Cormac Lucey outlines his suggestions for an election manifesto that, he believes, would protect and sustain the Irish economy into the future  This June, voters in the Republic will go to the polls to vote in local and European elections. What would represent a sensible pro-business agenda to promote in these elections? Here are my ideas: 1. Tackling skewed public debate While media debate understandably focuses on public questions that often revolve around public spending, the simple fact of the matter is that far more people work in the private sector than in the public sector.  CSO data indicates that, at the end of 2023, just 20 percent of employees worked in the public sector. Given that the private sector generates our income and our wealth, why are its concerns so overlooked in public debate?  2. Cutting down on public spending High public spending, even through the exchequer, is heavily dependent on tax revenues from the multinational sector. My estimates suggest that in 2022, just over half of Ireland’s total tax take came directly (corporation tax) and indirectly (PAYE, VAT, etc.) from the foreign direct investment (FDI) sector.  Even though some of these FDI tax revenue streams may prove temporary, the Irish State has entered ongoing spending commitments based on the assumption that they will continue indefinitely.  3. Promoting indigenous business Economic and commercial policy should be primarily directed at promoting the indigenous sector. Our current national prosperity depends on revenue streams from FDI that are ultimately controlled by people outside the State. We should use those streams to invest in our future and build up our economic capacity.  4. Holding public officials to account The primary job of elected political officials is to hold unelected public officials to account. The recent RTÉ saga has, at its heart, been a story about the failure of those who were supposedly directing the organisation to adequately hold executive management to account. Was the lack of managerial accountability at RTÉ an exception or the rule? I fear it was the rule. 5. Improving State performance Why is State performance so lamentably weak across so many important areas? When we examine the public management of key national issues – such as housing, health, crime and immigration – our leaders demonstrate powerlessness and ineffectiveness.  Confronted by a complex web of constraints – managerial, legal, administrative and economic – public service leaders have repeatedly displayed a worrying incapacity. 6. Reducing public sector pay Why are Irish public servants paid so much? In the fourth quarter of 2023, public sector workers were paid, on average, €35.08 per hour. This was 32.6 percent more per hour than the €26.45 their private sector counterparts received.  These figures are before we take into account the gold-plated pensions public sector workers get. 7. Curbing inflated costs Ireland was named the most expensive country in the EU for goods and services by Eurostat in June 2023, with prices a staggering 46 percent higher than the average across the bloc. How can the State address the high costs of the Irish economy if it is the direct cause of high costs? The focus of Irish politics needs to change. It seems to me that our political class is looking in the wrong direction. Rather than investing in the future, it is focused on short-term results. A new approach is needed. *Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column published in the April/May 2024 issue of Accountancy Ireland are the author’s own. The views of contributors to Accountancy Ireland may differ from official Institute policies and do not reflect the views of Chartered Accountants Ireland, its Council, its committees, or the editor.  Cormac Lucey is an economic commentator and lecturer at Chartered Accountants Ireland

The Gender Balance Working Group, a sub group of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, focuses on issues related to gender equality, advocates for and supports the female members of Chartered Accountants Ireland The need for advocates for women in the Irish workforce stretches right back to the marriage bar in the Republic of Ireland.  The marriage bar required women to leave the labour force once they were married and the consequences of this legislation have lived long in the Irish psyche, affecting all women.  As Ireland strives to achieve greater equality for women, the Gender Balance Working Group is ideally placed to advocate for female Chartered Accountants in the profession. As a voluntary member-led working group, our personal and professional experience plays a central role in shaping our ongoing dialogue.  Raising awareness of the need for equitable opportunities for women – including equitable access to employment, compensation and development opportunities – comes at a pivotal moment, following the Government’s introduction of gender pay reporting metrics designed to close the gender pay gap in Ireland.  The Gender Balance Working Group supports Chartered Accountants Ireland’s recognition of International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated annually on 8 March both nationally and internationally.  This year’s IWD celebrations marked the launch of the Women’s Mentoring Circle, an exciting new career support service, providing a space for women in the Chartered Accountancy profession to connect and collaborate. The first Mentoring Circle will take place at Chartered Accountants House, 47–49 Pearse Street, Dublin 2, at 5pm on Thursday, 18 April. The Gender Balance Working Group also seeks to address issues ranging from the need to break down biases impeding women’s ability to climb the career ladder, to the challenges women face when trying to balance professional and personal responsibilities and ambitions. Ultimately, we want to do all we can to improve the representation of female diversity in the Irish workforce.  Our working group has run a series of events, both in-person and virtual, inviting female Chartered Accountants to share their experiences: why they have chosen the profession; the career challenges they have faced; and their advice for the next generation coming behind them.  A recurring series in Accountancy Ireland called ‘My Story So Far’ continues to feature the stories and insights of a range of established and successful female Chartered Accountants. Its aim is to demonstrate to others that they should never feel as if they are taking on challenges in isolation.  The Gender Balance Working Group will continue to listen, and respond to, the needs, views and priorities of the female members of Chartered Accountants Ireland.  Equality is a journey, not a destination. It is important that the work this group is doing today sets a precedent for the next group of advocates to take on and advance further.  To find out more about the Gender Balance Working Group and other D&I resources, visit: charteredaccountants.ie/diversity-and-inclusion  

Maria O’Connell talks to Accountancy Ireland about how, through resilience, adaptability and the support of a strong female network, she has achieved career success I decided to become a Chartered Accountant when I was 16 after reading an accountancy career brochure. I didn’t know any Chartered Accountants at that stage and my school didn’t teach business subjects.  When I was growing up in Cork in the 1980s, career opportunities were scarce and often viewed through the lens of emigration. Qualifying as a Chartered Accountant seemed to offer an exciting career path with many opportunities, travel options and income security.  I qualified with PwC in 1989. The foundational skills underpinning my career – business management, communication, problem solving and technical knowledge – were laid during these years.  The Chartered Accountants Ireland training programme nurtured a highly transferable and versatile skillset, which has been integral to my career success.  Drawing on my bank of achievements  Keen to travel, I moved to PwC in Milan, Italy, in 1989. I learned to speak and work in Italian, integrated into a new working environment and experienced a beautiful country, people and culture. Then, in 1992, I interviewed for a junior finance role with JP Morgan in Milan but was offered the role of Bond Settlements Manager. I had no experience working in the Italian government bond market – a prerequisite for such a role.  However, the Director of Operations at JP Morgan in Milan was a Chartered Accountant and understood the value of my training and related skills. He could see an alternative approach to filling the position.  I took a chance and moved into this entirely unknown world. The job was exciting, challenging, fascinating and demanding. I loved every minute of it. My role at JP Morgan was the start of an exciting career journey, leading me to other incredibly fulfilling financial services roles in Italy and Ireland – roles that rarely followed the traditional accountancy career pathway. When I returned to Dublin in 1994, I focused my job search on companies in the developing International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) and that took me into the asset management industry. Always curious and genuinely interested in people, I continually seek new challenges and opportunities to add value and learn. These traits have propelled me to leadership positions covering strategic, business-critical, transformational and governance initiatives in global-facing organisations, such as Bank of Ireland Securities Services, Bank of Ireland Asset Management, Irish Funds and State Street Global Advisors. I have also been extremely privileged to work with highly talented people with vision and foresight who have always focused on my abilities, experience and potential. These role models provided me with precious opportunities for further development. Of course, I also encountered hurdles as I navigated my way, but every hard-earned success added to my internal bank of achievements, which I draw on to this day when my confidence falters or a challenge seems insurmountable. I remind myself routinely that I can do anything I put my mind to. As women, I think we often tend to focus on what we can’t do rather than what we can. Drawing strength from our bank of achievements will always direct us to our ‘can-dos’. Aligning my career with my life priorities  By 2004, I had three children aged six, eight and 10, and a fourth on the way. I decided to take a career break to focus on my family.  This decision was tough as I had invested so much in my career. Despite having a husband who shared the family workload and a flexible employer, I felt I was always letting someone down – my children, colleagues or clients.  Every family is different and we make our choices based on our unique set of circumstances. My decision to take a career break at that time was the choice that worked best for my family and me. Throughout my career, I have always tried to align my career with my life priorities. This choice was one of many steps on that alignment pathway.  Rebooting my career When I decided to return to work in 2013, my first port of call was Karin Lanigan, Head of Members Experience at Chartered Accountants Ireland, who gave me practical advice and guidance. I was lucky to secure a place on the first Reboot Your Career Programme, run by the Institute to support those returning to the workplace.  The course was invaluable in providing me with the confidence, toolkit and ready-made network to kick off my job search and set me on the next stage of my career journey.  It was not easy to return to the workplace after a nine-year break. Colleagues had passed me out on the promotion ladder, and the world of financial services had changed significantly following the financial crisis of 2008. I faced a very steep learning curve.  I was determined to learn as much as possible, however, concentrating on what I could achieve rather than on others who had moved ahead of me.  All the traits that had propelled my career forward in the past, resurfaced and I was able to move forward again in a senior leadership role at the EU headquarters of one of the largest asset managers in the world.  My advice to anyone rebooting their career would be to leverage the supports available from Chartered Accountants Ireland, your own network and to tap into your existing bank of achievements.  Don’t compare your career with others; focus on your own motivations, what you want to achieve and then go for it. The power of the female network As a trainee Chartered Accountant, many of my new female friendships evolved quickly into a highly supportive and powerful network in which experiences, challenges and solutions were openly shared.  This precious network of women, built up over many years, now extends to diverse roles and disciplines beyond the accountancy profession as well as different generations and geographies.  Building positive relationships as we move throughout our lives ensures that we stay connected with each other – and that we are not merely connections on a list.  None of us signed up to this network ‘overtly’, but we all understand the unwritten rule that anytime we reach out for advice, we will find support. Our natural empathy as women, innate ability to connect with and learn from each other and openness to share experiences are powerful tools in driving and embedding change. More women are holding senior decision-making roles, yet we are still navigating structures designed to cater to a single gender order.  Our networks are critical in harnessing our collective strengths as we and our male colleagues reimagine more equitable, diverse and inclusive structures.  I am grateful to be part of a network of diverse, insightful, talented and kind women. Our networks are intrinsic drivers of positive change and sustain us through tough times. Key lessons as a Chartered Accountant My career as a Chartered Accountant has far surpassed anything my 16-year-old self could have dreamed of. A kaleidoscope of experiences has gifted me these key lessons: Seek out those exciting, diverse, non-traditional roles. Don’t let others discourage you.  Stay curious, always looking for new challenges and new things to learn. Draw strength from your bank of achievements. You can do anything you want to.  Periodically assess how your career aligns with your life priorities. Don’t be afraid to make changes when they fall out of sync. Focus on what you want to achieve and what motivates you. Don’t compare your career with those of others. Value, nurture and leverage your female network. It is a precious resource.  Enjoy the journey. It will take you to amazing places. Maria O’Connell  B.Comm., DPA, FCA, is a consultant specialising in board governance and business strategy. She was formerly Vice President of Business Strategy and Governance at State Street Global Advisors Europe Limited

Sustainability credentials are big business in 2024, but not all are genuine. Dee Moran looks at ongoing EU efforts to curb greenwashing through regulation Over the last number of years, investors, consumers and regulators have put companies under increasing pressure to be ‘green’.  Being green is big business. Consumers will pay a premium for sustainable products and investors are increasingly looking to invest in companies that are perceived as sustainable. Banks also want to lend to businesses showing green credentials.   This desire to be ‘green’ has, unfortunately, led to some entities not being wholly truthful about, or exaggerating, their green credentials. So-called ‘greenwashing’ has become so widespread that many stakeholders – including investors, regulators, consumers and company directors – are calling for action to curb it.  The latest PwC Investor Survey, published in January 2024, included responses from 345 investors and analysts in 30 countries – including 38 who invested in, or covered, companies in Ireland.   Ninety-seven percent of this 38-strong cohort believe that corporate reporting on sustainability performance contains unsupported claims. Globally, the corresponding figure stands at 94 percent.  The characteristics of greenwashing So, what is greenwashing? There is no global definition of ‘greenwashing’ but, in essence, it involves misleading consumers by giving a false impression of a product’s environmental impact or benefits.  It can be unintentional. One example is the use of vague and unspecific language, such as describing a product as ‘eco-friendly’ due to its use of recycled packaging while not conducting any actual research into the sustainability, or otherwise, of the raw materials used in that product.  Or, it can be intentional greenwashing, such as the Volkswagen scandal, whereby the German car manufacturer was found to have intentionally rigged its emissions testing to deliver greener results.  When this came to light in 2015, Volkswagen’s share price fell by 20 percent, wiping more than €13 billion off its capitalisation.  Greenwashing has become so prevalent that Planet Tracker, the UK-based sustainable finance think tank, has identified six distinct types: greencrowding; greenhushing; greenlabelling; greenlighting; greenrinsing; and greenshifting. Greencrowding is where an entity adopts a group initiative, such as forming an alliance, and then progresses at the pace of the slowest participant. While collaboration with other entities in a similar industry to create goals for sustainability initiatives can be beneficial, joint statements need to be clear about what will be achieved. Otherwise, tracking progress can become challenging. Greenhushing is where entities deliberately underplay, under-report or hide their environmental, social and governance (ESG) or green credentials to evade scrutiny because, for example, their sustainability practice might not be as impressive as claimed. Greenlabelling is where entities call a product or service ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ but there is no evidence to support the assertion. Greenlighting is where an entity focuses its marketing on a particularly green feature of its operations or products, diverting attention from other damaging environmental practices. Greenrinsing is where entities modify their ESG targets before they are achieved, thereby avoiding being held accountable for, or actually achieving, their goals. Greenshifting is when entities imply that the consumer is at fault and shift the blame on to them. The potential effects of greenwashing The effects of greenwashing vary from fairly harmless to potentially very serious.  The more consumers hear about greenwashing, the less likely they are to believe any green claims made by companies and organisations as is evidenced in the PwC Investor Survey, outlined above.  Consumers purchase sustainable goods and services to play their part in protecting the environment, but greenwashing disrupts this, and consumers become cynical.  Furthermore, entities engaging in greenwashing tactics potentially harm not just themselves, but all other entities engaging with sustainable practices and particularly those companies with genuine green products or operations. Once trust is lost, it is hard to regain.   EU actions to mitigate greenwashing Regulation to prevent greenwashing has, until recently, been limited. Much of the enforcement has been performed by advertising regulators who have moved to ban misleading greenwashing ads, for example.  In the UK, Unilever placed an advertisement claiming that Persil laundry detergent was ‘kinder to our planet’ but didn’t explain how and, consequently, it was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority on the basis that the claim was unsubstantiated.  The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) received 28 complaints about a sponsored article in which a celebrity referred to the use of the Land Rover Defender as “planting the seeds of a more sustainable life”.  This was held to be in breach of the ASAI Code on the basis that “evidence demonstrating that the vehicle justified being associated with sustainability claims, albeit qualified, has not been submitted.”   Where the article asserted that “mild hybrid tech cuts down on the amount of fuel,” the ASAI found that this was likely to mislead consumers due to the omission of a comparison with any other mode of transport. The ASAI then concluded that the claim should not be used again in its current format. The European Union (EU) is very focused on reducing greenwashing and lending transparency to corporate behaviour. Some of the regulations that have been – or are in the process of being – approved are outlined below. Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation The EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), introduced in 2021, requires financial market participants and financial advisors to evaluate and disclose sustainability-related data and policies at entity, service and product level.   The aim is to provide standardisation of the language used and to categorise investment products by how sustainable they are. Disclosure requirements are applied to each category.    Under the SFDR, all funds are classified into one of three categories: Article 6 Funds need not incorporate any sustainability information into the investment process (for example, oil producers). Article 8 Funds should promote environmental characteristics and have good governance practices.   Article 9 Funds should make a positive impact on society or the environment through sustainable investment and have a non-financial objective at the core of their offering.  In its February 2024 Regulatory and Supervisory Outlook Report, the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) referred to “a new phenomenon of understating how green a product is, known as ‘green bleaching’”.  Green bleaching can occur where a fund management company does not want to risk non-compliance with the more onerous requirements of Article 9.  Therefore, it categorises a fund under a category with less onerous requirements, which results in inaccurate disclosures.   The CBI report also highlighted one of the priority initiatives in addressing climate change and net-zero transition as “scrutinising and mitigating the risk of greenwashing in the promotion and sale of financial products to investors”. The EU Taxonomy Regulation The EU Taxonomy Regulation is a classification system establishing a list of environmentally sustainable economic activities; essentially, a common language for everyone.  It establishes six environmental objectives: Climate change mitigation; Climate change adaptation; Sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources; Transition to a circular economy; Pollution prevention and control; and Protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems.  In order to be considered aligned with the taxonomy, an entity must adhere to at least one of the environmental objectives and the related technical criteria, do no significant harm to the other objectives and meet minimum safeguards regarding human and labour rights. Disclosure obligations will apply from 1 January 2024 with respect to the 2023 financial year. In theory, this should create security for investors and help companies become more climate friendly. It should also prevent market fragmentation – something that has caused issues in the past. Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive In terms of reporting, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) – which commenced on 1 January 2024 for certain companies – is focused on improving transparency, particularly with the disclosures required to be made under the directive.  While it has not been stated that the CSRD will specifically prevent greenwashing, it will make greenwashing more difficult, given the significant requirements of the directive. These include the following: The framework underpinning the CSRD is the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), which is a set of 12 standards covering ESG metrics. Entities will have to report on their ESG metrics, as will their competitors, making information more comparable and therefore more transparent and less prone to exaggeration, omission or suppression. The requirement to complete a double materiality assessment whereby a company must consider its impact, not only from a financial perspective, but also from the perspective of its impact on people and the environment. • There are a significant number of additional requirements over and above those required under the Non-Financial Reporting Directive or the voluntary frameworks, both quantitative and qualitative, which will leave less room for ambiguity and the individual interpretation of sustainability information. Mandatory independent assurance of company ESG information will be required under the CSRD. Initially, this will be limited assurance, but it is expected that reasonable assurance will be required by 2028. Therefore, companies will need to ensure that they have in place appropriate processes and controls – similar to financial reporting – so that they are in a position to comply with the new regulatory obligations. The requirement for external assurance should, above all, bring with it the trust investors have been looking for. As a single framework, the CSRD will bring increased comparability to ESG reporting, greatly assisted by the mandatory electronic XBRL tagging of the report. Investors will now be able to compare information provided by companies and make investment decisions based on this information, which will be more granular in nature, thereby offering a higher level of detail.  Draft Green Claims Directive The Green Claims Directive is the latest piece of regulation introduced by the EU to tackle greenwashing and is an important step in increasing transparency and trust in relation to environmental claims.  The European Commission first proposed this directive in March 2023 following the publication of a joint report by the European Parliament’s environment and internal market committees.  The report followed a European study in 2020, which found that more than 53 percent of environmental claims in the EU were misleading, vague or unfounded. The proposals for the Green Claims Directive include: Setting out detailed rules on substantiating and communicating explicit environmental claims; Ensuring that companies carry out an assessment to substantiate environmental claims on a host of requirements – if the claim concerns the whole product or a part of it, for example, reporting greenhouse gases offsets in a transparent way and looking at all significant environmental aspects and impacts; Potential penalties, such as a temporary exclusion from public procurement tenders or fines of at least four percent of annual turnover. The directive is due to come into force on a gradual basis, depending on company size, from 1 January 2026. Proactive approach All of these developments are very positive and demonstrate the EU’s proactive approach to regulating against greenwashing. The European Parliament’s rapporteur for the Environment Committee, Cyrus Engerer, has said, “it is time to put an end to greenwashing. Our agreement on this (Green Claims) text ends the proliferation of deceitful green claims which have tricked consumers for far too long.”   Regulation will work only if there is enforcement, however. Individual countries need to ensure that they have the processes in place to punish those who do not adhere to the regulations. Dee Moran is Professional Accountancy Lead with Chartered Accountants Ireland

Embracing a positive perspective is a key ingredient for personal wellbeing. Aaron O’Connell asks you to consider whether you’re a glass half full or glass half empty person, and he provides a useful exercise to help you view life with a different filter and to boost your well-being. Some questions for you to consider Do you have tendency to see things positively where you are focusing on the good things that happen around you, or do you focus on the negatives, those obstacles and problems you face?  If you have a to-do list and you manage to successfully complete 19 out of 20 things, are you happy about the long list of things you’ve accomplished, or are you upset about that one thing that you didn’t get to finish? It’s your choice A hundred good things (little highlights) and one bad thing (a little low-light) might happen during your day. You have the opportunity to appreciate and remember all the good things, or to focus only on the bad things. You can look at life through a different filter. Embracing a positive perspective One useful exercise I recommend to the athletes, students and business people I work with, and indeed practice myself every night at bedtime, is to recall seven positive things that happen during the day. It’s something I picked up from internationally acclaimed sport psychologist, Dr. Terry Orlick. Before you sleep, look back over your day chronologically and highlight those good things that happened. They don’t have to be major events. Little highlights will do. “I had a lovely breakfast.” “The sun was shining today.” “I got a call from a good friend.” “I went for a lovely walk today.” You could begin this exercise by recalling three positives and increase by one each time after a few days. Look for different ones each day. As Dr. Orlick would say, it’s like “using a yellow magic marker to highlight all the good things you do, see, hear, taste, feel, and learn in a day.” Even better, write them down in a journal or on your phone. You’ll get a buzz out of revisiting and re-reading these when you’ve had a tough day. Using a different filter and living with a positive perspective is like becoming your own best friend. It’ll change your outlook in life for the good. Challenge yourself to look for seven highlights a day. Once you start looking for them and finding them, your day and your life immediately become better. You’ll experience a boost in wellbeing along with an increase in gratitude. Aaron O’Connell is the owner of Mind Your Performance. He provides consultancy and training in mental skills, mental well-being, and performance enhancement for the education, business, and sports sector. Thrive is the Institute’s dedicated wellbeing hub which provides emotional and practical support to our members, students, and their family members for life. Should you find yourself in a difficult situation, the team at Thrive can help steer you through life’s ups and downs.  Talk to us today on mobile: (353) 86 024 3294 or email us.  

Niall May, the new Managing Partner of RSM Ireland, outlines his strategic plans for the firm at a pivotal point in its evolution Niall May, FCA, was appointed Managing Partner of RSM Ireland in January following the recent announcement of a strategic investment in the firm by RSM UK. A partner and Head of Audit at RSM Ireland for close to 10 years, May has more than 25 years’ experience in professional services. He succeeds John Glennon, one of RSM Ireland’s founding partners, who will remain with the firm as a board member and Head of Strategy. Here, May talks to Accountancy Ireland about RSM Ireland’s plans to accelerate investment in service offerings and increase its share of the middle market. Can you give us an overview of RSM Ireland as it stands currently? We have 200 employees and ambitions to grow our headcount significantly in the short term.  We are an independent member of RSM International, the world’s sixth largest network of assurance, tax and consulting firms, and our business is centred on three key service lines – audit, tax and consulting, with a particular focus on middle market businesses, both locally and globally.  We work with domestic and international clients across a range of sectors, particularly life sciences, financial services, public sector, technology and media and telecommunications.  More than 65 percent of our audit and tax clients are active globally. Key for us is delivering innovative services to help them achieve their business goals.  The strength of RSM globally means we can work with member firms in other countries to serve our global clients with a presence here in Ireland and our domestic clients active in overseas markets. Our consultancy business spans a wide range of solutions, which include transformation, HR and change, finance support solutions, forensic investigations, restructuring advisory, technology and corporate finance services.  It is my ambition as Managing Partner to position RSM Ireland as the advisor of choice to the middle market and drive competition in the professional services sector. Talk us through the firm’s evolution since it was established in 1987 as Ryan Glennon & Company. The firm was established nearly 40 years ago by John Glennon and Liam Ryan and continues to have deep roots in the Irish business community.  We made the strategic decision to join the RSM International network in 2016 and that has been a game-changer in the firm’s evolution.  The RSM International network spans 120 countries with over 64,000 people in more than 800 offices. It has a very wide reach, particularly in the key markets we serve globally. Since 2016, RSM Ireland has doubled in size in both turnover and headcount and we have significantly increased the strength and depth of our services.  Our view is that all business now is essentially global and Ireland, in particular, is a very open economy. RSM is also very integrated and collaborative across borders, so we benefit from sharing skills, insights and resources.  RSM International saw record year-on-year growth in revenue of 16 percent with global revenues of US$9.4 billion for the 12 months to December 2023, and a 13 percent increase in global headcount.  Over the same period, RSM Ireland achieved revenue and people growth of 19 percent and 21 percent respectively. Tell us about RSM UK’s recent investment in RSM Ireland. We announced the strategic investment from RSM UK in November 2023. It is very significant for us because it will drive greater access to talent, technology, support and the services we can offer the corporate market. It will accelerate our ability to create long-term growth and drive increased competition in the professional services sector in Ireland. It also underlines the wider confidence in Ireland’s economy and the opportunities that exist in this market.  As well as increasing our physical footprint, the investment gives us access to greater resources, while better positioning the firm to target investments, invest in talent and technology and offer new services.  It will also allow us to create more opportunities for our staff, both new and existing. We aim to increase our graduate intake this year to over 50 while also creating exciting opportunities for experienced hires. What are the biggest changes you have seen in your market since joining RSM Ireland?  While Ireland remains an attractive destination for global companies to locate, build and grow their businesses, we are facing challenges right now relating to our infrastructural capacity, housing and energy supply.  We need to accelerate our response to overcoming these challenges so that Ireland can remain competitive.  Within the accountancy market, we are seeing a definite trend towards consolidation. For RSM Ireland, we could see that the investment from RSM UK offered a natural route to supporting and accelerating our next phase of the growth of our business. What will your strategic priorities be in your new role?  Looking first at developments in the global economy, I see opportunities to further grow our international client base.  A key ambition is to expand our teams across all service lines and develop new services, particularly in response to rising demand for environmental, social and governance, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence services.   We will be looking to develop our sector expertise further across financial services, life sciences, technology and media and telecoms.  Building strength in our global network will also be key though the RSM International network and expanding our International Desk Programme in key markets including the US. For the accountants you employ, what emerging skills are you focusing on now to future-proof their roles?  Embracing technology and adapting to ongoing changes in the world of work is key for all professionals.  Accountants, in particular, are very good at understanding the latest changes and developments and, more importantly, understanding the wider developments in business operations and the related risks.  We invest quite significantly in supporting our people as they adopt new technologies, and we will continue to do so. This is key for our business, because we absolutely must be able to understand our clients’ needs, and support and bring value to their business through meaningful, in-depth knowledge. I anticipate greater sustained spend on technologies to support further process automation and data analytics. This will be key to enabling our people to deliver rich insights to help clients improve business performance and stay ahead of developments in their markets.  What are your expectations for the economy in Ireland and globally in the months ahead?  On a positive note, current trends and projections point to calming inflation. There is now an expectation in Europe and beyond that interest rates will start to come down as soon as June.  I think we can expect to see a loosening of Central Bank fiscal policy and improved GDP forecasts, which will be positive for business. Business resilience will be tested in other ways, however. The war for talent will continue to rage and global tax developments – for example, Pillar Two tax reform and other initiatives – will bring their own challenges. We will also potentially have a new US administration, which may see changes in certain US policies. Despite all of this, I genuinely do believe that business leaders have good reason to feel more optimistic as they look ahead following a particularly turbulent period.

At Meta’s International Headquarters in Dublin, Majella Mungovan’s finance team is already reaping the rewards of using artificial intelligence in day-to-day operations The hype surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) continues to gather pace, as professionals across all sectors consider its potential impact on our future working lives. While many accountants grapple with the scope and reach of this emerging technology, however, Meta – the US-headquartered social media giant – is already several years into using AI in finance processes at its International Headquarters in Dublin.  “Five years ago, we decided we were going to really focus on using machine learning to drive efficiency across our finance team,” explains Meta’s Majella Mungovan, FCA. As Vice President of Financial Operations with Meta in Dublin, Mungovan leads a 150-strong global finance team. “Meta has four large finance operations around the world, one of which is in Dublin, where we serve people globally supported by several hundred people at our outsourcing partner,” Mungovan explains. “We are responsible for all activities relating to revenue as well as everything from accounting and reporting to financial operations, and risk and operational assessments to collections.  “Running a very large-scale operations team means we deal with many millions of transactions every year and doing this in a really efficient and scaled way is very important.” Growth, speed and efficiency The move to incorporate AI into processes at Meta’s financial operation in Dublin coincided with a period of intense growth for the company globally, Mungovan explains. “Meta achieved revenue of $100 billion faster than any other company in history, so we have gone through an enormous growth phase over the past 10 years,” she says. “When your company is undergoing explosive growth like this, speed, efficiency and scale are essential. Tasks you might be able to do manually in a slower moving environment have to be done faster and, for us, this meant looking at new technology to help us reach our goals.” Founded in February 2004, originally under the name Facebook, Meta opened its first Irish office in Dublin in 2009 with a team of just 25.  Now, with over 2,000 employees across 80 teams, the company’s new International Headquarters opened in Ballsbridge in Dublin in October 2023. It has additional sites in Co. Meath, where its data centre is located, and in Co. Cork, home to Meta’s Reality Labs.   Since its launch in Ireland, Meta has also undergone rapid growth globally, acquiring Instagram in 2012 followed by WhatsApp two years later. Employing over 66,000 people around the world, the tech giant continues to record milestones, with Facebook’s daily active users reaching a mammoth two billion in February 2024. Automation: first steps “When our global finance team in Dublin started looking at how we might use technology to help manage the sheer volume of work we were dealing with, our first step was to consider very basic automation rules,” Mungovan says. “We built some fairly rudimentary machine learning models that could make some decisions on our behalf. Each machine learning model is essentially an algorithm.  “You ‘plug in’ a large number of criteria to assess whether or not a decision needs to be made and the model learns and improves over time.  “Our first use case was the credit decisioning process, using internal and external data related to customer-recommended decisions. Over time, our machine learning models have become increasingly sophisticated to the point now where they can reliably cover the vast majority of our decisions where they have been rolled out.”  Mungovan’s team has also been exploring how natural language processing might be used to automate some parts of the revenue processes used in customer support. “We are operating in a very heavily automated world. In the last year in particular, we’ve been able to explore new technology Gen AI and this has allowed us to really accelerate the progress we’ve been making in automation over the last five years,” she says. “We can now move to touchless processes and transactions in a much more complete and efficient way – for example, with the helpdesk for our finance team.  “When a customer gets in touch and says, ‘I need help with my invoice,’ we can plug in different AI agents so we can see who the customer is and what kind of problem they are facing with their invoice.  “The agents can read the customer’s messages and communicate with them, in many cases resolving the issue and, in others, ensuring the query reaches the right people so it can be resolved and the ticket closed out quickly.” Accuracy and speed are essential when it comes to customer care. “Our priority is that the customer gets the answer they need as quickly as possible and that, at the same time, we are operating as efficiently as we can in resolving issues before they escalate or cause friction internally,” Mungovan says. Her team is also now using machine learning for cash flow forecasting. “This helps us to understand the customer’s payment behaviour,” Mungovan explains. “If there is any deviation from that, we can very quickly and accurately predict what free cash flow will look like across the company.” What to expect Based on her experience working with AI and machine learning for the first time, Mungovan says that careful preparation is a must at the outset. “It’s a huge learning curve for everyone involved, particularly those of us from a finance background who have to get to grips with a new technology that, in turn, can have a big impact on how we do our work, and on our capabilities,” she says. “My advice is to get out there and find out what other professionals and organisations are doing. Attend conferences and other events, read papers and case studies. Keep an eye on what people are sharing and reach out and ask questions.” Preparing to introduce AI for the first time will likely take “a lot longer” than you expect, she adds.  “You’re going to have to bring a lot of people through the process and everyone will want to make sure that the new model is working and fit-for-purpose before it’s introduced into the ‘live’ working environment. You’re looking at a learning phase of at least 12 months before you can expect to see any kind of return-on-investment.” Machine learning models need to learn and that takes time, Mungovan says. “They tend to generate a lot of false positives at the outset. It probably took us two years to get to a place where our models were really starting to generate a decent return-on-investment, but once we had some traction, they evolved very quickly after that.  “Now, we regard the project beyond its ability to deliver greater efficiencies; we also think about it from an assurance perspective. We have monitoring programmes running continuously in the background, looking for anomalies, exceptions and errors.  Now that Meta’s finance team in Dublin is using AI day-to-day, Mungovan is confident that the technology will play an even bigger role in the years ahead. “Our large language models are becoming more and more helpful to us. The technology environment continues to evolve all the time. What we have now, we didn’t have six months ago. It’s quite extraordinary.” North Star Mungovan’s North Star is, she says, that all finance processes become “as ‘touch pointless’ as possible”. “I want my team examining anomalies and fixing issues at root, rather than having to deal individually with problems as they arise – right across the board from calculation and booking accounting entries to reconciliations, preparing commentary, analysing the movement on a general ledger account or managing expense categories.” Based on her own experience implementing AI, Mungovan believes the technology has great potential to elevate the role of Chartered Accountants and other financial professionals in the future. “I think the way we’re using technology in our own finance team at Meta really convinces me that AI and technological advancements will create more senior and sophisticated roles across finance and other functions,” she says.  “Meta is a very large company with ambitions to become an even larger company. We are growing so rapidly that we need to figure out efficient ways of scaling. AI and machine learning is delivering these efficiencies for our finance team. It is making us faster and improving our capabilities.”  Opportunity for the profession Mungovan believes the use of AI in accounting will become “the norm” in the years ahead as more and more organisations and professionals adopt the technology to support and enhance the finance function. “I remember when I was training to become a Chartered Accountant, people then were asking the same questions about technology and how it would affect the future of the profession, the jobs we do and the way we work. At that time, the big focus was Microsoft Excel and how it was going to reshape accounting norms,” she says. “I view AI in a similar light today. Over time, AI as a tool will fundamentally change the role of the accountant in the same way Excel transformed how things were done 20 or 30 years ago.  “AI will have the same kind of impact. It won’t replace the role of the accountant, but it will become a widely used tool, which will allow us to be more effective in our jobs.  “Ultimately, I think AI is something to be embraced rather than feared. I am really excited about the possibilities this technology will offer our profession. Rather than be frightened, people should see opportunity – and I think this opportunity will be immense.”

Ian Drennan, CEO of the Corporate Enforcement Authority, outlines the State agency’s plans and priorities for 2024 and beyond Collaboration between State regulators, statutory bodies and professional membership organisations, such as Chartered Accountants Ireland, is set to deepen as Government efforts to crack down on white collar crime and corporate corruption continue in the years ahead. “There is very significant work ongoing at State level seeking to further enhance Ireland’s capacity to tackle economic crime,” Ian Drennan, Chief Executive of the Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA), explains. “The Advisory Council against Economic Crime and Corruption is developing a national strategy and the CEA is heavily involved in the formulation of that draft strategy for consideration by Government.” Dealing with economic crime into the future and ensuring that Ireland is “at the vanguard” of the highest standards in business regulation will require a significant level of State collaboration with the private sector and bodies such as Chartered Accountants Ireland, Drennan says. Corporate Enforcement Authority The CEA was established in July 2022 with the commencement of the Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Act 2021, replacing the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement. Leo Varadkar, who was then Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said the new agency would have “real teeth” with the autonomy and resources needed to thoroughly investigate suspected wrongdoing, such as fraudulent trading and more complex company law breaches. The Act invested the CEA with the autonomy to appoint its own staff and structure itself to meet evolving demands in the future.  The CEA’s budget has been increased by 30 percent and its approved civilian staff complement by 14 additional officers. The Government has also increased the number of members of An Garda Síochána seconded to the CEA from seven to 16.  “This increased level of resourcing gives us capacity to deal with a greater caseload of suspected non-compliance with company law, be it civil or criminal in nature,” Drennan says. “The investigations that we conduct can be document-heavy and complex, with indications of wrongdoing regularly involving suspected serious offences under company law as well as crossing over into other codes of legislation, such as theft, fraud and money laundering,” Drennan explains. “One of the strengths of the CEA is its multi-disciplinary structure. In addition to having at our disposal both accounting and legal professionals, the Gardaí embedded within the organisation bring with them the full suite of powers that they enjoy as sworn police officers.  “This means that, when we are conducting investigations, they can apply to the District Court for warrants under other codes of legislation where the need arises. As a consequence of this organisational capability, it is commonplace for us at this stage to submit files to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions with recommendations for charges under both company law and other legislation.” Scope and remit The CEA’s remit spans investigation, prosecution and supervision of the corporate insolvency process as well as advocacy.  “While we investigate potential breaches of company law, that is only one side of the equation. We also place great importance on promoting compliance with company law, which we seek to do by providing accessible guidance to company directors and through our outreach activities,” Drennan explains.  The “vast majority” of companies will never have any kind of direct engagement with the CEA, he adds. “Most company directors are trying to do the right thing; we know that. They have a raft of challenges to deal with at the moment – high interest rates, inflation, rising energy costs and tight labour markets. “They must manage a wide range of legal and regulatory obligations, ranging from tax and health and safety to company law. In our experience, most company directors try to meet those obligations on an ongoing basis and to a high standard.” It is important that the CEA acts in a proportionate and resource-efficient manner and that the enforcement action chosen is commensurate with the underlying issues, Drennan adds.  “Where appropriate, we try to resolve issues of non-compliance on an administrative basis and without recourse to statutory powers. In other instances, that approach will not be appropriate and a more formal, or robust, approach will be warranted,” he says. The CEA also provides guidance to assist company directors in discharging their responsibilities under company law in what Drennan terms a “relatively non-technical and easy-to-understand forum”. “Prevention is better than cure and, in that context, the CEA’s website hosts a range of information and guidance materials that seek to assist company directors in understanding their duties and obligations and shareholders, creditors and the wider public in understanding their rights,” he says. “It is much more cost-effective from our perspective to assist people in complying with the law in the first instance.” Company law amendments Drennan welcomes the recent publication of the General Scheme of the Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024 by Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Dara Calleary, TD. Announcing its publication on 15 March, Calleary said the Act would introduce “practical, pro-enterprise” reforms in support of a competitive economy while also maintaining a robust company law framework.  Amendments proposed in the Bill include allowing companies and industrial and provident societies to hold virtual general meetings when the current COVID-related interim legislation expires at the end of the year. It also proposes removing the automatic loss of the audit exemption in respect of the first instance of late filing with the Companies Registration Office by small and micro companies. Drennan particularly welcomes proposals to create new offences regarding the obstruction and intimidation of CEA officials.  “These proposals send out the very clear signal that obstructing or threatening a CEA officer will not be tolerated and that anyone who does so risks facing a lengthy term of imprisonment,” he says. “Balance is important. Company law is crucial, but it must support business as well as safeguarding responsible ways of doing business. “Company directors can forget to file an annual return; they can forget to hold an AGM. These oversights can be rectified relatively easily.   “Their interaction with us in these instances could amount to just one or two letters to close the whole thing out. Generally speaking, the more co-operation we get, the more positive our disposition; the more people are willing to work with us, the less painful the exercise will be.” Beyond correspondence, the “next level up” in the CEA’s enforcement activity tends to involve civil enforcement, Drennan explains. “Our remit extends to the close to 300,000 businesses registered in Ireland. We deal with everything from ‘mom and pop’ operations, SMEs, charities and not-for-profits, all the way up to companies whose securities are publicly listed,” he says. Civil enforcement can involve director restrictions and disqualifications, as well as court applications for the purpose of seeking orders compelling companies, directors and other relevant parties, such as liquidators, to comply with their statutory obligations as regards restrictions and disqualifications. “We receive approximately 700 liquidators’ reports every year, so the process that flows from those reports, which includes scrutinising director behaviour and offering undertakings, accounts for a sizeable portion of our work,” Drennan says.  “Where directors choose to accept undertakings, they can avoid going to the High Court with the time and financial outlay that tends to involve. “Beyond this, the most invasive work we do involves investigations into serious suspected wrongdoing.”  This work tends to be complex, protracted in nature and frequently involves litigation, Drennan says.  The CEA has significant enforcement powers, including scope to issue directions, to enter and search premises under warrant, to arrest (a power conferred upon CEA officers who are also members of An Garda Síochána), and to bring summary criminal prosecutions in the CEA’s own name as well as to refer files to the DPP. “This is the part of our work that might involve a knock on the door at 6am but this is not, thankfully, required in the vast majority of cases we deal with,” Drennan says. Complaints, reports and referrals The CEA receives hundreds of complaints from members of the public each year as well as statutory reports from auditors and liquidators and statutory referrals from other State bodies, such as the CRO, the Revenue Commissioners, An Garda Síochána and the Central Bank of Ireland. “We also open investigations on our own initiative – as a result of media reports or our own analyses, for example,” says Drennan. Emerging trends The number of liquidator reports the CEA is responding to has risen markedly in 2024.  “They dropped during COVID because of businesses being closed and debt warehousing. Now, they are returning to pre-COVID levels, which in turn is driving up the numbers of restrictions and disqualifications,” says Drennan.   “At the same time, the Companies Registration Office has recommenced the involuntary strike-off of non-compliant companies deferred during COVID.   “A subset of these entities fall within our enforcement remit where directors have simply ‘walked away’ from insolvent companies owing debts rather than putting them into liquidation. “Those directors face the likelihood of being disqualified from acting as company directors, as that is not an appropriate or responsible manner in which to behave.” Looking to the future, Drennan concludes: “Our vision for the future is to continue to build the CEA’s presence, to continue to enhance operational capability, and to assist the vast majority of directors who are trying to do the right things by continuing to provide high quality, and accessible, information and guidance resources.  “By doing this and working with other stakeholders in the public and private sectors, the objective is to enhance Ireland’s reputation as a safe and well-regulated economy in which to do business and create employment.”

We have compiled the latest updates to various HMRC VAT publications, briefs and guidance. Readers should note that there are also numerous updates to VAT guidance and rules due to the UK’s departure from the EU. Who should register for VAT (VAT Notice 700/1); How VAT affects charities (VAT Notice 701/1); Change your VAT registration details; Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708); Insolvency (VAT Notice 700/56); Group and divisional registration (VAT Notice 700/2); Claim a VAT refund for a new home or charity building if you're a DIY housebuilder; Claim a VAT refund for a conversion if you're a DIY housebuilder; Local authorities and similar bodies (VAT Notice 749); Claim a VAT refund as an organisation not registered for VAT; Insolvency (VAT Notice 700/56); Who should register for VAT (VAT Notice 700/1); Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57); Registering groups, divisions and joint ventures for VAT; How to fill in and submit your VAT Return (VAT Notice 700/12); Send details to support your VAT repayment claim; Check if you can register for the VAT Import One Stop Shop Scheme; Submit your Import One Stop Shop VAT Return; Register for the VAT Import One Stop Shop Scheme; Insolvency (VAT Notice 700/56); Refunds of UK VAT for non-UK businesses (VAT Notice 723A); Pay the VAT due on your One Stop Shop VAT Return; Burial, cremation and commemoration of the dead (VAT Notice 701/32); Revenue and Customs Brief 1 (2024): Live web streaming of funeral services; and Women's sanitary products (VAT Notice 701/18).  

In this week’s EU exit corner, we bring you the latest guidance updates and publications relevant to EU exit. The most recent Trader Support Service and Cabinet Officer Borders bulletins are also available. Miscellaneous updated guidance etc. Recently updated guidance, and publications relevant to EU exit are set out below:- Data Element 2/3: Documents and Other Reference Codes (Union) of the Customs Declaration Service; Data Element 2/3 Documents and Other Reference Codes (National) of the Customs Declaration Service (CDS); Data Element 2/3: Document and Other Reference Codes: Licence Types — Imports and Exports of the Customs Declaration Service (CDS); Moving parcels from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework from 30 September 2024; Check last dates for deferment period adjustments in the Customs Declaration Service; and Simplified Customs Declaration Process: notification of non monetary amendment.

This week we bring you news about VAT reciprocity with Italy and HMRC has provided an update on specified supplies registration for VAT. HMRC has also published details of VAT services being removed later this month from its legacy Online Service for Agents and the latest Agent Update is also available. VAT reciprocity with Italy Following successful negotiations of a bespoke reciprocal agreement with the Italian Government, UK businesses not established in Italy will be able to claim refunds of VAT paid on goods and services in Italy relating to their business activities. UK businesses can claim these VAT refunds under the EU’s 13th Directive process. Tax representatives will not be able to make these claims. The agreement will have retrospective effect from 1 January 2021. Claims submitted on or after this date to the Italian Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) will be considered valid. All claims for VAT refunds must meet the eligibility criteria and application requirements set out by the Italian tax authorities to be paid. For details on how to claim a VAT refund, visit the Agenzia della Entrate website. Update on specified supplies registration HMRC was recently made aware of problems encountered when attempting to register for VAT due to making specified supplies. Specified supplies are supplies of certain financial services which would usually be exempt but can be treated as taxable if certain criteria are met. This gives rise to the option of voluntarily registering for VAT to recover input tax incurred on such supplies. Given that these supplies are part of a group that are usually exempt, the rules behind our registration service are programmed to reject applications that include a SIC code relating to these supplies. The consequence of this is that applications are being rejected when a person applies to voluntarily register under para 10 sch1 VATA 1994 due to making specified supplies. HMRC has listened to these concerns and, as of February 2024 updated the rules behind the VAT registration service (“VRS”) so that when a person applying under these circumstances enters the words ‘SPECIFIED SUPPLIES’ in the ‘Business Descriptions’ free text box when applying, the application will not be rejected. Section 2.7 of VAT Notice 700/1 has also been updated to this effect and HMRC is now considering the most appropriate place to include an update in VRS itself to best support those applying. Removal of services from HMRC’s legacy Online Service for Agents   From 16 April 2024, HMRC will remove some functionality from agents’ legacy VAT services. From that date agents will no longer be able to use the Online Service for Agents to submit a VAT return, set up or amend a direct debit or change VAT registration details on behalf of a client. This does not impact services within the Agent Services Account. From 16 May 2024 the remainder of legacy VAT services (the view account and view submitted returns functions) will also be withdrawn. More information is set out below “Why is this happening?  We are in the process of decommissioning our outdated legacy computer system.  Our customers were moved to a new IT platform when we introduced Making Tax Digital for VAT. Agents and a small number of customers still have access to the legacy VAT services. Amendments made in the legacy system do not automatically update customer records on the new platform. This can lead to a delay in updating records.  How this affects agents  Agents must use the ASA to transact on behalf of their VAT clients and should no longer use the legacy Online Service for Agents. You will be unable to create/amend Direct Debits on behalf of your client using the legacy Online Service for Agents. Your client will need to self-serve through their VAT Online Account, this ensures that banking regulations are adhered to. The VAT C9 form is available for use if more than one signature is required on a Direct Debit Instruction (DDI).   Please be aware that amendments you make to client details via the Online Service for Agents until closure will not be automatically reflected in your clients’ records. This includes DDI amendments, which could result in delayed payment to HMRC and prevent repayments reaching your client on time. Please refrain from using this service to advise us of any changes with immediate effect.  Use your ASA to advise HMRC of changes to your clients VAT account, view their account, view submitted returns, print a VAT certificate, cancel a VAT registration, and print VAT returns on behalf of your client.  If you are not yet authorised to represent your client via the ASA, you will need to complete a Digital handshake. For information on how to do this please visit the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-use-the-digital-handshake-to-get-authorised-as-a-tax-agent.  How this affects clients  The majority of clients will be unaffected by this change, they will be automatically logged into the new IT service when they access their VAT online account via their Business Tax Account.   The small number of clients who still have access to the legacy IT service will not be able to submit a VAT return, set up or amend a direct debit or change VAT registration details. Clients affected will be directed to the new service by relevant guidance.   VAT returns should be made through MTD compatible software unless we have granted an exemption.  Clients must have a Government Gateway user ID and password to access the latest VAT online account.  For assistance in gaining access Government Gateway, please follow this link: https://www.gov.uk/log-in-register-hmrc-online-services/problems-signing-in.”  Agent Update 118 Agent Update: issue 118 is available now. Get the latest guidance and information including:- Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) changes from 6‌‌‌ April‌‌‌ 2024; National Insurance contributions rates changes reminder; The Investment Zone direct tax offer; The VAT margin scheme – your clients may need to act before 30 April 2024; and GOV‌‌‌.UK One Login – a new way to access HMRC’s online services for some customers.

The new tax year 2024/25 begins later this week on 6 April 2024 after the new financial year 2024 commenced yesterday on 1 April 2024. 5 April 2024 is also the deadline to claim certain allowances and reliefs from the previous four tax years including claims for the marriage allowance which are still in time for the tax year 2019/20. Let’s take a look at some of the key tax changes which take effect. R&D tax relief Last month, Finance Act 2024, Schedule 1 (Research and Development) (Appointed Day) Regulations 2024 was published and appointed 1 April 2024 as the day when Schedule 1 of Finance Act 2024 will come into force (i.e. applying to accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2024). This schedule introduces the merged R&D tax relief scheme in addition to the additional relief available for loss-making R&D-intensive SMEs via a higher rate of payable tax credit. National Insurance Contributions (“NICs”) As announced in the recent Spring Budget, from 6 April 2024, the following changes to the rates of NICs will take effect:- The main rate of Class 1 employee NICs will reduce from 10 percent to 8 percent; and NICs rates for the self-employed across the UK will reduce to 6 percent from 9 percent as a result of a combination of the 2 percent cut announced in the Spring Budget 2024 and the 1 percent cut announced at Autumn Statement 2023. From 6 April 2024, self-employed individuals with profits above £12,570 will no longer be required to pay Class 2 NICs but will continue to receive access to contributory benefits including the State Pension. Anyone with profits between £6,725 and £12,570 will continue to get access to contributory benefits including the State Pension through a National Insurance credit without paying NICs, as they do currently, and those with profits under £6,725 and others who pay Class 2 NICs voluntarily to get access to contributory benefits including the State Pension, will continue to be able to do so. HMRC would like to remind agents/taxpayers that taxpayers who are in self-assessment for reasons such as receipt of rental income or they are subject to the High Income Child Benefit Charge, and who, at a later date, become self-employed or become a partner in a partnership are still required to register with HMRC for Class 2 NICs. This will ensure that from 6 April 24, if you meet the above profit thresholds, Class 2 contributions will be treated as having been paid to protect your National Insurance record. Alternatively, if profits are under £6725 you will have the opportunity to voluntarily pay Class 2 contributions to avoid gaps in your National Insurance record. An article on this features in the most recent Agent Update. Miscellaneous The highlights from a range of other changes are set out below:- The dividend allowance will reduce to £500 from £1,000 from 5 April 2024; From the same date, the capital gains tax annual exemption will reduce from £6,000 to £3,000; From 1 April 2024, the rate of Plastic Packaging Tax increased in line with the Consumer Price Index; From 1 April 2024, both the national living and minimum wages were increased; The cash basis becomes compulsory for all unincorporated businesses from 6 April 2024; and From 2024/25, the tax year basis becomes the basis of assessment for all unincorporated businesses.

Last week we examined option one in HMRC’s long planned consultation on “Raising standards in the tax advice market” which proposes mandatory membership of a recognised professional body and is clearly HMRC’s preferred option. This week we are seeking your feedback on option two, a hybrid regulatory model in of joint HMRC and industry enforcement and encourage you to share your views with us by Tuesday 7 May 2024. Next week’s edition of Chartered Accountants Tax News will set out more information on the final option, regulation by a separate statutory government body in addition to approaches to strengthen the controls on access to HMRC’s services for tax practitioners. Joint HMRC and industry enforcement Under this option, HMRC and industry would monitor and raise standards of the market. Unaffiliated tax practitioners would have to be supervised by HMRC and professional body members would be subject to the supervisory requirements of their professional body. Note that this option is unlikely to beHMRC’s preferred option. More information on this option is set out in Chapter 6. Tax practitioners in scope of the regulatory framework would be required to become and remain a member of a recognised professional body or be supervised by HMRC to provide tax advice and tax services. According to the consultation document, this would provide greater market flexibility as tax practitioners would have a choice of either becoming a member of a professional body or being unaffiliated with any professional body and instead being supervised by HMRC as a tax practitioner. Professional bodies’ responsibilities would remain the same, which includes maintaining oversight and supervision for their members and ensuring they meet the appropriate standards. They would also remain responsible for acting where members are found to be in breach of the standards required of them. This would build on the supervisory role professional bodies currently undertake to maintain professional standards amongst tax practitioners. They would not be expected to oversee the unaffiliated market. HMRC believes that as for option one, this would have minimal impact on current professional body members who meet expected standards. Under this approach HMRC would take a greater role in maintaining and raising standards of those tax practitioners who are unaffiliated with a recognised professional body. HMRC would undertake checks of those being supervised, beyond those being proposed under mandatory registration (see Chapter 5). Checks could include adherence to the ‘Standard for Agents’ and/or complete and certify that they have met appropriate continuing professional development requirements. The practitioner would be expected to declare annually that they continued to meet requirements. Additionally, HMRC would carry out ongoing risk-based checks to ensure tax practitioners continued to meet requirements and would be responsible for enforcement when tax practitioners do not comply with standards. This approach would therefore require investment to expand HMRC’s role beyond its current role of administering the tax system and supervising some tax practitioners for AML. The ability of this approach to raise standards in the market will be dependent on the supervisory role undertaken by HMRC. However, HMRC taking on a strong supervisory role of tax practitioner professional standards whilst administering the tax system could create a conflict of interest. This is because HMRC could be perceived as acting as both judge and jury, as the department would be responsible for checking both tax compliance and setting and enforcing standards of tax practitioners, for example, where there is a difference in interpretation of the law, or where the tax practitioner considers they are acting in the best interest of the client even though HMRC disagrees with the outcome. Other risks include the added complexity in the market for example, the potential for there to be different requirements and levels of oversight and enforcement for HMRC-supervised tax practitioners compared to professional body-supervised tax practitioners. This could cause confusion and complexity for clients and start a race to the bottom if HMRC and professional bodies had differing requirements. The government would be cautious about creating a dual system of regulation that could undermine the objective of supporting consistent standards and enforcement in the pursuit of creating a level playing field.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has today issued amendments to Irish and UK accounting standards which conclude the ongoing periodic review of the FRS 100 to FRS 105 standards, and significantly, FRS 102. Periodic reviews take place approximately every 5 years and consider issues which may merit changing the extant standards, including developments in IFRS Standards, feedback from stakeholders and new or developing topics that need to be addressed in an accounting standard. These amendments represent the completion of the second periodic review of the standards. In late 2022/early 2023, the FRC issued FRED 82 which set out the proposed amendments to the standards as part of the periodic review. The Institute issued a response to this in 2023. Some of the key amendments made by the FRC include; Significant changes to lease accounting for FRS 102 preparers, with many leases now being required to be recognised on the balance sheet. These new rules are consistent with the requirements of IFRS 16 Leases, but will include some simplifications whereby certain leases will be exempt from the new requirements (notably for short-term leases & low-value assets). There will also be other practical simplifications relating to rates used, contract modifications and sale & leasebacks. No significant changes have been made to lease accounting under FRS 105 compared to the current standards. Significant changes to revenue recognition requirements under both FRS 102 and FRS 105. The revenue recognition sections of both standards have been retitled & rewritten based on IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. A central feature of the new requirements in both standards is the incorporation of a five-step revenue recognition model. The new model is intended to provide a single comprehensive framework for revenue recognition. Some simplifications are included in the standards compared to IFRS 15 (with further simplifications offered in FRS 105 for micro-entities). Other changes to FRS 102 arising from the periodic review include; Section 2 Concepts and Pervasive Principles has been rewritten to align with the IASB’s Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting. A new Section 2A Fair Value Measurement has been introduced, replacing the previous appendix to Section 2. A new paragraph 3.8A has been added to section 3 of FRS 102, requiring disclosure of the fact that financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, confirmation that management has considered information about the future as well as any significant judgements made in assessing the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. Section 7 Statement of Cash Flows has been amended to introduce disclosure requirements relating to Supplier Finance Arrangements. Section 1 has also been amended to exempt qualifying entities from making these disclosures (subject to equivalent disclosures being made in its consolidated financial statements). The ability for a company to newly adopt the recognition and measurement provisions of IAS 39 as an accounting policy choice under section 11.2 of FRS 102 will be restricted to situations where adopting the option is necessary to achieve group consistency. The effective date for most of the proposed amendments is periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026. Early adoption is permitted, provided all amendments are applied together. There is one exception to this relating to the supplier finance arrangements amendments which are effective for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2025. The FRC decided not to amend the standard to incorporate the expected credit loss model from IFRS 9 into FRS 102, but have noted their intention to reconsider this matter in the future.

From the Institute's  Professional Accounting team : Introduction On 15 March 2024, the Irish Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE ) published the General Scheme of Companies (Corporate Governance, Enforcement and Regulatory Provisions) Bill 2024 (“General Scheme”) to make amendments to Companies Act 2014 (CA 2014).Please click here for the press release on the General Scheme. Click here for the text of the publication and the regulatory impact analysis of the General Scheme. Readers may recall that DETE conducted a public consultation on proposals to enhance the CA 2014 (“Consultation”) last year. The Institute responded to that consultation and you can click here to see the response. The General Scheme is wide ranging, and we set out below some of the proposed provisions which if enacted may be of interest to members. Please also refer to the Corporate Enforcement Authority’s press release and accompanying note dated 15 March 2024 which provides detailed information on proposed enhancements to the CEA’s powers and some proposed new offences. Electronic meetings There are proposals to put electronic participation in meetings on a permanent statutory footing and to include provisions for notices, quorum and proceedings and virtual voting at such meetings. Readers may recall that in December 2023 these provisions which were introduced during the pandemic were temporarily extended to 31 December 2024. Audit exemption A change to the rules regarding the loss of audit exemption for companies which fail to file their annual return on time is proposed. It is proposed that if a small company fails to file its annual return with the Companies Registration Office for a second or subsequent time within a period of 5 consecutive years, then the company will lose its ability to claim audit exemption. The current legal position is that the exemption is lost after one failure to file. This proposal is welcomed by the Institute which has lobbied for some time for the change. The Institute recognises the importance of companies complying with legal obligations as regards the publication of financial information. However, it considers that the loss of audit exemption for two years for a late filing to be an overly punitive sanction. Provisions relating to receivers Some changes relating to receivers are proposed. New provisions are proposed requiring the provision of further information on Form E8 which is filed upon the receiver’s appointment. The further information includes details of nature of assets, date and nature of appointment, information regarding future trading where practicable, and other prescribed information. Also, it is proposed that the time limits for filing the receiver’s abstract (Form E9) upon cessation of acting as receiver and notice of cessation of receiver (Form E11) will now be 7 days. Provisions concerning entitlement to remuneration of receivers are proposed in line with existing provisions in the CA 2014 concerning entitlement of liquidators to remuneration. Members, creditors, and prescribed persons can request information regarding receivers’ terms and fees, and requests must be dealt with within 7 days. It is proposed to extend the existing power of the court to fix remuneration of a receiver. Matters to be taken into account for receivers under these proposals include time spent, complexity of the case, exceptional responsibility on receiver, effectiveness of receiver, value, and nature of the property. This mirrors existing provisions for remuneration for liquidators in the CA 2014. DETE had suggested in the Consultation last year that there is merit in amending the CA 2014 to provide that receivers are subject to minimum qualifications along the lines of the qualification requirements for liquidators as set out in the CA 2014. However, there are no such proposals in the General Scheme. Provisions relating to SCARP The provisions relating to SCARP are largely technical amendments and corrections of the Companies (Rescue Process for Small and Micro Companies) Act 2021. Much of the amendment is also to make provision to give notifications “in prescribed form” to the Registrar of Companies and court.  An amendment to the section on the process adviser’s (PA) remuneration costs and expenses proposes that the court can ask the PA for a written report where the PA did not make use of the services of the staff and facilities of the company to which they were appointed where the court is considering any matter relating to the PA’s costs, expenses, and remuneration. Winding up Most of the amendments are to make provision to give notifications “in prescribed form” to the Registrar of Companies. The only proposal of note is an amendment to the section of the CA 2014 which imposes an obligation on a liquidator to apply to the Court for the restriction of a director or directors of an insolvent company. The liquidator may be relieved of this obligation by the CEA. The proposed amendment is to make explicit that the obligation on liquidators endures all the way through to the end, which includes to the end of all appeals proceedings against restriction orders. Strike off and restoration Three new grounds for involuntary strike off are proposed, failure to notify of a change in registered office, no current company secretary recorded and failure to deliver beneficial ownership information. There are some consequential amendments proposed on foot of the three new proposed strike off grounds. These three new proposed grounds will not give rise to disqualification of the directors and the new proposals include the steps to be taken to avert continuation of the strike off under the three new grounds. Provisions relating to the Corporate Enforcement Authority Changes include for example mechanisms for the CEA to receive details of restriction and disqualification orders and reliefs to restricted persons more quickly than at present. An amendment is proposed to section 393 of the CA 2014. This section requires an auditor to notify the CEA if during the course of an audit the auditor comes into possession of information leading them to form the opinion that there are reasonable grounds to believe a category 1 or 2 offence under the CA 2014 has been committed. The amendment requires the auditor to furnish the CEA with copy books and documents or extracts (the current provisions require grant of access to books and documents) and a signed assurance from the audit partner that they are exact copies. New offences of obstruction and intimidation are proposed. Please see the CEA press statement issued 15 March 2024 and accompanying note for a fuller summary of the proposals of the General Scheme which relate to the CEA. Provisions relating to IAASA It is proposed that IAASA will have power to issue an interim notice imposing restrictions on a statutory auditor that a possible relevant contravention has been committed and that it is appropriate in the public interest to do so .Relevant contraventions could be but are not limited to failure to obtain sufficient evidence to support an issued audited opinion, repeated significant deficiencies in standards of audit work or significant breach(es) of independence or ethics rules. IAASA will invite and consider submissions received from the restricted person and will within 21 days either confirm vary or revoke the interim notice. The restrictions remain in place until the investigation is complete. An interim notice will be reviewed every 6 months or a shorter period and automatically expires after 18 months unless a further interim notice is issued. IAASA will be required to make regulations regarding procedures to be followed under this proposal. Other Other miscellaneous proposals which might be of interest is a section whereby a company can provide voluntary information in its annual return on gender balance of its board of directors. The information would be collected for statistical purposes only. There are also proposals for multi located execution of documents and a proposed amendment so that weekends and public holidays are excluded from the time counted towards the minimum 48 hour notice required to appoint proxies. This information is provided as resources and information only and nothing in these pages purports to provide professional advice or definitive legal interpretation(s) or opinion(s) on the applicable legislation or legal or other matters referred to in the pages. If the reader is in doubt on any matter in this complex area further legal or other advice must be obtained. While every reasonable care has been taken by the Institute in the preparation of these pages, we do not guarantee the accuracy or veracity of any resource, guidance, information or opinion, or the appropriateness, suitability or applicability of any practice or procedure contained therein. The Institute is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of the resources or information contained in these pages.  

The Institute draws the attention of members and firms to proposed changes to the Institute’s PII requirements. PII arrangements are developed jointly by the Institute, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, and the three chartered bodies have participated in a review of these joint PII arrangements, led by ICAEW. Institute members and firms will be aware of this review, which included a public consultation that members and firms were invited to participate in. The main proposed changes to the PII requirements which are being considered by the Institute’s Professional Standards Board following that review, are: The minimum limit of indemnity will increase from £1.5m to £2m. For firms with a gross fee income which is below £800,000, the minimum limit will be two and a half times the firm’s gross fee income, subject to a minimum of £250,000 (this is an increase from £100,000). Larger firms with gross fee income over £50m will not be required to put in place ‘qualifying insurance’ but must have in place appropriate arrangements which will be monitored. (Currently this approach is available to firms with 50+ principals.) For firms that will be required to put qualifying insurance in place, the maximum aggregate excess should not exceed the higher of £3,000 or 3% of a firm’s gross fee income. (And euro equivalents). The Institute’s current PII requirements are set out in Chapter 7 of the Public Practice Regulations.  Any decided changes to the Institute’s PII requirements will be reflected in updated versions of same, which will be made available to members and firms through the usual channels in due course. However, as the principles have the support of the Professional Standards Board, in the interest of giving Institute members and firms timely notice of these proposed changes we are providing you with this information at this stage. If approved, the changes are likely to be effective from 1 September 2024, and apply to policies taken out or renewed from that date. Institute members and firms may wish to check with your PII provider whether any of the proposed changes will impact your policy, and ensure you leave sufficient time to prepare for your renewal this year. Members or firms who have any queries in relation to these proposed changes can contact the Institute at professionalstandards@charteredaccountants.ie. Further information on the review of the PII arrangements is available on the ICAEW website here.

Alan T. Ennis FCA is a board director, advisor and former CEO and president of Revlon Inc. His experience has taught him the power of pride in his achievements and advocating for himself. What do you value most about your membership of the profession? In everything I’ve done here in the US, my qualification as a Chartered Accountant has been the most valuable jewel in my chest of knowledge. Even today, my finance background continues to be invaluable in terms of buying and selling businesses, understanding capital structures and capital markets.  It has been the same throughout my career. I put a lot of my progression at Revlon down to my training. I could understand financial statements, I understood the importance of profitability and cash and how investments work. I could talk to the Board of Directors in those terms and it was invaluable. What advice would you have for other Chartered Accountants thinking of moving to the US? My advice is to make sure you start to connect with other Chartered Accountants over here straight away – and there are lots of us in New York, Boston, San Francisco and other places. That’s a valuable network. The other piece of advice I would have is that it’s okay to put yourself out there – in fact, it’s a good idea. Americans tend to be confident in how they present themselves professionally. They are proud of what they have done and they're confident in their success and in their abilities.  They're not afraid to talk about it. Irish people, myself included at times, tend to downplay our achievements and abilities. In the US, people won’t necessarily understand that so it’s not a bad idea to learn to advocate for yourself, your skills and talents. What made you choose to become a Chartered Accountant? I studied commerce at University College Dublin, graduating in 1991. Going through the BComm in those days, you had two options: you could follow the management track or the accounting track. The management track covered topics like organisational design, leadership, strategy and marketing. I said to my dad, “I think I'm going to choose that,” and he replied, “oh no, you should do accounting.” At that time, I didn’t think I wanted to be an accountant, but my dad said to me said, “you do, you just don’t know it yet.”So, I followed the accounting track, joined Arthur Andersen in 1991 and raced through my Chartered Accountancy exams. Can you tell us a little about how you got to where you are today – both your relocation and career path? When I was training with Arthur Andersen, I understood how beneficial training in accounting could be in business. I was fairly certain that I wouldn’t stay in the auditing field and become a partner in an accounting firm.  That wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted to become a Chartered Accountant and then move out into industry, but I did stay with Arthur Andersen for a while, becoming a manager before leaving Ireland in my mid-twenties.  I moved to the UK to join Ingersoll Rand in Manchester and then negotiated a transfer to the company’s New Jersey office in 1999. I moved through various financial roles from internal audit to financial planning and investor relations. In 2004, I was offered a new position as CFO of Ingersoll Rand’s Bobcat division in North Dakota. At the same time, I was offered the position of Head of Internal Audit at Revlon.  I was in my early thirties and my choice was between Bobcat in Fargo, North Dakota, and this other role with a very different and much smaller company that would put me right in the heart of New York. I chose Revlon. Can you talk us through your experience at Revlon? Being a Chartered Accountant put me in a very good place to understand the financial operations of any corporation and that really stood me in good stead at Revlon. It had a lot of debt at the time. Joining the company was a high-risk move, but I thought, “you know what, I’m going to go for it.”  Within two-and-half years, I had gone from Head of Internal Audit to Corporate Controller to President of International and then Chief Financial Officer. Eventually, I was appointed Chief Executive, a position I held for five years reporting to the company’s Chair, Ron Perelman. What about your work now? I had a great run at Revlon and a superb team of people behind me. When I left that role in 2014, I got a great package and I wasn’t really under pressure anymore to prove myself. I had choices. I’ve since dabbled in private equity and joined a couple of boards, both profit and not-for-profit. The board that occupies most of my time right now is Nutrabolt, a sports nutrition company whose leading product is C4, a pre-workout energy drink. I am the company’s Vice-chair, Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Nominating Governance Committee. I’m also Nutrabolt’s lead Independent Director.  Alan T. Ennis is on numerous boards across a variety of industries, including at present the IDA and Nutrabolt. 

IAASA has issued a revised version of ISA (Ireland) 505 – External Confirmations. The main changes to the standard relate to: Clarification on what constitutes an electronic external confirmation. Prohibition on the use of negative external confirmations. Strengthened link with ISA (Ireland) 330 The Auditor’s Responses to Assessed Risks. Enhanced requirements concerning the investigation of exceptions. The revised standard is effective for audits of financial statements for periods beginning on or after 15 December 2024, with early adoption permitted. The revised ISA (Ireland) 505 is available here.

Last Tuesday 19 March 2024, HMRC announced a range of permanent changes to helpline services. However, the next day HMRC announced that the changes were being halted while HMRC “considers how best to help taxpayers harness online services”. Whilst the decision to further consider this issue is welcome, it is disappointing that feedback provided by the Institute and other Professional Bodies which raised various concerns about the proposed changes appears to not have been fully considered before the formal announcement was made last week and subsequently reversed. The Institute will engage with HMRC as it considers the way forward. Members are encouraged to provide feedback on HMRC services on a regular basis.

Earlier this month we highlighted in our Spring Budget 2024 coverage that HMRC had finally launched its long planned consultation on “Raising standards in the tax advice market” which examines three options to strengthen the tax agent regulatory framework in the UK and would also require tax advisers to register with HMRC if they wish to interact with HMRC on a client’s behalf. This consultation will close on 29 May 2024. This week we take a look at the first option set out in the consultation for potential regulation of paid tax agents, mandatory membership of a recognised professional body, and encourage you to share your views by Tuesday 7 May 2024 to enable members views to be reflected in the Institute’s  response. Next week will set out more information on option two.  Mandatory membership of a recognised professional body   This option is clearly the option which HMRC are leaning towards, but they recognise that this will depend on “the capacity and willingness” of the Professional Bodies to do so, including this Institute.   Chapter 7 (including questions 11-18) of the consultation examines this option in detail. This would involve mandatory membership of a recognised professional body with professional bodies monitoring and enforcing standards of their members and raising those standards where necessary.   Taking forward this approach would mean tax practitioners must hold membership of a professional body that is recognised as having an adequate minimum standard for its members and an adequate supervisory framework to monitor and enforce that standard.   The government considers this approach to be proportionate to the problems observed and opportunities afforded. In its view it “minimises extra costs and burdens to tax practitioners who currently meet expected standards and most professional bodies currently deliver the 3 components of a regulatory framework: subjecting their tax practitioner members to minimum standards, monitoring and enforcement action; and offering routes for customer support.”   “The government recognises there may be costs for the professional bodies in extending their supervisory frameworks to new members, with the potential for these to be passed on to clients via increased membership fees. The government will explore how best to mitigate this.  The government considers that enhancing and extending the supervisory framework operated by the professional bodies to this population of tax practitioners could achieve its aim of raising standards. However, it is dependent on the willingness and capacity of professional bodies to both strengthen the regulatory framework to raise standards of their current members who do not meet expected standards and extend membership to new members.”  The consultation also presents evidence in Annex C which according to HMRC shows that there are levels of non-compliance amongst taxpayers represented by affiliated tax practitioners. “This is why the government is looking to explore whether the regulatory frameworks currently in place across professional bodies are strong enough to raise standards in the tax advice market if the government chooses to proceed with this approach.  The government therefore wishes to work with professional bodies to understand their capacity and capability to raise standards across the market and seeks views on key questions to inform how mandatory professional body membership could be implemented in a way that best meets the objectives.  Findings from this consultation will inform whether the government pursues the introduction of mandatory professional body membership or whether another approach, such as regulation by a government body (option 3) should be pursued.”