The resourceful con artist has now moved to online scams, but old advice still holds, writes Des Peelo. Confidence and a presence are often perceived as necessary for business or personal success. This resonates with me in the context of recognising con artists, better described as fraudsters, whom I have encountered. The most outstanding was an approach from a gentleman, intending to be my client, who lived in a suite in one of the great London hotels. Of indeterminate nationality, his occupation – or the source of his apparent wealth – was not evident. Happily, I withdrew from involvement early in the saga but became aware of subsequent events. A mine of false information This gentleman was promoting an opportunity for investment, which was highly confidential, in newly discovered vast ore resources adjacent to a previously worked-out mine in Ireland. The geological studies and supporting paperwork (all forged) was there. The scam worked for nearly £3 million. British aristocracy and London financiers, amongst others, came on board. Subsequently, this gentleman was arrested in the UK. He was refused bail as the police said they found nine passports in his suite. After one year on remand in a London prison, the charges were inexplicably dropped, though an accomplice and a UK solicitor were subsequently jailed. No monies were recovered. During that year in prison, my almost-client managed to have meals delivered from the hotel, paid monthly in advance. He also started a charismatic movement and a choir. On learning of his imminent release, he called the hotel manager, who reportedly said something like “wonderful news; we will send a car” and he moved back into his suite. That was not the end of the story. Some years later, on watching an investigative programme on UK television, there was my almost-client being named for a stunt involving investors and coffee futures in Central America. This time, still based in London, he allegedly had a prestigious commodities brokerage office in Miami. A load of beeswax Older readers may recall the origin of the description ‘widget’. It was first used in an amusing film, loosely based on a real event in the 1950s, about a Texas con artist launching a widget company on Wall Street. None of the financiers knew what a widget was or wouldn’t admit they didn’t know, but the word was that the oil industry was very excited about it. Hence the contemporary use of the word ‘widget’ when nobody understands the product. The modern equivalent of a widget, on occasion, might be a ‘tech disrupter’. My possible ‘widget’ moment involved another gentleman from London. He arrived in Ireland sporting impressive achievements, connections and qualifications (all bogus), including being a medical doctor. His business card showed an address on the famous medical Harley Street in London (which turned out to be a temporary post-box). Accompanied by a self-described titled lady, he rented a country mansion near Dublin and quickly entertained his way into the bloodstock and racing fraternity. He claimed to be developing a product akin to Viagra, long before it was invented. The connection with Ireland was that the magic ingredient could only be sourced from the blood and urine of top-bred horses. State agencies expressed interest, impressive international names were mentioned as possible directors, suitable sites were inspected, and so on. All that was missing, of course, was the millions necessary to bring it all together. Fortunately, shortly before substantial monies changed hands, a sceptical stud farm owner and the IIRS (then a State scientific agency) analysed a prototype unbeknownst to the bogus doctor. It was largely beeswax. The gentleman concerned managed to depart Ireland in time, leaving large unpaid bills. He was last heard of as being in Lebanon, again something to do with horses. Don’t be fooled The world has now changed for the con artist. The old scams are easily identified with instant access to history, profiles and technical information. However, the resourceful con artist has now moved to online scams. If an investment is too good to be true, it is. This adage has never changed. Des Peelo FCA is the author of The Valuation of Businesses and Shares, which is published by Chartered Accountants Ireland and now in its second edition.

Peter Vale and Christopher Crampton outline some expected changes to international taxation in the coming year. 2020 is set to be a busy year for international tax. For Ireland, it’s a key period. While international tax reform to date has been good for the country, the changes being looked at in 2020 pose challenges.   Global tax changes – Pillars One and Two The outcome of meetings in January are key to the OECD’s plans to reach consensus on both the Pillar One and Pillar Two proposals. While the Department of Finance expects the ultimate outcome to be a reduction in Irish corporate tax receipts by up to €2 billion, it’s a very difficult one to call. Pillar One examines a reallocation of profits to market jurisdictions. While this does impact on our corporate tax base, it should not prove fatal on its own. However, recent pronouncements from the US suggest that getting consensus on the Pillar One changes could be difficult. Pillar Two looks at a global minimum effective tax rate and is, perhaps, of more danger to Ireland. A tax rate of 12.5% was suggested by the French Finance Minister in December. While at first glance this would look positive from an Irish perspective, the devil is in the detail.   The most recent OECD draft proposals look at an allocation of profits to individual countries based on a group’s consolidated financial statements. This could provide a distorted result for groups with large intellectual property (IP) migrations to Ireland, in particular, and potentially lead to an effective tax charge significantly lower than 12.5%.  The early months of the year should provide key signals as to the direction of travel on both Pillars, with the outcome critical to the relative attractiveness of our corporate tax regime in the future. We should not rule out the EU taking matters into its own hands, particularly if reaching a consensus looks like being a protracted affair. Transfer pricing Finance Act 2019 saw the introduction of OECD 2017 guidelines into Irish tax legislation. One of the biggest impacts of the guidelines will be more onerous documentation requirements in 2020 for Irish companies, although many will already be maintaining similar documentation on a group-wide basis. At first glance, this might seem to cause disruption for Irish subsidiaries of US multinationals with significant IP in Ireland. While these groups typically have significant substance here, many of the IP functions are carried out outside Ireland; often in the US. Another key change in Finance Act 2019 was the introduction of transfer pricing for Irish small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). While it is expected that the documentation requirements will be more relaxed for SMEs, the extension of transfer pricing will create further administrative requirements on Irish businesses. On the positive side, the extension of transfer pricing to SMEs is subject to Ministerial Order, which we might see later in 2020. Any transfer pricing requirements will apply from that date or later; they should not be retrospective to 1 January 2020. For businesses within the scope of transfer pricing now, more focus from Revenue in 2020 can be expected.   IP migrations 2020 will see the final year of “double Irish” migrations, with 31 December 2020 marking the end for groups with IP currently housed offshore in Irish incorporated non-resident entities. After that date, those entities become regarded as Irish tax resident. While many groups have already moved their IP onshore (much of it to Ireland), a significant number of groups have yet to do so. Hence, we expect many IP migrations to take place in 2020. When an IP migration takes place, the market value of the IP determines the amount of tax allowances available in Ireland. This number is often large, and so we expect to see Revenue examine these IP valuations closely. Interestingly, when these tax allowances expire then, all other things being equal, a significant increase in Ireland’s corporate tax receipts at some point in the future would be expected. However, a lot could happen in the intervening years! Revenue audit focus Aside from the focuses identified above, we don’t expect significant change in the nature of Revenue audit activity in 2020. We expect Revenue’s focus to remain on PAYE and VAT for SMEs, which tend to be the areas of greatest non-compliance.   On the corporation tax side, we have seen Revenue increasingly look for back-up supporting tax losses carried forward, which can prove challenging where the losses were generated some time ago but are being used presently. Businesses should be aware of this when considering document retention policies. Budget 2021 While Budget 2020 has just passed, it’s worth noting that this Budget was based on a more negative outlook than now appears to be materialising. This could mean we finally see more meaningful movement on our high marginal income tax rates later in the year, or possibly a reduction in capital taxes. Of course, a lot can happen between now and then, including a new government, further global tax changes, and six months of known unknowns! And, that’s all without mentioning Brexit. In summary, another year of significant developments on the international tax front looks likely, with the outcome critical for Ireland. Peter Vale FCA is a Tax Partner at Grant Thornton. Christopher Crampton ACA is an Associate Director at Grant Thornton. Brass Tax -- new year, new tax rules by Leontia Doran Since we’re fast approaching a new tax year in the UK (from 6 April 2020), let’s take a look at what is on the horizon for practitioners. IR35 rules From 1 April 2020, the IR35 rules in the public sector are being extended to the private sector with an exemption from the rules only available to “small” businesses. The IR35 legislation is designed to combat avoidance by individuals who are supplying their services to businesses via an intermediary (such as a company) but who would be an employee if the intermediary wasn’t used. Making Tax Digital From 1 April 2020, the UK will join the ranks of France, Italy, Austria, Turkey and Malaysia when it introduces its own digital services tax.  Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT continues. Some businesses are now able to apply for an extension to meet the digital links requirement once the one-year soft-landing period ends on either 1 April 2020 or 1 October 2020. However, the criteria to do so is strict, as set out in the updated VAT notice.  Corporation tax The rate of corporation tax is also legislated to fall from 19% to 17% from 1 April 2020. However, the Government has stated that it will remain at 19%. As it’s already on the Statute books, legislation will be needed to reverse this.  And therein lies the rub. The next UK Budget isn’t taking place until 11 March, which means the related Finance Act likely won’t be enacted until several months later. Retrospective legislation is never a good thing. Leontia Doran FCA is UK Taxation Specialist at Chartered Accountants Ireland.

As the new UK Government has been formed by the Conservative party with a significant majority, its policies will set the tax agenda for 2020 and the following four years. Claire McGuigan summarises the main proposals. Business taxes In Finance Act 2016, the rate for corporation tax for 2020/21 was set at 17%. As this rate is set in legislation, it is the rate (excluding the UK banking corporation tax surcharge of 8%) that companies must use for their deferred tax calculations. However, during the election campaign, the Conservative party pledged to maintain the rate at 19%. Therefore, once this change is enacted, businesses will need to revisit their deferred tax calculations. The Chancellor is expected to stick to the existing plans to introduce restrictions to payable research and development (R&D) tax credits from April 2020 to reduce the scope for tax avoidance by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, the Conservatives have pledged to increase the value of the R&D expenditure credit (RDEC) for larger companies from 12% to 13% and review the project qualifying criteria to establish if it can be widened to include R&D on cloud computing and data. They also committed to increasing the relief available under the new structures and buildings allowance to 3% a year. Both of these changes are likely to take effect from 1 April 2020. The Conservative party confirmed its commitment to introduce a Digital Services Tax (DST) from April 2020, although it is not clear if there will be enough time to finalise the necessary legislation by then. Also, at the time of writing, the OECD has asked the UK to postpone implementation of this tax to allow for a standard approach to be considered across all countries. During the election campaign, all three main parties promised to review the impact that the IR35/off-payroll labour changes will have on private sector businesses. Given that these changes were longstanding Conservative party policy, it is unlikely that they will be abandoned entirely. However, delaying the changes until 2021 or committing to a ‘post-implementation review’ may feature in the Budget. Similarly, the outcome of the Loan Charge Review is expected. Again, for the Government to abandon this tax enforcement action seems unlikely, but the Chancellor may announce much more flexible payment terms for individuals facing the charge. Finally, for business taxes, the Conservative party manifesto contained a promise not to raise the rate of VAT during the next parliament. Brexit The promise to “get Brexit done” was central to the Conservatives’ election campaign. With a transitional period operating until 1 January 2021, most operational laws and cross-border arrangements will remain in place until that date. During 2020, the new Government will aim to negotiate a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU that will take effect from 1 January 2021. However, some uncertainty will continue: in the election campaign, the Prime Minister promised not to extend the transition period beyond 1 January 2021 so, theoretically, there may still be a ‘no-deal’ Brexit if a trade deal is not agreed. Alternatively, an extension to the transition period may be possible if a post-Brexit deal takes longer to agree. Employer issues Although the Conservative party committed to ending freedom of movement on Brexit day, under the transitional rules, EU citizens would be able to come to the UK to live and work without any formal application process. If those individuals wish to remain in the UK after 31 December 2020, they can apply for “temporary leave to remain” in the UK which, if granted, will allow them to continue living and working in the UK for 36 months from the date it is granted. From 2021 onwards, the Conservatives plan to introduce a points-based immigration system. Despite the national insurance contributions (NIC) changes for individuals, the Conservatives pledged not to increase NIC for employers and, to help small employers, they also plan to increase the NIC employment allowance from £3,000 to £4,000. Employers should prepare for a significant increase in the national minimum wage (NMW) from April 2020. The Conservative party has pledged to increase it in stages to £10.50 over five years – this equates to a 5% increase from April 2020 and each subsequent year of the parliament. Personal taxes During the election campaign, all the main parties proposed changes to capital gains tax, although the Conservative party proposals were the least radical. The Conservative manifesto did pledge to “review and reform” entrepreneurs’ relief (ER). While it is perhaps unlikely that the valuable ER rules will be immediately repealed, there may be some interim changes to the rules announced in the Budget, pending the outcome of a more fundamental review during 2020/21. The Conservatives intend to raise the annual NIC starting threshold for employees to £12,500 over the next parliament, with an immediate increase to £9,500 from April 2020. The rates of NIC will be frozen for the duration of the new parliament. The Prime Minister also made an election commitment not to increase income tax rates during the new parliament. Past political controversy over pension tax relief perhaps influenced politicians not to make specific commitments on the topic during the election campaign. However, because of the impact the annual allowance charge is having on senior NHS clinicians, the Government has already announced temporary measures to ensure that where they take on additional hours, such individuals would not lose out overall. The ‘quick fix’ compensation arrangement announced during the election campaign is unlikely to be sustained for the long-term, and a review of the underlying rule is likely to be announced in the Budget as it can trigger tax charges for many workers in the public sector (and private sector). On tax avoidance, they propose a new package of measures including doubling the maximum prison term to 14 years for individuals convicted of the most serious types of tax fraud and creating a new HMRC Anti-Tax Evasion Unit.   We await the Government’s first budget, scheduled for 11 March 2020, with anticipation. Claire McGuigan is Director, Corporate Tax, at BDO Northern Ireland.

Becoming a partner in the firm is often the goal when accountants go into practice, but it’s not a walk in the park. Jackie Banner outlines four key steps on the road to making partner. Making partner is the end goal for many who go into practice. The status, financial compensation, and endorsement of one’s skills and expertise are all obvious draws to progressing to this level. Then there is the opportunity to effectively become a ‘business owner’ with responsibility and influence over how the firm is run. This latter piece sounds simple in theory but requires the right considerations and capabilities to execute.  We can’t gloss over the technical competency that is required to make it to partner. Possessing exceptional domain knowledge in your chosen area of expertise is fundamental to any move upwards. Eagle-eyed attention to detail and a holistic view of the business as a whole are also required to consider yourself technically sound. With a rapidly changing business landscape, the burden of knowledge is significant, and can lead a potential partner to focus too heavily on the technical side alone.  The most common missteps that senior level accountancy professionals make in the race to partner have to do with the investment in their own leadership ability,  relationship management and ability to think like someone who’s running a business or a profit-and-loss account. Here’s how to tackle these key steps to making partner. Invest in your leadership ability Over the last six decades, leadership scholars have conducted more than a thousand studies to determine the definitive characteristics and personality traits of great leaders. Out of all the research, not one unanimous, best practice leadership archetype has emerged. Prevailing opinions on the best leadership styles are replaced as quickly as the latest iPhone. However, there are some common through lines in many of them that you can draw from. Whether it’s Six Sigma, values-led leadership, contingency theory (which in itself says there is no one ideal leadership style), communication methods, humble leadership or any number of other theories and best practices, be sure to establish a combination of leadership qualities that best align with you as a person and as a leader.  Signalling that you have the right level of ambition necessary is also required. This is demonstrated by how you carry yourself, your communication style, and interactions and relationships with colleagues and clients. Combine these with that aforementioned oft-ignored investment in yourself to build your own definitive leadership style.  Vision and strategy The most common piece of feedback we hear from nomination committees or hiring partners about unsuccessful final interviews is that the candidate lacked vision in their pitch. At this level, technical competency is assumed. You will be speaking to peers who are equally, if not more skilled than you. They want a business leader to sit alongside them; someone with a new perspective that can bring energy and excitement that will contribute to business growth.  Presenting a forward-thinking, clear vision that will grow not only your business unit but add to the company is perhaps the most valuable thing you can do to be perceived as someone ready to make partner. In practical terms, that vision should translate to an actionable business plan.  When preparing, think strategically about how you’re going to generate earnings, develop a client pipeline, and hit the figures that justify your being chosen as an equity partner. A partner needs to ascertain what those expected figures are for the firm with which they are interviewing. This means crafting a realistic three-year plan to grow revenues at a level that a partner needs to be commercially viable, which is firm dependent.  Relationship management We all need a sounding board to bounce ideas off of or to go to for advice. Therefore, your network and your professional relationships should be a priority on the road to partner. Partners, no matter what age or level of seniority, should have a mentor.  As Chris Outram discusses in his book, Making Strategy Work, you need ‘co-conspirators’ on whom you rely to give their support when it comes to internal decisions and information-sharing across business units. This extends to stakeholder management both inside and outside your firm.   Putting it all together In an increasingly “what have you done for me lately?” world, contextualising the human side of the job is key. Trust your team to deliver while driving them towards a coherent vision by demonstrating effective leadership and building a sustainable pipeline of business.  Sounds easy when you put it on paper, right? There is no doubt it is a huge challenge to make the leap but having a clear idea of what is required and how it should be presented is the first step on the road to partner.    Top tips on the road to partner 1. Have a plan – Set targets and milestones for yourself to track your progress and professional development. Decide what you want out of your career and then work towards achieving it.    2. Invest in upskilling – Find opportunities to develop your technical and soft skills. Invest in as many areas as are available to you.     3. Specialise your skill set – Practice experience is broad and often provides exposure to a wide range of skills and experience, which is great. However, drill down and become a subject matter expert where possible. Be the go-to person in your network for a particular subspecialty.   4. Be flexible – In any business, targets move, circumstances in your or your clients’ business can change quickly. When unexpected events arise or a strategy or project scope moves, always think of yourself as a support for change and not a barrier.   5. Say “yes” – There will always be an element of a job or a particular client you’d rather steer clear from, but don’t. Always say “yes” when asked to take on something new or different.   6. Define your client portfolio and market opportunity – The more distinct your client portfolio is from your peers or your partners, the more likely you are to become a destination for referrals, hold client relationships, and see significant fee income potential in line with expectations for equity partner level.   7. Find a mentor – Find a peer who you admire and who has made choices you respect. Someone who is willing to be your sounding board and provide advice on how to achieve what you want in your career.  Jackie Banner leads Practice Recruitment for Azon Recruitment Group.

Brian Keegan considers the poignant parallel between Brexit and New Zealand in the 1970s. "Earthquake? Best thing that ever happened to us.” This isn’t the best response to the damage done to the city of Christchurch in New Zealand in the wake of the terrible earthquake in 2011. My man had the grace to acknowledge as much after he remembered the appalling loss of life and limb from this particular natural disaster. Nevertheless, as someone who was deeply involved in the New Zealand construction industry, he was all too happy to see the opportunities created by the devastation. It isn’t the first time that New Zealanders suffered due to powerful circumstances outside their control. While the memories of the 2011 earthquake are clearly fresher, there is also a folk memory among New Zealanders of the economic damage caused to them when the United Kingdom joined the European Union in 1973. For a country largely dependent on agriculture exports to its former Commonwealth headquarters, the British accession to what was then the European Economic Community some 40 years ago was a disaster. The economic disruption of 40 years ago is comparable to the threatened damage from Brexit to the food industry of Ireland – north and south. In the 1970s, New Zealand’s main exports were butter and lamb. Despite being on the other side of the world, the UK was a key market for these goods and, in fact, accounted for some 30% of New Zealand’s exports. Being members of the Commonwealth, New Zealand had preferential access to UK markets. That access was to be a casualty of Britain’s accession to the EU. In fact, so great was the problem for New Zealand that London committed to doing what it could to protect New Zealand’s vital interests in the course of negotiating the British accession treaty. The so-called Luxembourg agreement guaranteed limited access for New Zealand produce for a five-year transition period. The idea was to give New Zealand breathing space to negotiate free trade deals with other markets and diversify its export offering, but the economy tanked nevertheless. If all this sounds familiar, that may be because we are witnessing history repeating itself in a way that would have considerable entertainment value if the issues weren’t quite so serious. Leo Varadkar’s mischievous remark that Westminster should offer pay-per-view wasn’t that far off the mark. We may, however, be watching the wrong channel if we are to learn from this repeat – it’s the New Zealand experience we should focus on. In the 1970s, New Zealand wine was virtually unobtainable in Europe and kiwi fruits were a rarity. Now they are mainstream. 40 years on, New Zealand’s export destinations are Australia, China, the United States (US) and Japan in order of importance. The country’s volume of trade with the UK has declined by over 60%. Our Brexit discussions must now move on from brinkmanship and dead-in-a-ditch rhetoric. We are going to have to figure out how to co-exist and trade with our nearest neighbours, culturally and geographically. Business will have to work out how to diversify and establish new markets, and hopefully avoid a repeat of the worst aspects of the 1970s suffered in New Zealand. I doubt very much that any of us will ever be exclaiming, however thoughtlessly like my earthquake man, that Brexit was the best thing that ever happened to us. That’s because there’s one other point about the New Zealand experience. Even though it was clear for about a decade that the trading relationship with the UK would inevitably change in 1973, the New Zealanders seem to have done precious little about it until the hammer fell. Sometimes it takes a crisis to deliver change. Dr Brian Keegan is Director of Advocacy & Voice at Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Brexit deadline The 31 October Brexit deadline is fast approaching and clarity on the issue is as far away as ever. At the time of writing, many options seem possible, including a Brexit delay and a UK general election, but perhaps the most likely prospect is a no-deal or limited-deal Brexit. Both the Irish and British governments have urged businesses to prepare for Brexit, particularly those that import, export or transport goods, animals or animal products. It seems that the UK government is operating on the assumption that a hard border will return to the island of Ireland, as revealed in a UK no-deal contingency document codenamed ‘Operation Yellowhammer’, which was eventually published in mid-September after leaks to the press. The document warns of potential unrest in Northern Ireland along with road blockades, job losses and disruption to the agri-food sector, as well as an increase in smuggling and the potential for disruption to electricity supply. We must hope that this is a dire overestimation of a worst-case scenario. Meanwhile, in Dublin, Institute President Conall O’Halloran recently met with Minister for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe TD, to discuss the post-Brexit scenario as well as the Institute’s 2020 Budget submission and other business issues. Brexit support Our Institute will do everything it can to support members and member firms at a time of great uncertainty. You can read our latest updates on www.charteredaccountants.ie, particularly in our Brexit Web Centre and our page dedicated to no-deal Brexit planning. We are encouraging businesses across Ireland and the UK to ensure that they can continue to trade with each other post-Brexit. Applying for a customs registration (an EORI number) is just the first step in the process. Getting an EORI number takes between three and five minutes and can be completed online. While some traders have experience in the customs formalities required to import and export outside of the EU, it will be a first for many – particularly smaller enterprises. Businesses need to upskill in the area of customs using Government supports. They should also assess whether they have gaps in customs knowledge. Revenue estimates that customs declarations are expected to increase from 1.4 million to 20 million per year post-Brexit. HMRC estimates that declarations will grow five-fold to around 250 million. It’s best to be as prepared as possible. New academic year As we move into October, our Institute is about to welcome a new crop of students following a campaign to recruit the brightest and best to the profession. A new programme of specialist qualifications covering areas as diverse as corporate finance and cybersecurity are also getting underway. A central part of our strategy is to train the very best business professionals so that they can make a significant contribution to the economy on the island of Ireland, and further afield. We’re working hard to ensure that whatever the economic climate, we’re providing high-quality Chartered Accountants who will make a valuable contribution to firms and businesses. On behalf of my colleagues in the Institute, I’d like to offer our best wishes to all of our new students as they start out on their Chartered journey. Barry Dempsey Chief Executive

Charities in Northern Ireland may have to provide more detail to the Charities Commission in the near future, but any initiative that restores the public’s trust is to be welcomed. By Angela Craigan On 27 August 2019, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland opened a public consultation in respect of new questions charities must answer in their annual returns plus additional information that organisations applying for charitable registration online must answer. The proposed questions cover topics such as safeguarding, data protection, loans and payments to related parties, and the use of commercial fundraising partners. The Charity Commission NI advises that the questions are designed to help it gather important information on individual charities and the charity sector as a whole. The format of the proposed new questions requires each charity to reveal if any trustee owes money to it, whether any of the charity’s assets are leased from a trustee, and whether a trustee has been paid for carrying out their role. These questions are already asked in the annual monitoring return, but will now be asked when applying for registration. The Charity Commission NI also intends to ask charities if they have reported a data breach to the Information Commissioners Office in the past year. It will also collect information on what percentage of charitable expenditure relates to charitable purposes for organisations of less than £250,000 a year. All of the new and revised questions Charity Commission NI propose to include in the registration application and the Annual Return Regulations 2019 are available to view in the consultation document. The public consultation will focus on the most significant questions, and will allow an opportunity to voice opinions on the proposed changes. The consultation process will run for eight weeks, closing on Tuesday 22 October 2019. The changes will be of particular interest to members working in the charity sector and those who are trustees of Northern Ireland charities. The consultation has arisen as a result of increased risks within the charity sector including safeguarding, cybercrime and fraud. These increased risks have had a negative impact on the public’s perception of the charity sector. A key role of the charity commission is to increase public trust and confidence in charities. The commission is of the opinion that the additional questions will increase transparency and, as a result, public confidence in charities. The recent safeguarding failures in some high-profile charities have highlighted the importance of trustees being aware of their responsibilities and the safeguarding standards expected of them. The commission has added questions in relation to the ‘expression of intent’ form that is completed by those waiting to be called forward for registration. The commission also proposes to add more questions to the classification section of the charity registration form. In this section, applicants describe their charitable purpose, the focus of the charity and the beneficiaries of the organisation. It is important that trustees understand their responsibilities in respect of the information filed with the Charity Commission. Trustees may delegate the task of submitting an application or annual monitoring form, but they cannot delegate the responsibility of making sure they are accurate and submitted on time. If an annual monitoring form is late, the register of charities shows them as being in default. Once submitted, the register will read “Due documents received late”. This is of increased importance as funders are now using the register to check if forms are being returned late and will look less favourably on charities that file late when awarding grants. As an advisor to a large number of local charities, and as a trustee of Action Mental Health and New Life Counselling, I firmly believe that this sector is invaluable. I therefore welcome any move to increase public confidence in the charity sector.  Angela Craigan FCA is a Partner with Harbinson Mulholland, the accountancy and business advisory firm.

Claire Fitzpatrick FCA looks back on her career, from trainee auditor to the frontier of blockchain technology innovation. What’s wrong with me?” For someone who has enjoyed a varied and successful career in professional services and large corporations, it might come as a surprise to learn that Claire Fitzpatrick asked herself that very question in her 30s as she watched her peers move into senior roles. “You just need to get on the track,” she was told – a less than subtle reference to the perceived linear path to CFO/CEO roles. But as Claire readily admits, this isn’t how she operates. The Dublin native has made serendipitous career moves since leaving PwC in 2000 to work with one of her audit clients, Point Information Systems, but the draw has never been status or salary. Instead, her career has been guided by two things – people and culture. Venturing out While working as a PwC Audit Senior with Point Information Systems, Claire saw the culture she wanted to work in – ambitious, fast-changing and transformative. “I remember coming back after a year and the company had changed completely, whereas some other companies I audited would be the same year-on-year,” she said. “It was evolving at pace and the energy there just stood out for me.” Claire joined the company and her role expanded her knowledge base in a variety of new disciplines from engineering to sales and marketing. This diverse exposure would be of great benefit to her later in her career, not least when she returned from a working holiday with Nestlé in Australia and New Zealand to a role in O2. The company was in expansion mode at the time and Claire managed to experience the full life-cycle from early adoption to the sale of the business, which she was centrally involved in. From there, Claire moved to Wayra, Telefónica’s start-up accelerator, to accelerate digital embryonic businesses. As Claire recalls, it was a move that raised some eyebrows at the time. “A lot of my peers thought it was a step down for me in career terms, but I really wanted to get involved in the innovative digital space,” she said. “It reminded me of the energy and pace I felt in Point Information Systems and I had experience of both start-up and corporate environments, so I was able to bring a lot to the table.” Start-up life In her first three weeks in Wayra, Claire met with hundreds of entrepreneurs and developers across the tech ecosystem and this intensity continued unabated for three years. The hub was a success, investing €6 million in the Irish start-up ecosystem including 33 equity investments while returning the same amount. “For early-stage start-ups, that’s a great return,” she said. However, following the sale of O2 to Three in 2014, Telefónica ultimately closed its Wayra hub in Ireland and Claire decided to take on a new challenge.  The idea of starting her own business had never entered her mind, but the closure of Wayra meant that Claire and her two colleagues faced a fork in the road. “We saw real value in what we were doing at Wayra, and we were good at it,” she said. “So, we decided to set up Red Planet and to flip the accelerator model on its head. We started with the corporate to understand the problem it was trying to solve, and then sourced the best start-up talent to solve that particular problem.” The venture was successful and it achieved what Claire describes as “the holy grail” for start-ups – being sold to a large corporate. Red Planet was acquired by Deloitte in 2017 and Claire continued to work with the firm for 18 months. “Selling our start-up was a tough decision, but the right one. Deloitte was really good at the strategy piece and identifying the challenges facing their clients, while Red Planet was able to find the solutions in the start-up world and develop them to scale. We were very good at curating diamonds in the rough.” Blockchain calling At this stage in her career, Claire faced an inflection point. Not content to simply go with the flow, she began plotting her next move when an opportunity arose to join a new blockchain venture headed by the co-founder of Ethereum, Joseph Lubin. The company was founded in 2014 and was at the forefront of Ethereum blockchain technology innovation. It needed someone to establish its base in Dublin and build its team, and the company ultimately chose Claire as its Director of Strategic Operations. The Dublin hub, which is known as ConsenSys Ireland, is developing the products that will enable society and enterprises to advance to the next level of blockchain adoption. Claire is very excited about the bigger picture. “In the future, you won’t even know you’re interacting with blockchain. It will be just like the Internet where nobody really thinks about or considers the infrastructure or protocols – they just see the applications,” she said. “Blockchain will be as transformational as mobile telecommunications was 25 years ago. We are part of a new industry, a new technology, new products, and a market which we have to create and educate. That’s a big challenge, but a very exciting one.” Leadership style But amid the excitement and potential lies ambiguity, and it takes a certain type of person to thrive in an ambiguous environment according to Claire. “Given the nascent nature of blockchain technology, we’re continually refining our vision and new industries are constantly wanting to explore new directions with the technology. So, although everyone in the company has goals to achieve, some are set in stone and some evolve to meet the needs of our clients,” she said. “That’s no different to a traditional organisation but we do differ in that we could have to tell staff to drop projects and pivot in a new direction at a moment’s notice – and some people find that challenging.” Luckily for Claire, working in a maturing industry adds to the allure of her new role in ConSensys – one she believes will contribute to a decentralised, democratised future for individuals. “It’s a rollercoaster, but with experience and age comes perspective and balance,” she said. “And the most important thing for me, throughout my career, has been the people I work with. My colleagues today are not necessarily wired like me but we work well together in the good times, and the challenging times, to make something great happen. That’s what it’s all about.”   Claire’s advice for Chartered Accountants Chartered Accountants will have a central role in the deployment of blockchain technologies and rather than wait for mass adoption, Claire believes the time to upskill is now. “The conversation around blockchain has moved from proof of concept to pilot schemes so when we’re talking to clients, we’re discussing real systems as opposed to hypothetical ideas,” she said. “So, I wouldn’t recommend waiting to start blockchain projects because we will reach the point of mass proliferation quicker than most people expect.” “The first step for all Chartered Accountants is education. There are free educational resources through ConsenSys Academy and Blockchain Ireland is working to raise awareness of what’s coming down the tracks,” Claire added. “But it’s vital that Chartered Accountants realise that anyone can quickly become a laggard in this dynamic environment.” “Finally, I would stress the point that Chartered Accountants don’t need to worry about losing their heads in the weeds trying to understand the programming and coding side of things,” she said. “They should educate themselves with regard to the characteristics and applications that they can see for blockchain in their business.”

Could joint audit help improve audit quality and reduce market concentration? By Tommy Doherty Joint audit is a proven means of facilitating the emergence of a diverse audit sector and, in the case of France, has already led to the creation of the least concentrated audit market of any major economy. If undertaken in a spirit of collaboration, it can reinforce governance arrangements on the conduct of audits and deliver real improvements in audit quality. What is a joint audit? In a joint audit, two separate audit firms are appointed by a company to express a joint opinion on its financial statements. It is fundamentally different from a ‘dual’ or ‘shared’ audit, whereby one audit firm (or sometimes more) audit parts of a group and reports to another audit firm, which ultimately signs off on the group audit. Statutory joint auditors must belong to separate audit firms. Joint audits usually involve two audit firms, but a small number of companies have decided voluntarily to appoint three audit firms to perform their joint audit. Joint audit, audit tendering and rotation The 2014 EU Audit Regulation introduced incentives to encourage the adoption of joint audit by allowing joint auditors to benefit from a longer rotation period (i.e. a maximum tenure of 24 years with no tendering required). By contrast, sole audits are subject to tendering after 10 years and a maximum tenure of 20 years. The preamble to the Audit Regulation states that: “The appointment of more than one statutory auditor or audit firm by public interest entities would reinforce the professional scepticism and help to increase audit quality. Also, this measure, combined with the presence of smaller audit firms in the audit market, would facilitate the development of the capacity of such firms, thus broadening the choice of statutory auditors and audit firms for public interest entities. Therefore, the latter should be encouraged and incentivised to appoint more than one statutory auditor or audit firm to carry out the statutory audit.” Nine member states have decided to encourage joint audit through an extension of the maximum tenure allowed, including (in addition to France) Germany, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Greece and Cyprus. Joint audit has long been regarded as a French peculiarity. But in the context of significant corporate failures and unsustainably high levels of market concentration, the UK’s competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), is now recommending the introduction of mandatory joint audit. In April 2019, it published The Future of Audit report, recommending mandatory joint audit as part of a broader reform package for most FTSE 350 companies with at least one of the joint auditors being a non-Big Four auditor. The benefits of a joint audit From the company’s perspective, joint audit: Enables companies to benefit from the technical expertise of more than one firm; Encourages “coopetition” (cooperation and competition) between joint auditors, resulting in improved quality of service; Leads to a real debate on technical issues and offers additional scope for benchmarking; Allows for the smooth and sequenced rotation of audit firms, where appropriate; and Retains knowledge and under-standing of group operations, which minimises the disruption caused when one audit firm is changed. How joint audit works in practice The practice of joint audit is well-established in France, as it has been a legal requirement there for over 50 years and has gone through several phases of evolution to reach a level of maturity ‘signed off’ by the market. The following steps explain how the joint audit of consolidated financial statements works for the audit of large French listed groups like BNP Paribas, and how it could work in Ireland and deliver similar benefits. Joint audit of consolidated financial statements is the most common form of joint audit, and a professional French auditing standard exists (NEP-100). Step 1 Determine the annual audit approach: the yearly audit approach is jointly determined and includes the preparation of a joint risk-based audit plan. A single set of joint audit instructions (i.e. a manual of the audit procedures to be applied on a coordinated and homogeneous basis to the group’s subsidiaries by each joint audit firm or network) is issued. In practice, both joint audit firms contribute to these documents, which are consolidated before joint approval of the overall audit approach. The audit approach is almost invariably the subject of a combined annual presentation to the group’s audit committee by the joint auditors. Step 2 Overall allocation of work between the joint auditors: whatever the basis of appropriation, a balance between each of the joint audit firms is sought. This is provided for by NEP 100, which stipulates that the audit work required should be split between the joint auditors on a balanced basis and reflect criteria that may be quantitative or qualitative. If a quantitative basis is used, the split may be by reference to the estimated number of hours of work required to complete the audit. If a qualitative basis is adopted, the split may be by reference to the level of qualification and experience of the audit teams’ members. Step 3 Allocation of work on the different phases of the audit: for the accounts of consolidated subsidiaries, for joint and single audit, the parent company’s auditors are deployed as widely as possible over its subsidiaries worldwide. The allocation of subsidiaries to one or other of the joint auditors may be based on business, product or geographical location criteria. When geographical criteria are used (countries, zones, etc.), each joint auditor is deployed over one or several territories. In the case of significant groups, the joint audit approach is often applied within each of the group’s businesses to ensure oversight by ‘two sets of eyes’ for each business line. Step 4 Levels of group audit reporting: up to four levels of group audit reporting are distinguished: individual entities; geographical zones or business lines (aggregating several entities); group financial and general management; and those charged with governance. For individual entities, for example, the auditor in charge of each entity is responsible for reporting the audit conclusions by way of audit summary meetings with the local management and for expressing an audit opinion on the entity’s consolidation package. Step 5 The group audit opinion on a joint audit: the joint auditors prepare a joint audit report addressed to the group’s shareholders, which is presented during its annual general meeting. The audit opinion expressed is a single joint opinion. Special provisions exist in the event of disagreement between the joint audit firms as to the formulation of their audit opinion. In practice, they are rarely needed.  Step 6 Joint and several responsibilities: each joint auditor is jointly and severally responsible for the audit opinion provided. The exercise of joint and several obligations implies that each joint auditor performs a review of the work performed by the other. The sharing and harmonisation of the audit conclusions and the audit presentation prepared for the audited entity constitute the first step in that review. In addition, the audit summary memoranda and working paper files for the engagement are subject to reciprocal peer review. The two most common criticisms of joint audit relate to the cost and the additional risks involved. However, most of the tasks brought about by a joint audit situation are highly value adding as they are dedicated to the ‘professional scepticism’ necessary to express an audit opinion. In practice, the additional cost is borne by the audit firms involved rather than being passed on to the audited entity. The UK as a benchmark In 2020/21, the EU audit reform will be up for review. The UK reform will strongly influence the dynamic of this debate. Given the importance of its financial market, decisions in the UK will also have an impact beyond Europe. The Commonwealth countries look to the UK for best practice financial regulation and adopt rules that they consider beneficial for their markets. More countries are therefore likely to seriously consider joint audit as a measure to diversify their audit markets. Mazars believes that the UK will go ahead with the reform and that other countries will start to seriously consider joint audit for large corporates as part of a package of solutions to improve audit quality and reduce market concentration. Interestingly, on 28 May 2019, the prospect of Ireland preparing a similar report on The Future of Audit was raised at a Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform. As an audit firm with a proven track record in joint audit, we believe that this is a solution than can provide tangible benefits to all stakeholders.   Tommy Doherty FCA is Head of Audit and Assurance at Mazars Ireland.

There is no active market for the sale and purchase of privately owned businesses. Any belief that there is a constant search by active purchasers is false. The reality is that many businesses – probably half, or more, of medium-sized companies – are likely not saleable. Erratic history, poor profitability, inadequate finances and uncertain prospects are the usual reasons cited for this circumstance. Realistically, the realisable value of a business to its owners may only be in its continuity. The surprise is that even profitable and well-run businesses are not necessarily saleable. Obviously, this is a disappointment for the owners and an enigma as to why this happens. After an initial flurry of interest in purchasing such a company, the closer assessment takes place. The cooler review by a potential purchaser is guided by the rule that there must be a worthwhile commercial reason to acquire a business, and not simply because it is for sale. Experience suggests that the principal reasons why one business acquires another are as follows: The acquired business is complementary to the acquiring business – for example, a light engineering business acquiring a metal fabrication business, or a transport company acquiring a warehouse business; The businesses share common characteristics that enable synergy and/or joint cost reductions as an added-value benefit to the purchaser; The acquisition protects and/or enhances an existing advantageous relationship between the two businesses; and The acquired business has knowledge, expertise, intellectual property or a location that provides added value to the acquiring business. It follows that the potential for the sale of a ‘standalone’ business (i.e. with none of the above reasons) is limited and only likely in the form of a management buyout. A further restricting factor, and this is true for acquisitions generally, is financing the purchase. Marketplace experience suggests banking caution on lending for acquisitions. There are many reasons why, not least that the underlying assets in the acquired company are not likely available as security due to company law and tax complications. The ‘asset’ being financed (i.e. the shares in the acquired company) is not tangible security, being no more than an expectation of future profitability. In any event, it takes time to sell a business. In an ideal world, the decision to sell would be made up to two years beforehand (although this will likely only be known to the owner). It isn’t that the best market conditions for a sale can be confidently predicted that far ahead; instead, there will be a readiness for sale that can be deferred if necessary, or brought forward if the pre-sale planning is in good order. As with most decisions, timing is important and good forward planning gives flexibility. This planning means not being your own advocate. An experienced corporate finance advisor is essential to a successful sale. Once a sale is contemplated, an informal discussion with an advisor will help you decide whether to sell or not and what will happen subsequently with regard to timing and process. Advance due diligence work means identifying and tidying up awkward circumstances that could derail a sale or adversely affect a sale price. The entire sale and purchase process, when commenced, will likely take between three to six months from start to finish.  It is the job of the corporate finance advisor to direct, coordinate and manage the process from start to finish. The advisor will operate in parallel with a legal advisor; and the same for the purchaser. The process, and the transaction itself, will generate an amount of legal and related documentation – all of which has to be identified, drafted, negotiated and completed. Third parties such as banks, landlords and regulators may also be involved and could, in turn, require documentation and cause delays. Properly done, the sale of a business is a backwards process known as ‘begin with the end’. In other words, the thrust at the outset is to identify prospective purchasers or sectors that likely fit one or more of the reasons for an acquisition, as set out above. Then, ensure that the information and sales approach is directed accordingly. Des Peelo FCA is the author of The Valuation of Businesses and Shares, published by Chartered Accountants Ireland and now in its second edition.

Claire Lord explains why it’s better to get your business’s record-keeping right in your own time and on your own terms. "Run your company like you are planning to sell it” was a piece of advice given to a room full of early stage companies attending a talk being delivered by a tech entrepreneur, who had successfully navigated the pathway from idea through development and scaling to a lucrative exit. He was calling it as it was: you are pursuing your respective endeavours to make money, so do everything you can to maximise that return. When great ideas are being converted into profit-generating businesses, the focus is often on the development of complex technologies, the routes to market, the sales strategies, the hiring of the very best employees quickly. Often the paperwork, the record-keeping, the ‘routine’ pieces of the puzzle are put on the long finger, to be dealt with when there is time. But rarely is there ever time and the longer the record-keeping is neglected, the harder and more expensive it becomes to put right. Irish companies are required by law to maintain a number of books and registers. These include proper accounting records that correctly record and explain the transactions of the company and that enable its assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss to be determined with reasonable accuracy at any time.  A company must keep registers of its members, directors and secretary, and disclosable interests. It must also keep copies of instruments creating charges and copies of directors’ service contracts. The Companies Act 2014 further requires companies to keep minutes of shareholder and director meetings. In respect of minutes from shareholder meetings, the minimum detail to be recorded is a summary of the proceedings of the meeting and the terms of the resolutions passed. In respect of minutes from board meetings (which includes meetings of committees of the board), the minimum detail to be recorded is the appointments of officers made by the directors, the names of the directors present, a summary of the proceedings and details of all resolutions passed. In the case of both meetings of the shareholders and directors of a company, the minutes should be prepared “as soon as may be” after the meeting has been held. Certain of the registers and documents required to be kept by a company can be inspected by the shareholders of that company. These are its registers of its members, directors and secretary and disclosable interests, and the instruments creating charges and directors’ service contracts. Members of the public are entitled to inspect a company’s registers of members, directors and secretary and disclosable interests. A company is permitted to keep any of these registers and documents electronically (other than minutes of meetings of shareholders) once it puts adequate measures in place to guard against, and detect, falsification and once they can be easily reproduced in legible form at a place in Ireland. When it comes to the day-to-day running of an Irish company, it would be unusual for a request to be made by a shareholder or a member of the public to inspect the registers and documents that the law permits them to inspect. On the other hand, if a company was the subject of an interested investor or acquirer, it would be most usual for them to require production of all these registers and documents for due diligence purposes without delay (subject, where the need permits, for obligations of confidentiality to be agreed and documented). When there is a gap in record-keeping, which is likely to occur when ‘the paperwork’ has been neglected, not only is the prospective investor or acquirer unable to satisfy themselves that they have the full history of the company in terms of its governance proceedings and compliance with its statutory obligations, but the impact in terms of cost on the target company and its owners to rectify that neglect under time pressure and the scrutiny of an impatient investor or acquirer can be significant. Record-keeping is one of the things that you as a business owner can control. Record keeping can be routine and inexpensive when the time is taken at the outset to get the processes, procedures and resources right. Even if you don’t have plans to sell your company, run it like you are planning to sell it. It’s better to get the record-keeping right in your own time and on your own terms, rather than it being one of the elements that undermines or adds unnecessary cost to that lucrative exit when it does come.   Claire Lord is a Corporate Partner and Head of Governance and Compliance at Mason Hayes & Curran.

Could the fall in interest rates result in an economic ice age for western economies? By Cormac Lucey Across the developed world, interest rates have collapsed over recent decades. Yields on German government 10-year bonds fell below -0.7% this month while yields in Japan were hovering at -0.3%. Japan has struggled to combat low growth and low interest rates for 30 years. Only America, where rates on government bonds remain at about 1.6%, has avoided Japanification. So far. The trouble is the US may be headed that way too – its rate has halved since last October. Why have interest rates fallen so far, and where might they now be headed? Several factors influence underlying interest rates. The first is the rate of inflation. In theory, real interest rates (after we exclude the inflation factor) should be relatively stable. So, if inflation drops sharply, we would expect a sharp drop in interest rates. And inflation has indeed dropped sharply in western countries over recent decades since it peaked in the inflationary 1970s. Nonetheless, in recent times real interest rates have also dropped. It used to be the case that bank depositors got a rate of interest that exceeded the rate of inflation and provided them with real capital appreciation. That is no longer the case. Today, depositors get negligible or nil rates of interest income even though inflation persists and erodes the underlying value of their savings. There are other factors at play. The biggest cause of ultra-low rates is weak economic growth. If growth rates are high, there is substantial demand for investment funds which stokes demand for deposits (so that banks will have sufficient funds to lend) and supports higher interest rates. Low economic growth pushes interest rates down. Over the twentieth century, productivity per worker grew in the developed world at about 2% per annum. Since the turn of the century, underlying growth amounts to half or less than half of that rate. This problem has been described as “secular stagnation”. There has been extensive academic debate on the subject, but nobody has come up with a convincing explanation for this drop in underlying economic growth. Ageing populations are another factor propelling interest rates downwards. The longer we anticipate our life after retirement will be, the more we need to save to fund our retirements. If the supply of savings increases then, all other things being equal, we would expect the price of savings (i.e. the rate of interest) to fall. There are several problems with interest rates being this low. Central bankers have less interest rate-cutting ammunition with which to fight the next recession. It is notable that the European Central Bank is already contemplating monetary policy relaxation to fight the next downturn without having once felt able to increase its base rate of interest during the economic recovery since 2010. Commercial banks also have big problems as a significant element of their profits – interest income generated from current account deposits on which they pay no interest – has dried up in today’s low interest rate environment. That helps explain why the index of euro area bank equities has fallen in value by over 40% since January 2018. Albert Edwards, a strategist with the French investment bank, Société Générale, has long predicted this fall in interest rates and an economic ice age for western economies. He recently asked: “Do market participants really believe fiscal stimulus and helicopter money will save us from a gut-wrenching global bust that will make 2008 look like a picnic?” He argues that the current government bond rally is not a bubble, but an appropriate reaction to the market discounting the next global recession. This means that “the bubbles are not in the government bond market in my view. They are in corporate equities and corporate bonds”. Ouch! Cormac Lucey FCA is an economic commentator and lecturer at Chartered Accountants Ireland.

The UK’s Financial Reporting Lab recently spoke to companies and investors about what they wanted from cash disclosures, outside of the cash flow statement. This is what they found… By Thomas Toomse-Smith It has been said that investing is as much art as science. Numbers can tell you so much, but at the heart of every investment decision is a story – either that which the company tells or which investors interpret for themselves. But to allow investors to interpret that story correctly, they need disclosures that help them better understand the generation, availability and use of cash. This allows them to make an assessment of management’s historical stewardship of a company’s assets, as well as support analysis of future expectations. Cash and flow The core disclosure that supports investor needs on cash is often conceptualised to be the cash flow statement. However, while it clearly provides information about the flow of cash, does it do a good job of explaining how that cash is, and (more critically) will be, generated and used? Our discussions with investors suggest that the disclosures that help answer this question are often provided outside of the cash flow statement, and perhaps outside of the annual report completely. Our project focused on this supplemental, but nevertheless fundamental, set of disclosures; disclosures that are principally about the sources and uses of cash. What do investors want? Our discussions with investors concluded that what they want, at a high level, is an overall direction on companies’ cash position but that this should be supported by further details. We have summarised investors’ needs in the model outlined in Figure 1. A focus on drivers Companies note that communicating their strategy and performance are essential objectives of their investor communications. However, for many companies, their attention is on a number of performance-focused metrics (such as profit or adjusted profit) with cash metrics featuring as a supporting, rather than a leading, metric. While companies often do a good job of explaining some aspects of their wider performance, cash metrics and cash generation are often not fully explained. This wider cash story deserves better explanation. Both numbers and narrative are crucial for investors. However, the most effective disclosures are those where numbers and narrative are combined in a way that shows how future cash generation is underpinned by current cash generation. Two ways in which we saw companies trying to communicate this was through better disclosure around selection and use of key performance metrics (in line with the practices suggested in our recent KPI report), and through the use of narratives (that bring all the cash-related elements together). A focus on sources of cash Understanding the link between the operations of a company and its generation of cash is a key objective for investors. However, it is something that is not always easy to do from the information a company discloses. Investors that participated in our project noted that this lack of clarity is prevalent and that it can be challenging to understand how the operations of businesses are generating cash. Key areas where further enhancements would be welcomed include working capital and groups. While the generation of cash is important, to fully understand the health of a business, investors also need to understand their approach to working capital. Disclosures that provided more clarity were narratives about differing working capital requirements, cycles and metrics within different elements of a group, and disclosures detailing less common approaches to financing such as factoring or reverse factoring. While investors are interested in the overall capacity of a group to generate cash, it can also be important to understand where within the group the cash was generated, especially for credit investors. This is an area where there remain limited examples of good disclosures in the marketplace, but an area where investors were keen to obtain more information such as how much capacity was within the group and how the group manage capital and cash between its subsidiaries. Uses of cash Once investors have considered how a company generates cash, and the quality and sustainability of that generation, they then want to understand what a company intends to do with the resulting resource. While many investors feel that, in general, disclosure about the use of cash is relatively well-reported, they would like more information that supports their assessment of the future use of cash – namely, understanding priorities and the risks attached to them. Setting priorities for generated and available cash At its simplest level, capital allocation is a balance between maintaining and growing a business. However, there is a significant nuance in how these various priorities are balanced within any business and at any point in time. Differing considerations of the relative priorities will lead to a very different view when assessing a company. That is why information about how companies prioritise different stakeholders is useful. Many businesses have therefore taken to creating more formal disclosure, often in the form of a capital allocation framework. This approach is particularly popular with companies that are launching a new or refreshed strategy. While the disclosure of a framework often provides only a high-level picture of a company’s allocation priorities, it can serve to focus investor and management conversations on key aspects of the business. As such, investors often welcome such disclosure. Priorities in action Once investors are clear on management’s priorities, they then want information that supports their understanding of how those priorities are represented in the period, and how current decisions might impact future flows. Detail regarding capital expenditure, dividends and other returns are critical to achieving this understanding as they help establish whether management actions are aligned to the priorities. Variabilities, risks and restrictions To properly assess the future potential upside of a business, investors need to be able to assess the downside. Investors understand that returns are variable and should reflect the changing focus and priorities of the company, the call of other stakeholders and the availability of resources. Investors therefore value information that helps them understand the potential uncertainties and management’s reaction. When thinking about future availability of cash, they need information on: Variability of future outcomes: how does the company consider the range of possibilities for future cash use and how does that feed through to the prioritisation of decisions? Risks: what is the link between the risks facing the company and the outturn in cash generation, use and dividend? Restrictions: are there any restrictions on current or future cash, either through capital or exchange controls, availability of dividend resources or other items? Concluding message Overall, investors are not seeking to overburden preparers but they do want preparers to focus disclosure on the areas that are most fundamental to their investment story. The full Lab report is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website, and gives more insight and examples. Thomas Toomse-Smith is Project Director at the Financial Reporting Council’s Disclosure Lab.  

Businesses in Ireland are working towards a low-carbon future, but the transition to a low-carbon economy needs to urgently accelerate. By Kim McClenaghan & Dr Luke Redmond Irish businesses are responding to the climate action challenge and to date, 47 companies in Ireland have signed Business in the Community Ireland’s (BITCI) Low Carbon Pledge. Signatory companies have committed to reducing their direct carbon intensity by 50% by 2030, and to report on their progress on an annual basis. The pledge companies operate in traditional carbon-intensive sectors such as agribusiness and energy/utilities, along with a range of other cross-sectoral companies from pharma/med-tech, beverages, transport, retailing, communications, technology and professional services. The pledge aims to demonstrate the commitment of Irish businesses to supporting the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy. The Low Carbon Pledge requires companies to reduce the intensity of their Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions by 50% by 2030. Scope 1 emissions refer to emissions produced directly from sources owned and controlled by a company, such as fuels used in boilers or vehicles, for example. Scope 2 emissions refer to those produced during the generation of electricity purchased by a company. The narrowing window of opportunity PwC was commissioned by BITCI to produce the inaugural Low Carbon Pledge Report. This work was conducted against a backdrop of mounting evidence that points to a rapidly closing window in which business and society can successfully tackle climate change and its principal driver: carbon emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency’s most recent pronouncements warn that Ireland faces an unfavourable emissions reduction environment due to ongoing challenges in successfully decoupling economic and emissions growth. Ireland is not on track to meet its 2020 and 2030 EU emissions reduction targets, and failure to achieve the 2020 target could result in financial penalties of up to €150 million. What’s more, the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report estimates that countries and businesses have a window of just 11 years in which to successfully tackle the carbon challenge. Meaningful progress According to the PwC report, signatory companies have engaged positively with the decarbonisation challenge and have already delivered meaningful emissions reductions. The 47 pledge signatory companies have achieved an overall reduction of 42% in their absolute carbon emissions between the baseline period and 2018, and are on course to secure a 50% decrease in carbon intensity by 2030. Pledge companies have achieved a 36% reduction in average emissions intensity, in part by reducing their electricity usage by 60 million KwH between the baseline period and 2018. This equates to a cost saving of roughly €6.6 million. Energy efficiency-focused rationalisation and strategic investment programmes, coupled with an increasing use of electricity generated from renewable sources, has underpinned the emissions reduction activity to date. Upping the ante The PwC report, and the dataset that underpins it, provides a benchmark against which to assess the future carbon reduction efforts of the signatory companies. With an ever-increasing awareness of the risks of climate change and the importance of accelerating abatement activity, it is critical that the ambition of the Low Carbon Pledge also evolves. While the initial pledge group of 47 signatories is a significant achievement, it will be important to grow this number while extending the carbon commitment scope. Because of the significant intensity reductions over the baseline period to 2018, BITCI has upped the scope and ambition of the 2030 greenhouse gas reduction targets. A critical challenge for companies will be sustaining such reduction efforts and focusing on the delivery of further intensity improvements up to the 50% target and out to 2030, or an earlier date. Enhanced robustness To maintain the integrity of the Low Carbon Pledge, it is critical that businesses seek external assurance of their non-financial data. This is critical to enhancing the robustness of the emissions reduction actions and commitments reported as part of the Low Carbon Pledge. Seeking third-party assurance also provides companies with another opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to decarbonisation, while at the same time enabling companies to prepare for a transition to an increasingly onerous and transparent reporting environment. Scenario analysis The Low Carbon Report analysed four companies – Gas Networks Ireland, Dawn Meats, ESB and Heineken Ireland – to examine how companies are seeking to enhance the sustainability and decarbonisation of their business operations. The analysis found that senior management leadership is central to driving a meaningful response to the challenges of decarbonisation. Businesses should seek to embed decarbonisation and sustainability policies and actions in their business strategy, from both risk mitigation and value-enhancing perspectives. To test corporate strategies, scenario analysis should consider, for example, a high future carbon price, climate change impacts on global and regional GDP growth rates, or climate disruption within the supply chain. Evolving target-setting, coupled with the use of energy management systems and data analytics, can help ensure that companies make informed energy efficiency investment decisions. Strong leadership can help businesses prepare for a carbon-constrained world and ensure that their businesses are aligned with an increasingly carbon-conscious investor and consumer. While delivering carbon reductions through the procurement of electricity generated from renewable sources represents a positive mitigation action, companies could further enhance the integrity of such actions by procuring green-certified renewable electricity. Decisions by senior management to embed renewable energy sourcing targets, underpinned by green certificates, into company strategy could act as an important catalyst for driving further decarbonisation efforts. The case study analysis identifies investors as being increasingly interested in companies’ financial and non-financial metrics. For companies to truly demonstrate a commitment to decarbonisation and sustainability, it is important to place equal emphasis on their financial and non-financial reporting. Leading companies also seek to align the publication of their sustainability and annual financial reports. Such actions demonstrate that sustainability has become an integral part of the company’s core strategy, and associated metrics form part of the business’s key performance indicators.   Kim McClenaghan is Partner in Consulting and Energy, Utilities and Sustainability Lead at PwC. Dr Luke Redmond is Senior Manager, Strategy Consulting at PwC.

A new report proposes measures for the sustainability of owners’ management companies and lays the foundation for a more structured approach to managing apartment complexes or managed estates. By David Rouse In a professional audit or reporting capacity, Chartered Accountants may encounter owners’ management companies (OMC). Readers living in an apartment complex or managed estate may even have been asked to serve as an OMC director. OMCs, while in form incorporated typically as companies limited by guarantee (CLG), are in substance hybrid entities. They sit at a corporate crossroads between not-for-profit companies, property management businesses and residents’ associations (see Figure 1). Many readers will be familiar with the legacy construction and financial issues facing these companies. High-profile cases such as Priory Hall and Longboat Quay, as well as other less prominent estates, have featured in the press in recent years while corporate governance failings in OMCs receive periodic attention in court reporting. The country’s largest OMCs have multi-million euro annual service charge budgets. And yet, the stewardship of these companies is entrusted to unpaid, untrained directors (the term “volunteer director” is deliberately avoided, as in law, there is no such thing – a director is a director). There is as yet no firm handle on the number of OMCs in the country. However, it is estimated that the upper limit is likely to be about 8,000 companies. New report A recent independent report titled Owners’ Management Companies – Sustainable Apartment Living for Ireland considers issues that will be familiar to those with even a passing knowledge of managed estates and OMCs. The report was jointly commissioned by the Housing Agency and Clúid Housing. The Housing Agency works with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, local authorities, and approved housing bodies (AHB) in the delivery of housing and housing services. Clúid is the State’s largest AHB, managing  just over 7,000 homes across the country. The inadequacy of annual service charges, failure to provide for building maintenance (sinking) funds, and the persistent problem of mounting debtors are just some of the topics assessed. International best practice is examined, and Ontario and New South Wales are among the comparator jurisdictions featured. The future demand for high-density housing is signalled in the context of new Government policy, such as the National Planning Framework and the Climate Action Plan. To audit or not to audit? Recommendations for reform across a range of relevant regulatory systems are proposed. Of interest to the accountancy profession will be the recommendation for the removal of the audit exemption currently available to OMCs, most of which, as noted earlier, are incorporated as CLGs. Companies Act 2014 provides the audit exemption for CLGs. In this way, small not-for-profit companies without shareholders may benefit from a reduced financial and administrative burden. (It should be noted that under sections 334 and 1218 of the Companies Act, any one member of the CLG may in effect demand an audit.) However, while OMCs are not-for-profit, they are responsible for multi-million euro property assets in the form of estate common areas. Considering the centrality of OMCs to property values, good title, and quality of living spaces, the value of an audit to members in terms of assurance, transparency, and governance cannot be overstated. Finance and governance The creditworthiness of OMCs in the context of current under-funding is also considered. Regulation over and above corporate compliance enforced by the ODCE is recommended. Dispute resolution outside of the courts is advocated, as are more cost-effective avenues for service charge debt recovery. Personal insolvency practitioners will be aware that OMC service charge debt is an “excludable debt” under the Personal Insolvency Act 2012. Only with the consent of the creditor (i.e. the OMC) may management fee balances be reduced or written off in a Personal Insolvency Arrangement. The report’s other recommendations include mandatory training for OMC directors, the standardisation of accounts to a format prescribed for OMCs, and enhanced insurance obligations. Reform may be some way off. In the meantime, practitioners should be aware that the Institute’s practice toolkit, Owners’ Management Company PQAs, was updated in 2018. This replaces the 2011 version. As the Institute’s product catalogue notes, and as may be recognised from sectoral weaknesses highlighted in this commentary, although OMCs can be small in size, they may be higher-risk clients. Future regulation of the sector could mitigate a number of the risks identified.   David Rouse FCA is an advisor with the Housing Agency, a director of the Apartment Owners’ Network CLG, and a director of one of the country’s largest OMCs.

Three years after its commencement, Construction Contracts Act, 2013 continues to provide a pathway to cash flow in the construction sector. By Pat Breen TD This innovative and important legislation for the construction sector, which was commenced in 2016, regulates payments and particularly the timing of payments under construction contracts. While many businesses in the construction sector are aware of this legislation, some businesses may not be fully aware of the detailed statutory protections and obligations set out in the Construction Contracts Act, 2013. One of the key objectives of the legislation is to provide payment certainty for subcontractors, who were considered vulnerable in the payment cycle in the construction sector. As the construction sector continues to expand, cash flow is critical and it is cash flow that is at the core of the Construction Contracts Act, 2013. Therefore, construction businesses should ensure that their payment practices comply with the terms of this legislation. I consider that members of the accountancy profession are uniquely placed to encourage construction businesses across the country to review their payment practices to ensure that they comply with this legislation. I welcome the opportunity provided by Accountancy Ireland to highlight this legislation, and a brief summary of the main provisions of the Act is set out below. Further information on the Act is available on the website of my Department at www.dbei.gov.ie. Applicability of the Construction Contracts Act, 2013 to construction contracts The Construction Contracts Act, 2013 applies to certain construction contracts entered into after 25 July 2016, but not to all such contracts. For example, it excludes: Contracts of a value of not more than €10,000; or Contracts that relate only to a dwelling of not greater than 200 square metres where a party to such a contract occupies, or intends to occupy, the dwelling as his/her residence; or Contracts between a State authority and its partner in a public private partnership arrangement. All other construction contracts must comply with the provisions of the Act and the parties may not seek to exclude a contract from the legislation under any circumstances, whether the contract is an oral contract or a written contract. Construction contracts to which the Act applies must provide for the following contractual terms: The amount of each interim and final payment, or an adequate mechanism for determining those amounts; The payment claim date for each amount due, or an adequate mechanism for determining it; and The period between the payment claim date and the date on which the amount is due. Main contracts and subcontracts Main contractors are at liberty to agree their contractual terms with their clients, subject to adhering to the mandatory provisions required by the Act as outlined above. However, if a main contract fails to fully incorporate the mandatory provisions, then the Act imposes the applicable contractual term or terms set out in the Schedule to the Act, terms which are also applicable to subcontracts. The Act stipulates that all subcontracts must at least provide the following payment claim dates: 30 days after the commencement date of the construction contract; 30 days after the payment claim date referred to above and every 30 days thereafter up to the date of substantial completion; and 30 days after the date of final completion. The date on which payment is due in relation to an amount claimed under a subcontract shall be no later than 30 days after the payment claim date. The Act permits the parties to a subcontract to make more favourable provision for a subcontractor than the above contractual terms. Payment claims An executing party – the party which carries out the work under a construction contract – is required to submit a payment claim notice to the other party no later than five days after the relevant payment claim date. If the other party disputes the amount claimed by the executing party, that party is required to respond to the executing party in writing no later than 21 days after the payment claim date setting out the reason(s) why the amount claimed is disputed and the amount, if any, that it proposes to pay to the executing party. It may be possible for the parties to reach an agreement on the amount to be paid to the executing party. However, if no such agreement is reached by the payment due date, the other party is legally required to pay the executing party the amount, if any, which the other party proposed to pay in its response to the contested payment claim notice from the executing party. This payment shall be made no later than the payment due date in accordance with Section 4(3)(b) of the Construction Contracts Act, 2013. Statutory adjudication of payment disputes The Construction Contracts Act, 2013 also introduced, for the first time in Ireland, a statutory right to refer a payment dispute for adjudication. A ‘notice of intention’ to refer a payment dispute for adjudication must be served by one of the parties to the payment dispute. The parties may then jointly agree to appoint an adjudicator of their own choice, within a five-day period. However, if the parties cannot reach agreement on who to appoint, an application may be made after the five-day period to the Chair of the Construction Contracts Adjudication Panel, Dr Nael Bunni, to request the appointment of an adjudicator to the dispute. The appointed adjudicator, whether appointed by agreement of the parties or by the Chair, is required to reach a decision on the dispute within 28 days. This period may be extended in certain circumstances.   Pat Breen TD is Minister of State at the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.

Large customers are good for business, but can stretch your cash flow.  By Peter Brady Have you recently received a ‘polite letter’ from your US multinational corporation (MNC) customer advising of a stretch in your credit terms from 30 days to 90 plus? Or, indeed, from any of your MNC customers? In recent years, the extension of MNC credit terms has become business as usual across the globe but for SMEs, it is anything but business as usual. Think about it. How would an extension of credit terms impact on your cash flow and projections this year? And what are the implications for your growth strategy in 2020 and beyond? Winning a contract with a large MNC is a measure of success for established SMEs. However, an extension of credit terms can feel like a double-edged sword as it puts excessive strain on cash flow. Why does it matter? A strain on your cash flow can have many implications, all of them negative. The first impact is on your suppliers – they expect payment in 30 days. There is an immediate gap in cash flow and you are unlikely to have sufficient sway with your suppliers to realign. This could mean: You are not in a position to fund the initial costs of fulfilling contracts; Pressure is placed on your existing supplier relationships in the form of increased risk around quality, timely delivery and higher prices; Capacity to deliver on-time to customers is affected; and Ability to grow the business at pace is limited. The lost opportunity  It may seem obvious, but having cash tied up in debtors with long credit terms is a fundamental challenge for most SMEs. If SMEs could access this cash early, it would give a distinct competitive advantage when negotiating terms with key suppliers. Think of what you could do if your invoices were paid on day one, not day 90. First, you could pay your suppliers early, enhance the relationship and ultimately secure better terms. Second, you could deploy funds into driving new customer acquisition and fund new business tenders with the comfort of cash flow certainty. So what do you do? You have two options: 1. You could try to negotiate: know where you stand in your customer’s eyes. Do your products or services play an important role in their success? Is your product or service critical to their delivery? Even so, unless you are the sole producer of a key strategic element, there’s another company out there to potentially replace you. Alternatively, your customer might offer softer credit terms in exchange for a pricing discount – but cutting margins is an extremely expensive source of finance and unlikely to be recovered. This course of action doesn’t make good business sense, as it is a race to the bottom. 2. Look at funding options to bridge the gap: the financial market is developing all the time to reflect the needs of business. For decades, when Ireland’s SMEs needed to fill the cash flow gap left by extended credit terms, they had limited choices – commercial overdrafts, short-term lending or an invoice discounting facility. That may have been adequate in the past but such is the success, ambition and global reach of Irish SMEs across all sectors today, this range of funding options falls short of their requirements. Commercial overdrafts are harder to secure and are generally seen as an unreliable method of funding, not directly aligned to the changing requirements of a business. Similarly, short-term lending is onerous to put in place and comes with significant levels of conditionality. An invoice discounting facility continues to plug the cash flow gap for many SMEs in Ireland. However, invoice discounting facilities are operationally clunky and carry significant fixed and hidden costs and limitations. They are therefore not really fit for purpose for today’s SMEs. Many SMEs often have a small number of key strategic customers in their sales mix. Supported by government bodies such as Enterprise Ireland, Ireland’s SMEs have a global footprint. Exporting is crucial to scalable business success, and not just to Western Europe. SMEs are securing contracts across the globe – US, Canada, EMEA and Asia. Invoice discounting facility For years, the invoice discounting facility has serviced working capital funding requirements. However, the facility comes with three major limitations: The facility limit; Geographical restrictions; and Debtor concentration risk limits. The facility limit At the outset, SMEs are subjected to a long and onerous process to get approval for the invoice discounting facility. Fair enough, you may say, as this is effectively a loan and it follows that the bank providing it decides how much the facility is for. SMEs must enter into a long-term commitment, often saddled with non-usage charges or exit fees. SMEs must also pay credit insurance and sign a personal guarantee – something entrepreneurs have grown to fear. Geographical restrictions Exporting to the UK? Great. Exporting to United States (US)? Not so great. Country risk and the law of the land plays a major role in how traditional lenders assess the risk and granting of facility limits. If the country in which your customer is located is outside of what is considered in banking terms to be palatable, funding limits and exclusions will apply. Debtor concentration risk limits The most common reason for restricting funding under an invoice discounting facility remains customer or debtor concentration. It applies when an SME becomes over-exposed to a single debtor. The debtor could be a large household brand name, but traditional lenders must impose facility limit restrictions. For SMEs, it is somewhat ironic that the more business you do with a key customer, the more your funding is limited. So, back to your US multinational extending its credit terms. You’ve worked tirelessly to win this business, but you can’t sustain 90 days’ credit and this customer accounts for over 60% of your debtor book. Your business needs: Consistent certainty of funding, without any limit relating to geography or debtors; Funders who recognise the strength of your business model and the substance of the underlying transactions; and Access to working capital to scale your business globally. Market and product innovation Invoice, purchase order and recurring revenue trading are collectively known as “receivables trading”. Receivables trading ticks all the boxes. It enables SMEs to leverage their customer relationships. By selling invoices and future invoices (purchase orders) to a pool of capital market funders, SMEs can access finance when they need it. What difference do capital market funders make? The funders are capital market institutional funders, pension funds, corporates and sophisticated investors – and there is a large pool of these funders. The fact that there is not just one entity, but a pool of funders purchasing the receivables (invoices or purchase orders) eliminates the requirement for imposing concentration or geographic limits on the SME. It extinguishes the need for any commitment, lock-ins or fixed costs. At no stage is there an ask for a personal guarantee. This funding solution puts control back into the hands of SMEs and allows them to decide when they need to access funding on their terms – a liberating benefit. How does it work? Receivables trading is available via an online platform. A pool of institutional funders (the buyers) are members of the platform. SMEs (the seller) uploads their invoice or purchase order and the buyers purchase them. The model is ideally suited to established SMEs with MNC or sovereign debtors. The SME can use the online platform in conjunction with their existing facility by carving out specific debtors from the invoice discounting facility. In conclusion Business is constantly changing and working capital funding has caught up. Alternative funding where sellers and buyers connect directly via an online platform is fast becoming the norm. With this funding solution, SMEs can tender for business of any scale globally – confident that they can fund the upfront costs. It’s a gamechanger for most. According to the Central Bank Survey of SMEs, which was published in January 2019, the top two reasons for credit applications were working capital, and growth and development. ISME’s quarterly business survey reveals that 70% of Ireland’s SMEs still rely solely on traditional bank funding. In Europe, it’s only 30%. Alternative funding is the future of funding. Peter Brady FCA is Co-Founder and CFO at InvoiceFair.

When it comes to finance process outsourcing, how do we keep up with industry trends? By Sinead Donovan Whether an organisation uses an in-house shared services centre (SSC) or external service provider, outsourcing has become a familiar concept to many of us in industry and professional services settings. It is no longer a new idea when it comes to finance and non-core process solutions. Long gone are the days when terms such as SSC and business process outsourcing (BPO) were treated as an innovation. Rather, it has become a finance strategy staple for most mature and growing multinationals. The first outsourced centre in Ireland opened its doors in 1995 – an SSC of a large US multinational. Others quickly followed suit and there was an explosion of SSCs across Ireland supporting multinational organisations globally. Many have since moved away from the Irish market, or made a complete turnaround by transforming their services in the last number of years. This is a natural progression in the lifecycle of outsourcing and service transformation. Coinciding with this evolution, a new era of outsourcing has emerged which is a very interesting and indicative trend. Traditionally outsourced services concentrated on high volume and low complexity, non-value-add processing tasks – be that booking of accounts payable invoices or entering pre-approved journal vouchers. A typical offering comprised of three main functions: accounts payable (AP), accounts receivable (AR) and general ledger (GL). While you may have occasionally found other support functions (think of master data management), this was not standard practice in the early days. Business partner Some 20 years on, the situation is rapidly changing. SSCs and BPOs are now expected to remain relevant while delivering valuable services to the parent company or clients they serve. With the increase of automation and technology, there is decreased need for support of high volume, low complexity tasks. Instead, there is an increased requirement for higher value-add analytical services. System transitions and implementations, process improvement and historical issue resolution are among the services now provided by BPO teams across professional services and SSCs alike. Additional value-add supports sought by the parent company or client now include financial planning and analysis, advice on enterprise resource planning (ERP) and business combinations. If we were to sum up this trend in one sentence, ‘a move from processor to business partner’ seems the most fitting. From a business perspective, what do companies look for when transforming their finance function? It seems that demands placed on service providers have evolved from what they would have been some 20 years ago, when the main consideration was which finance process could be outsourced using a straightforward ‘lift and shift’ model. Today, this approach has changed. Many businesses are undergoing systems and process transformation. Thus, shared services providers need to take that into account and adjust their solutions to add real value and innovation. This is often done by utilising technology, robotic process automation (RPA) or artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle all the repetitive and high volume tasks while allowing employees to concentrate on process improvement, in-depth analysis of big data, and key risk areas instead. Looking to the future With this trend, it is easy to see that the key to success for any SSC or BPO service provider – especially those in a professional services environment – is to remain relevant and to continue looking for new ways to improve efficiency, add value and innovate. Exactly how to stay relevant is, of course, a bigger question. It can be easy to get lost in multitudes of considerations, trying to keep up with changing attitudes and demands. While there is no doubt that continuous improvement and development is important to successful client-provider relationships, there is another more subtle – but equally important – aspect that should be given just as much attention. Indeed, it is especially relevant in the professional services setting. Mutual trust in the relationship between provider and client can be the deciding factor in the success or failure of a project. Both parties should be committed to the mutually beneficial collaboration that allows BPO providers to continue adding value and evolving to support clients or parent companies – all with a view to remaining relevant in this dynamic market. Sinead Donovan FCA is a Partner in Financial Accounting and Advisory Services at Grant Thornton.

Work-life balance can have enormous value in any organisation,  but meeting the needs of a broad spectrum of employees is more art than science. By Ed Heffernan For well over a decade now, work-life balance has been part of the conversation. The 2019 Leinster Society Salary Survey cited, perhaps unsurprisingly, that 86% of respondents said it was a key factor when considering an external move. Surprisingly, however, some 52% of respondents cited they would sacrifice up to 10% of their financial reward for better work-life balance. What is this mysterious, evasive thing that the majority of accountants would take a pay cut for? How is work-life balance defined? Sometimes things are more easily defined by what they are not, rather than what they are. Here’s an example: Work-life balance does not mean equality between work hours and non-work hours; Work-life balance does not necessarily mean working fewer hours than you are working now; Work-life balance is not a one-size-fits-all matter; it means different things to different people and will have a varied meaning over time for each individual; and Work-life balance means different things to different generations; for some, it’s a nice-to-have while for others, it’s an expectation. More often than not, work-life balance comes down to three things – flexibility, achievement and enjoyment. Flexibility is doing your job at the times that work for you. We all have different commutes and different responsibilities outside of work; the employers that recognise this as a fact of life are the ones who retain their people for longer and get more return for their people’s time. For example, some employers will: Allow some degree of flexibility on start and finish times to allow for commutes, family responsibilities, sports commitments or even to make sure that when someone needs to finish a little early, they feel that they can; Allow people to work from “not the office” and trust that they will. Numerous studies suggest that the worst possible place for employee productivity is the workplace – there are just too many distractions. Enabling certain types of work, especially the type of work that requires uninterrupted focused activity, to be conducted outside of the office can lead to substantial  increases in productivity; and Giving a little can mean gaining a lot. If one of your team has a medical appointment or another one-off event, allowing them the freedom to be away from the desk without deducting the time from their holidays, or stating that they have to make the time up, can have enormous reciprocal effects in the future. Small, random acts of kindness are more powerful than any policy. There is a catch, though. Even if a company does manage to create a flexible working environment, it is still not going to please all of the people all of the time. When it comes to flexibility, some people at certain stages in their life will need a little more; others a little less. Implicit to the flexibility component of work-life balance is that it means different things to different people at different stages. Companies that create a culture of flexibility as opposed to enforcement often get the best results. Achievement is the cornerstone of human ambition. Everyone needs to have a clear understanding of what they need to achieve in their role and to be recognised when this achievement occurs. This can be weekly, monthly or even annually. It must be measurable in some way and it must be recognised, either intrinsically (for example, a simple ‘thank you’ for a job well done) or extrinsically (for example, some type of financial reward – a token, an unexpected gesture, a bonus, or even a salary increase). Everyone needs to feel that they are achieving something in their role and it is ultimately up to their direct manager to ensure that achievements are recognised. Those who feel they are achieving something tend to feel like they have work-life balance and in many cases, they feel this way regardless of the hours they work. Enjoyment is a less tangible, but equally important, part of work-life balance. Enjoyment does not just mean having fun – that’s only part of it. Enjoyment has a much wider definition when it comes to work-life balance. It’s how you feel about what you do; it’s how it feels to work in your team; it’s feeling that you are working towards a shared goal; it’s respecting and learning from the people you work with; it’s celebrating success and learning from failure with your colleagues; it’s the opportunity to help others learn; it’s the opportunity to work in a business that you believe in for a cause you admire; and it’s a whole lot more. Flexibility and achievement are the easy ones to define and create a policy for – enjoyment is the piece that is really personal, and the piece that many managers often get wrong. Work-life balance can have enormous value in any organisation. Get the mix of flexibility, achievement and enjoyment right, and your people will work harder, be happier, be more productive and will stay longer. Get it wrong these days, and you will end up with the opposite. It’s that easy. Why authentic leaders listen For some people, it isn’t the work component that creates the imbalance; it’s the life component. At certain times, we all come under stresses that have nothing to do with work. Some people make work the escape from these stresses; other people bring these life stresses into the workplace with sometimes devastating consequences. People don’t change without reason. If someone on your team begins to submit work that isn’t up to their usual standard, uncharacteristically misses multiple deadlines or just seems ‘off form’ in the office, don’t get annoyed – get curious. Sometimes it might just be listening; sometimes it might be arranging some extra flexibility or a reduced workload on a temporary basis. Regardless of the situation, every time you engage and, where you can, offer to take action, you will not only make a difference for that person, but you will create longer lasting, deeper bonds between yourself and your team. You can create the space your people need when life causes an imbalance. And from experience, that’s where the real magic happens. It’s easy to ignore the problem, but it takes bravery to ask the question. Which type of leader are you?   Ed Heffernan is Managing Partner at Barden Accounting and Tax.

With Budget 2020 fast approaching, what – if anything – could be on the table from a tax perspective? By Peter Vale & Oliver O'Connor At the time of writing, the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure & Reform, Paschal Donohoe TD, had already flagged that we can expect little by way of tax cuts in the upcoming Budget. So, from a tax perspective, are we looking at a damp squib or could there be a mix of tax cuts and increases that net to zero? And if so, who are the winners and losers likely to be? Income tax In the authors’ view, we will see some modest tax cuts next month benefiting primarily lower and middle income earners, with higher earners likely to see some of this cut back – perhaps via a restriction in tax credits. Depending on the scale of the adjustment for higher earners, this could mean they see a net decrease in take-home pay with all other taxpayers seeing a modest increase. So, in summary, we don’t expect to see much either way in terms of income tax adjustments, with lower and middle income earners likely to be the main beneficiaries of any cuts. We also don’t expect to see any longer term statement committing to a reduction in our high marginal tax rates of 52% and 55% for employees and self-employed respectively. Nor should we expect to see a broadening of the tax base; indeed, successive budgets have taken more and more people out of the tax net. The concept of broadening the tax base was a recommendation of the Commission on Taxation report almost 10 years ago, but it has not been embraced by governments since. While the idea of more people paying a little has merits, it is unlikely to be a vote winner. Pensions and investments On the investment side, we are all aware that deposit rates are derisory at present and unlikely to increase any time soon. We are also very keenly aware (as is the Government) that there is a potential pensions time-bomb in the coming decades. The auto-enrolment regime, planned for the early 2020s, is a step towards ensuring that people are more sufficiently funded from a pension perspective and thus, not as dependant on State support in their later years. To this end, it is crucial that the current pension rules are not adjusted (downwards) but rather, that all are maintained at a minimum. A possible concession, which would be of long-term benefit to all, would be to increase the net relevant earnings from the current €115,000 to even €125,000. Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurs would ideally like to be given an increase in the Entrepreneur Relief from €1,000,000 to a more substantial figure. As importantly, they would like to know that there is a roadmap over the coming three to five years to bring this relief more in line with our near neighbours, which is 10 times greater than our current level. We pride ourselves in being the best small country in which to do business, enabling this crucial economic grouping to thrive and create yet more economic prosperity for the country as a whole. Corporate tax We know for certain that new transfer pricing legislation will be introduced in October. The new provisions will implement 2017 OECD guidelines into Irish law and also make certain other changes. While the nature of the other changes is still uncertain, it is very likely that transfer pricing will be extended to non-trading transactions, in particular where tax is being avoided. Certain grandfathering provisions for arrangements in place in 2010 will be removed while it is also possible that transfer pricing will be extended in some form to SMEs. Ireland is also obliged under EU law to bring in anti-hybrid legislation on 1 January 2020, which broadly prevents deductions for payments that are not taxed elsewhere. A further change required under EU law is to restrict tax relief for interest to 30% of a company’s EBITA. At the time of writing, it is still unclear whether this legislation will be in place at 1 January 2020. It should be noted that there will be a de minimis limit (expected to be roughly €3 million), group provisions and certain other carve-outs from the scope of the new legislation. Other changes We don’t expect to see significant changes in the VAT space. There isn’t the fiscal space to provide a VAT reduction to a specific sector (similar to the lower rate previously provided to the hospitality sector), while our headline rate is already relatively high and hence not likely to be used as a revenue-raising measure. It would be positive to see some targeted tax reliefs introduced in the Budget, despite the negative press that some of these reliefs have received in the past. However, sensible tailored reliefs have a role. Improvements to some of the existing reliefs should also be considered. Overall, it is possible that this Budget will be seen as a damp squib. But the devil will be in the detail and there is an opportunity to make changes that will bolster key sectors of our economy. Peter Vale FCA is Tax Partner at Grant Thornton. Oliver O’Connor FCA is Partner, Private Client and Wealth Management at Grant Thornton.

Paul Duffy, Ding’s new Head of Finance, discusses his move from practice to industry and life in an entrepreneur-led environment. What enticed you to move from practice to industry? I spent 10 years at PwC. I worked in the audit practice in Dublin for five years, specialising in the technology and telecommunications industries. I then spent the next five years working in the deals practice in Boston, advising private equity and corporate clients on their M&A deal execution. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, I felt a move to a new industry would provide a fresh challenge. I’ve always wanted to work for an entrepreneur-led company in the technology sector and, preferably, one going through a period of accelerated growth. Ding seemed like a good fit all round. What does your new role at Ding entail?  As head of finance, my role covers a wide remit. My colleagues in finance are much more than retrospective number-counters at Ding. The team is central to how Ding functions. It is a complicated machine, due in no small part to the number of jurisdictions in which it operates. I also oversee the financial operations function, which comprises a team of 15 employees in Dublin, London, Barcelona, Paris, New Jersey, Florida, Dubai and Dhaka. Our financial operations team acts as a business partner to our business development team, so the tasks can vary from on-boarding and negotiating with new mobile operators to implementing new systems to support business growth. What do you find most challenging about your role? It is probably the demands that come with having such an international business. Ding operates in more than 140 countries and works across multiple time zones, in over 100 currencies, and across a myriad of complex regulatory environments. This brings its challenges. It’s been an adjustment just getting used to the various time zones and holiday schedules alone. We sell operator airtime so we hold stock for over 500 operators around the world, which the finance team manages. To facilitate this, we buy and sell in multiple currencies every day, and we need to forecast demand to determine stock levels.  Describe your typical day. Given the international nature of our business and the demands that brings, no two work days are the same. I try to start off the day with a quick gym session, then to the office. I tend to catch up with our CFO mid-morning to discuss the status of ongoing finance projects and the latest business performance. Each day, I try to speak with our various teams around the world so I have to work within the time zones. Before lunch, I usually have a video call with Dubai to chat through any issues or ongoing projects. In Ding, we try to promote collaboration across different business functions. I’m a believer in doing things face-to-face where possible and we have an in-house barista and coffee bar, so it’s a nice place for regular meetings with colleagues. In the afternoon, I could be working through the key commercial terms of a new customer agreement with legal, or meeting with business development to discuss things like banking and tax requirements for a new region. In the evening, I usually log on to answer emails from our US team, who are often on the road meeting potential new customers. What traits do you value most in your colleagues? Intellectual curiosity, which isn’t always encouraged as people come up through the ranks in finance. In today’s business world, speed and efficiency are often a key focus but possessing an intellectual curiosity encourages critical thinking and ultimately yields better results for the business. Flexibility is another trait that I value. In a fast-paced environment such as Ding, deadlines and targets change frequently and having the ability to be flexible and agile is important. It makes for a better team player, and a better partner for customers. What is your best piece of business advice? Build a meaningful network.