Displaying 1-20 of 188 results
Economic update: key trends ahead of the Spring Statement
- Article
- 24 Mar 2025
The UK economy endured a poor start to 2025 amid January’s financial market turbulence. ICAEW’s Economies Director Suren Thiru discusses the implications.
Public sector finances disappoint ahead of Spring Statement
- Article
- 24 Mar 2025
The shortfall between receipts and public spending reached £132bn in the 11 months to February – and is potentially on track to hit £150bn by the end of the financial year.
PAC says government flying blind on struggling council finances
- Article
- 19 Mar 2025
As the local audit crisis continues, the Public Accounts Committee warns government accounts are not focused sufficiently on long-term financial risks posed by climate change, rising health spending and geopolitical tensions.
Whole government response essential to local authorities’ financial sustainability
- Article
- 03 Mar 2025
Pressured public services and repeated delays to reform the funding system are contributing to local authorities’ finances becoming unsustainable, National Audit Office (NAO) report warns.
Government considers impact of inheritance tax reforms on trusts
- Article
- 28 Feb 2025
The government is consulting on how its proposed changes to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) will apply to property settled into trust.
New ICAEW Code of Ethics explained: impact of technology
- Article
- 12 Feb 2025
ICAEW is incorporating revisions in its 2025 Code of Ethics introduced by the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants. This article covers those relating to the impact of technology on the profession.
Business tax compliance costs £15bn a year
- Article
- 10 Feb 2025
In its latest report, the National Audit Office (NAO) explores the costs for businesses in meeting their tax obligations and for HMRC in administering the tax system. It reveals UK businesses incur costs of at least £15.4bn each year.
Technical round-up: January 2025
- Article
- 30 Jan 2025
This month’s top stories feature Parliament accusing HMRC of damaging trust in the tax system; a warning to not respond to a fraudulent agent services text message; and more from the How to fix VAT campaign.
NAO guide to aid financial management in government
- Article
- 30 Jan 2025
The latest in a series of best practice guides brings together feedback from experts including ICAEW and highlights the need to spend smarter against a backdrop of tight public funds.
31 January deadline for public sector pension scheme members
- Article
- 28 Jan 2025
ICAEW explains why 31 January 2025 is a key deadline for members of public sector pension schemes disclosing McCloud tax charges and highlights HMRC guidance on completing the 2023/24 tax return where a pension statement is received late.
Protecting public funds: tackling procurement fraud
- Article
- 24 Jan 2025
Valued at trillions of dollars per year, public procurement spending is a magnet for fraud. At a recent ICAEW event, leading experts shared insights on how to combat the problem.
MPs sceptical about Office for Value for Money impact
- Article
- 23 Jan 2025
A lack of resources, a short lifespan and high risk of duplication has left MPs on the Treasury Committee sceptical about the OVfM achieving its objectives.
Charities brace for Economic Crime Act impact
- Article
- 21 Jan 2025
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act has corporate criminal fraud and economic crime in its sights. But the impact on charities is not to be underestimated. We examine the implications.
NAO: rethink on government big tech procurement needed
- Article
- 21 Jan 2025
The government spends £14bn annually on digital programmes, but it must improve how it works with technology suppliers and learn from past mistakes to make the most of its investment, National Audit Office report warns.
How to fix VAT: digitalising the system
- Article
- 19 Dec 2024
Digitalisation of VAT promised great rewards, but initial attempts have faltered as HMRC navigates unexpected complexities in the system and the range of taxpayers it deals with. Despite some success, more work is needed to push the changes through.
Chart of the week: UK public sector pension liabilities
- Article
- 13 Dec 2024
Our chart this week looks at how public sector net pension obligations reduced by £1.2tn from £2.6tn to £1.4tn during the financial year ended 31 March 2023 as a consequence of a sharply rising discount rate.
Leading data-led decision making in local government
- Article
- 05 Dec 2024
Finance professionals are pivotal in ensuring local authority decisions on service delivery are grounded in robust data analysis. CIPFA’s Iain Murray outlines the role of finance teams in ensuring data-led decision-making and the skills required for success.
Public funds fraud cost taxpayers £81bn, NAO says
- Article
- 04 Dec 2024
The National Audit Office outlines the impact of fraud and error on public funds, how public bodies can tackle fraud and error and the NAO’s efforts to reduce the impact of fraud.
Spending watchdog disclaims government’s accounts
- Article
- 03 Dec 2024
For the first time ever, the National Audit Office disclaims the whole of government accounts due to severe backlogs in English local authority audits.
Technical round-up: November 2024
- Article
- 28 Nov 2024
This month’s top stories feature Budget measures you may have missed; a deadline extension for providing agent codes; and data that suggests improvement on HMRC call handling.
Displaying 1-20 of 188 results