Accountingweb

As the madness of 2022 draws to a close, Richard Hattersley and Tom Herbert sat down with tax experts Rebecca Cave and Paul Aplin OBE to take stock of what has been a year of drama and upheaval in the accounting world. Touching on everything from chaotic government u-turns to the recent MTD ITSA delay, our panel left no stone unturned in reviewing what has been a tumultuous year. Also, it wouldn't be an end of year special if we didn't chat about some of our favourite articles from this year, as well as looking forward to the year ahead, with our panel discussing their hopes and predictions for 2023. Merry Christmas from AccountingWEB Podcast speakers: Richard Hattersley Tom Herbert Paul Aplin OBE Rebecca Cave Editor: Will Cole

On this episode of No Accounting for Taste the AWEB team were centre stage on the second day of the AccountingWEB Live Expo. Joining them were AWEB Live stalwarts Glenn Martin and Makbul Patel to discuss some of the major themes that had cropped up over the past two days.  Touching on everything fromm the spectre of MTD rumours hanging over the event, to the increasing frustrations around the late payments crisis, our panellists are on hand to give you the lowdown on what accountants were resonating with at our whirlwind event. And of course, it wouldn't be an AWEB Live Expo without a check-in on our panellists' swag hauls!

Proposing a raft of tax increases and spending cuts. It seems as though rookie Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is drawing a line under the radical policies of his predecessor in favour of 'steadying the ship'. Yet, as the country dives headfirst into yet another recession and continues to reel from an ever-growing cost of living crisis, will Hunt's ship steadying be able to navigate the economic icebergs that lie ahead? Joining the AWEB team to discuss this year's Autumn Statement is friend of the pod Dan Heelan of Heelan Associates and Beth Steer head of Content at PracticeWeb. Podcast Panel - Richard Hattersley - Tom Herbert - John Stokdyk - Dan Heelan - Beth Steer

Looming over this week's episode of No Accounting for Taste was the news of the biggest hike in interest rates in 30 years, leaving the current figure at 3%. In light of this news, the AccountingWEB team discuss the ramifications of the BOE's decision. Also on the podcast this week, the team is joined by Jason Croke to dissect Uber's recent £615m VAT payout to HMRC and ask 'what happened to the rest'? Finally, Richard, Tom and John look on to the government's much-anticipated Autumn Statement and make their predictions as to what Sunak and Hunt have in store for the UK. Podcast panel: - Richard Hattersley - Tom Herbert - John Stokdyk - Jason Croke Producer/editor - Will Cole

AccountingWEB's technology editor Tom Herbert spoke with Sage CTO Aaron Harris and Sage Intacct product VP Dan Miller to discuss announcements made at the company's annual Transform event and Sage's plans for the future. Prior to Intacct being bought by Sage in 2017, this conference was the cloud midmarket vendor's annual showpiece and is now used by Sage to highlight new features and innovations across its platform - but still with an emphasis on Intacct, as it’s a huge part of the company’s growth plans. There were plenty of announcements made at the show, including increased investment in the Intacct product, enhanced integration with Microsoft tools and news that Sage has acquired carbon accounting solution Spherics. To cover these and Sage’s plans for the future I spoke with two of the company’s senior executives, Sage chief technology officer Aaron Harris and Sage Intacct’s vice president of product management Dan Miller. To read the stories discussed in this podcast go to: https://www.accountingwe

In today's podcast, the AccountingWEB team discuss the abject chaos plaguing the tory party, as well as being joined by friend of the pod Nick Levine to discuss Deloitte's recent sale of their cloud bookkeeping unit Propel. In what has been a catastrophic tenure at the helm, with Truss' goverment has being forced into multiple U-turns, the AccountingWEB gang ask the question what happens from here?  Also on the podcast this week, Nick Levine joins us to discuss Deloitte's recent sale of Propel to Jeffreys Henry Group and the difficulties Big Four firms are having in the sector. Finally, AccountingWEB's tech editor Tom Herbert gives the lowdown on Sage's MTD solution which included a a tie-up with property specialists Hammock to cater for landlords.

After a dramatic U-turn from the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, AccountingWEB's Richard Hattersley and John Stokdyk discuss Kwarteng's chaotic tenure at number 11. Also on this week's episode, John reveals all after jetting to Sin City to get the scoop at Netsuite's Vegas conference SuiteWorld - it seems that what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas! Finally, we hear from AccountingWEB's tech editor Tom Herbert over in Ireland as he gets the lowdown from Bright Group CEO Kevin McCallum and BTC Software founder Rob Ellis on their recent merger. Podcast speakers: Richard Hattersley, John Stokdyk, Tom Herbert, Rob Ellis, Kevin McCallum Podcast Producer: Will Cole

After finally getting the chance to listen in on a Budget that was only "mini" in name, Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng has revealed a raft of tax-cutting measures in a radical bid to inject some much-needed growth into a flagging British economy. Yet, with investor confidence sliding and the pound plunging to historic lows, will the Chancellor's risky gamble pay off? Now that the dust has settled, Richard Hattersley and Tom Herbert are joined by AccountingWEB veteran Nigel Harris in taking a magnifying glass to the new Chancellor's bumper fiscal package and question what effect this drastic announcement has on the accounting community. - Podcast voices: Richard Hattersley, Tom Herbert & Nigel Harris - Podcast producer: Will Cole

In the wake of the sad news of Queen Elizabeth II's passing, the AccountingWEB team revisit the Accounting Excellence Awards, and recount the story told by this year's Outstanding Contribution winner Paul Aplin. Also this week, the team looks ahead to a potentially tumultuous period for the UK government as we anxiously await news of an emergency budget expected in the coming weeks. Tom Herbert and John Stokdyk also give us the lowdown on the recent Zoho Books conference and tell us how the new kid on the block stacks up against the competition

Alastair Barlow and Lucy Cohen joined the AccountingWEB podcast team to discuss the key trends and innovation coming out of the Accounting Excellence Awards. As the Accounting Excellence finalists nervously await the big awards night on 8 September, on No Accounting for Taste this week we explored how the bleeding edge firms are striving for excellence in the profession and caught up with last year’s outstanding contribution winner.  So, where are the big areas of innovation in the profession? How is tech helping accountants be more efficient? And what are their secrets behind excellence in client service and strong growth?  First, Alastair Barlow, CEO of flinder, the winner of multiple Accounting Excellence awards, chewed over the emerging innovation in client service, people and technology.  Lucy Cohen, the co-founder of Mazuma, then beamed into the virtual pod studio to reflect on the importance of vulnerability, culture and, of course, being awarded the outstanding contribution prize at last year’s Ac

Shetland-based sole practitioner Martin Tegonning beamed into the virtual AccountingWEB podcast booth to discuss the burning issues of the day including MTD ITSA guidance, the Bank of England's predictions of a recession and the recent Supreme Court ruling on holiday pay. Tregonning joined the AccountingWEB team this week to raise concern over the recent Supreme Court ruling that Harpur Trust's holiday pay calculations were unlawful and the impact it's going to have on his clients. The sole practitioner is concerned that the decision has largely flown under the radar of small business clients, who see the verdict as just a typical court case. Tregonning's concern is that he's going to have to come up with a solution and explain a complex case to small businesses and their staff, "[The case shows a] disconnect between the people who make the rules and the reality of running a small business," said Tregonning. Elsewhere, the team rounds up all the latest news from the past seven days, including the lo

Along with local temperatures, last week’s heatwave saw concerns about global warming shoot up. Having campaigned to encourage accountants in the West of England to embed sustainability into their practices, Natalie Binstead-Wey came along to AccountingWEB’s Bristol podcast studio to explain what she’s been doing in this area. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting is no longer the preserve of campaigners and pretentious corporates, interest is growing at every level of the profession. As one practitioner recently reported in Any Answers, they have been approached by clients asking them to undertake ESG-related work. Elsewhere, civil servants have been clearing their shelves ahead of the summer recess. The recent MTD draft guidance was followed last week by draft finance bill clauses and a measure to expand eligibility for the Help to Grow scheme. Both of these stories featured in the podcast discussion, along with the sad tale of a practitioner who was fined £5,000 for faling to meet their

AccountingWEB technology editor Tom Herbert hits the road for this special episode covering Xerocon 2022. It’s been three years since the last event and a lot has changed for Xero and its users. The Kiwi cloud company have enjoyed massive growth and by and large, maintained a positive perception in the accounting profession for a strong core product. But it’s also come in for some criticism for a lack of development, outages and account management issues. Tom spoke with Anna Curzon and Alex von Shirmeister, two of Xero top executives, and had a wander round the venue speaking to Xero accountants to find out their feelings about the show and some of the announcements made - in particular the new sole trader app Xero Go and the Go Cardless Instant Pay partnership.

With the Conservative Party leadership election hotting up, practice owner Carrie Stokes joins the podcast team to discuss whether the UK’s business community value candidates’ tax cut pledges or if stability and clarity win the day. With leadership election fever in the air, there’s been lots of talk about cuts to NI, fuel duty, VAT, corporate tax and many others, fuelled by calls to be bold by business bodies and institutes. To meet the successful candidate’s pledges, another emergency budget may be looming, so the podcast participants discuss whether tax cut plans resonate with businesses battered by the past two years, or whether they would prefer a period of calm. Carrie Stokes, director of Spotlight Accounting in Shropshire, joins stand-in host Tom Herbert and AccountingWEB’s editor at large John Stokdyk to discuss this and plenty more besides. Stokes recently spoke at a roundtable event organised by former home secretary Lord Blunkett to raise the lack of public awareness that the term ‘accountant

The co-founder of Future Cloud has reached new clients and even made strides towards solving the recruitment crisis through social media. Known for her ‘just post it’ style, Francesca records open and truthful videos about the highs and lows of running an accountancy practice. As a relatively new firm, the videos have helped Future Cloud to differentiate itself, gain clients and establish its brand. The success of these videos support the trend that marketing is back in vogue that we’ve seen emerge from the Accounting Excellence Awards Francesca and the AccountingWEB team also round up all the latest news from the past week in the world of accountancy, including a rare break from diplomacy from a group of tax bodies who publicly raised concerns about poor HMRC service levels, and we’ll also get the latest from AccountingWEB’s insight research - this week on Practice management software - and it wouldn’t be No Accounting for Taste if we didn’t also check in on the latest news and reaction on Making Tax Dig

Given the blizzard of other priorities faced by the profession in recent years, workflow hasn’t always been the most burning topic for accountants in practice. However, a host of factors are combining to push it up practice agendas, including (you guessed it) the UK government’s Making Tax Digital drive requiring multiple client checkpoints each year. Other, more subtle, factors include the creeping commoditisation of lower-end compliance work, new rules around anti-money laundering and the increasing digitisation of accountants’ client base. But how should practice owners and managers approach the task of re-engineering their practice workflow? And what tools are out there to help? To discuss the Christmas past, present and future of practice workflow, AccountingWEB technology editor Tom Herbert was joined by Aaron Patrick, head of accounting at Boffix, and AccountingWEB editor at large John Stokdyk. To listen to the full No Accounting for Tech podcast, click play or subscribe to the podcast on your playe

As an LGBT+ accountant, the managing director of Steele Financial has suffered discrimination throughout his career. So he created a firm where no one was judged for who they are. As his firm has grown so has his confidence. But while the profession has made great strides, change across wider society is still slow and gradual. Ben talks about ways firms can be more inclusive and how focusing on your culture can help firms beat the recruitment crunch. Also on the show this week we look back at a week in accountancy that saw HMRC announce the expansion of its MTD ITSA pilot. The team finds out whether Ben will be encouraging clients to join the pilot. The team also discusses the week’s other top stories, including the accounting vendors battling for the dominant share of the market and accountants losing their mojo. Ben shares a few tips on how he deals with the feeling of overwhelm when running his practice. Show notes - Feeling deflated? Here's how to get your mojo back - Accounting platforms gear u

With mental health awareness month drawing to a close, the No Accounting for Taste team chat with wellbeing champion Shona Barker on the importance for firms to take mental health seriously. With her background in offering superb mentorship and support to junior staff during her tenure in the industry, Barker offers listeners some keen insights into creating a welcoming and supportive environment throughout a practice. Also on the docket are this week's top stories, with automation, windfall taxes and a rogue tax agent causing havoc for clients dominating the AccountingWEB headlines.

With recent hacks on high-profile accounting firms making headlines and the current geopolitical instability fuelling a rise in cybercrime, it’s perhaps inevitable that robust cybersecurity protection is creeping up firms’ agendas. Any disruption to practice operations is hugely damaging to business – both reputationally and financially - so it’s vital for firms to take steps to protect themselves against the rising tide of cyberattacks. Leading ethical hacker and head of cyber services for Falanx Cyber Rob Shapland works with SMEs and a number of accounting firms to bolster their cyber defences against the rising tide of cybercriminals targeting the accounting profession. In the latest episode of the No Accounting for Tech podcast, Shapland tells AccountingWEB technology editor Tom Herbert that he believes the accountancy sector has a major ‘cyber blind spot’ that is leaving it vulnerable to exponential losses. He also provides a few pointers for firms to bolster their defences, based on his experience co

In this weeks episode, host Richard Hattersley is joined by fellow AccountingWEB editors Tom Herbert and John Stokdyk as they talk workflow success with efficiency guru, Sidgrove's David Sellick. Talking us through his tactics, Sellick gives our panel the lowdown on how to increase efficiency and offers some helpful thoughts on eliminating workflow woes. Our panel also discusses AccountingWEB's top three stories of the week and looks to pick apart the controversial situation KPMG finds themselves in as they face further fines due to their gross mishandling of their Carillion accounts. Show notes: - Sage adds Futrli to growing cloud collection - KPMG to be fined £14m over falsifying Carillion documents - Cloud suites are here, just as the goalposts move