Take a listen if you’re interested in hearing about different tax roles or have a specific interest in editing. 

Show notes: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/TTPP121

Subscribe: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/subscribe

Tax skills courses: https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/masterclasses/

Take control of your career progression free course: https://documents.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/freecourse

Timings

• Overview of Andrew’s tax career – from auditor to tax editor
• (7:45) What does the role of a Tax Editor look like? What do they do?
• (14:30) Different types of Tax Editor roles - examples 
• (15:30) Story where editing has not gone smoothly
• (21:30) What Andrew enjoys most about being a Tax Editor
• (24:45) What Andrew finds challenging about being a Tax Editor
• (27:30) How Andrew keeps up to date on technical, not being in practice
• (28:30) How Tax Editing Roles can vary (difference between content editor and commissioning editor)
• (31:30) What type of businesses can you work for as a Tax Editor?
• (32:45 ) Andrew's advice if you're interested in becoming a Tax Editor

Resources

Info on training courses for tax professionals/teams, on tax skills and other skills valuable for working in tax

GeniA-L Tax Research Tool – Details and Demo

Masterclasses for tax professionals: https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/masterclasses/ 

Recommended podcast episodes:

• TTPP113: Exceptional Tax Technical Skills: Key Benefits and Why You Should Develop Yours
• TTPP119: From In-House Tax Apprentice to Manager: How To Succeed with an Unconventional Tax Career with Chloe Radcliffe-Scott
• TTPP118: How She Reinvented Herself, Her Tax Career and Created Amazing Team Culture with Sehjal Gupta [Tax Career Success Secrets Series]

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AI tools for tax research: the role they can play, how to use them well, and the safeguards to avoid getting things wrong and manage risk – this is what’s covered by this episode. AI can help save time, make our lives easier, and make tasks less frustrating as part of the research process. We are joined by Tony Court, who has worked in tax for over 40 years, and who has been testing and helping refine a tax-research AI tool. From his experience, he has learn a few tricks along the way about how to use them better. He shares them in this episode.

Show notes: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/TTPP120

Subscribe: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/subscribe

Take control of your career progression free course: https://documents.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/freecourse

Masterclasses for tax professionals: https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/masterclasses/ 

Timings

• Intro to Tony and his tax career
• (8:15) How Tony has been involved in the creation of an AI tool for tax research
• (19:00) The role of AI in tax research and advice for using it well
• (29:15) Precautions and safeguards for using AI in tax research
• (41:00) Can you use general AI tools like Chat GPT in tax research?
• (45:30) Tony’s recommendation on the back of this episode

Resources

Info on training courses for tax professionals/teams, on tax skills and other skills valuable for working in tax

GeniA-L Tax Research Tool – Details and Demo

Masterclasses for tax professionals: https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/masterclasses/ 

Recommended podcast episodes:

• TTPP119: From In-House Tax Apprentice to Manager: How To Succeed with an Unconventional Tax Career with Chloe Radcliffe-Scott
• TTPP118: How She Reinvented Herself, Her Tax Career and Created Amazing Team Culture with Sehjal Gupta [Tax Career Success Secrets Series]
• TTPP113: Exceptional Tax Technical Skills: Key Benefits and Why You Should Develop Yours

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Chloe Radcliffe-Scott has made a success of her squiggly tax career to date, despite living with a long-term health condition, Crohn’s. She started off as an in-house tax apprentice, before moving to accountancy practices, back to in-house and then also swapping specialism from corporation tax to employment taxes! You don’t need a traditional, linear path to have success, and Chloe shares her story which proves that along with her associated career advice.

Show notes: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/TTPP119

Subscribe: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/subscribe

Take control of your career progression free course: https://documents.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/freecourse

You’ll Learn

• Overview of Chloe and her career
• (6:00) Being first in-house tax apprentice in the North
• (7:45) Did Chloe know she wanted to work in tax? Did she know the difference between in-house and in-practice?
• (11:15) What happened when Chloe decided to move from her in-house tax role, when she had only worked in-house but wanted a practice role
• (14:30) How Chloe quickly progressed from tax apprentice to group tax accountant in 4 years
• (21:15) Setting out clear expectations for promotion
• (24:00) The difficulities Chloe had when moving from her in house role at Drax to EY. Her experience and how she solved the problem
• (29:45) Why Chloe decided to move to an accountancy firm instead of another in-house role
• (35:00) What she didn't like about her tax roles in accountancy firm
• (39:00) Trying out a tax advisory role in an accounting firm and what she didn't like about accounting firm roles and why she preferred in house
• (46:30) KPIs driving bad behaviour
• (48:00) You might be suited to some tax roles but not others
• (50:00) Does Chloe regret trying out accountancy firm tax roles?
• (51:15) Why Chloe decided to change tax specialism
• (55:00) How did Chloe convince Balfour Beatty to employ her as an in-house Employment Tax Manager when by trade she was a Corporation Tax specialist?
• (57:15) The Secret to Chloe's Tax Career Success Despite it Being Squiggly and her advice for anyone considering a non conventional/linear tax career

Resources

Masterclasses designed for tax professionals to help you master vital career skills:

• Tax Research Masterclass – teaching you how to find the answer to even the most complex tax queries, with the least pain possible.
• Tax Advice Masterclass – teaching you how to provide high-quality tax advice that your clients appreciate and value.

Take a look and enrol, here. Or email me [email protected] and we can have a chat.

Register for a free 1-month trial for Croner-I’s tax guidance/resources

Book a call with ProTax Recruitment to talk about anything related to your tax career: http://thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/bookprotax

Send us a text

This episode is mainly a slice of my story – from childhood, to tax, to side hustle – and I thought you might find this insight interesting, learn a few tips along the way, particularly around winning tax work, business development (BD) and hear what I’ve learnt from the podcast that has helped me with my tax career and may help you with yours too. The episode is from me being interviewed by Craig McKeller, for The Professional Speaks podcast, and he kindly agreed for me to share it on my podcast, too!

Show notes: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/TTPP117

Masterclasses for tax professionals: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/masterclasses

Subscribe: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/subscribe

Take control of your career progression free course: https://documents.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/freecourse

You’ll Learn

• A bit about me (Jack) and my background
• (11:45) How did I get into the tax world?
• (15:30) My approach to winning tax work
• (22:30) How did I monetise the podcast?
• (28:45 & 41:00) What I’ve learnt from running a podcast and a training business that’s helped me as a tax director
• (34:00) A bit about me winning Tolley’s Taxation’s Rising Star
• (36:45) My goals for the next 12 months

Resources

Masterclasses designed for tax professionals to help you master vital career skills:

• Tax Research Masterclass – teaching you how to find the answer to even the most complex tax queries, with the least pain possible.
• Tax Advice Masterclass – teaching you how to provide high-quality tax advice that your clients appreciate and value.

Take a look and enrol, here.

Register for a free 1-month trial for Croner-I’s tax guidance/resources

Send us a text

Sehjal’s divorce supercharged her tax career, going from tax consultant to director in three years. Hear her story, how she did it, how she’s created a team with a culture where people don’t leave, and her advice if you want to be successful in your own tax career.

Show notes: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/TTPP118

Subscribe: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/subscribe

Take control of your career progression free course: https://documents.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/freecourse

You’ll Learn

• Overview of Sehjal’s career
• (9:00) Sehjal’s quick progression after her divorce, including the shift in mindset
• (20:30) Confidence as a woman working in tax 
• (23:30) How Sehjal went from tax consultant to tax directly in three years – what’s her secret?
• (26:30) Sehjal’s strengths which she’s taken advantage of in her career
• (29:30) How Sehjal created a team culture where people don’t leave
• (39:15) Difficulties in Sehjal’s career (overlooked for promotions, bullying, depression, etc)
• (45:00) Promotions and “fitting in the box” for it
• (48:15) Career advice Sehjal would give to her younger self, knowing what she knows now
• (50:30) Sehjal’s number 1 tip if you want success in your tax career

Resources

Masterclasses for tax professionals:

• Tax Research Masterclass – finding the answer to tax questions, using tax legislation and guidance
• Tax Advice Masterclass – how to provide high-quality tax advice that clients value

Register for a free 1-month trial for Croner-I’s tax guidance/resources