The Ulster Society has appointed leading legal firm A&L Goodbody as its legal partner. The partnership will see A&L Goodbody supporting a series of Ulster Society’s key events during the year. A&L Goodbody will also provide a new series of events and webcasts examining a range of legal issues that are relevant to the accounting profession. A&L Goodbody is internationally recognised as one of the leading corporate law firms in Ireland, and was named Irish Law Firm of the Year for 2017 at The Lawyer European Awards.  The new agreement will see the two organisations partnering over the next three years. Pamela McCreedy, Chair of the Ulster Society said: “We are delighted to appoint A&L Goodbody as a key partner and we look forward to a long and constructive association. “A&L Goodbody will bring expertise, along with a breadth of experience and insight which our members will greatly appreciate, whether they work in practice, in industry or the voluntary sector. The series of legal webcasts are an important part of our calendar and carry a tremendous range of benefits for our members right across Northern Ireland. Pictured at the launch of the partnership are Pamela McCreedy, Chair, Chartered Accountants Ulster Society; Zara Duffy, Head of Chartered Accountants Northern Ireland; and Michael Neill, Partner, A&L Goodbody.  

The One-hundred and Eleventh Annual General Meeting of Chartered Accountants Ulster Society will be held in the Institute’s offices, 32-38 Linenhall Street, Belfast BT2 8BG, on Monday, 16 April 2018, at 1pm.   A snack luncheon for members will be available at 12.30pm. Hard copies of the Annual Report will be available on the day of the Annual General Meeting and in addition copies are available from the Office on request. AGENDA 1. To approve the Minutes of the one-hundred and Tenth Annual General Meeting held on Monday, 10 April 2017 2. To receive the Report of the Committee, the Annual Statement of Accounts and Balance Sheet and the Auditor's Report thereon 3. To elect a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer to hold office until the next Annual General Meeting 4. To elect Members of Committee 5. To appoint an Auditor 6. To transact any other business If you intend being present, please register online before Monday, 9 April 2018. By Order of the Committee S Fox-Hamilton Honorary Secretary

Chartered Accountants Ireland, which represents almost 5,000 business professionals in Northern Ireland, has welcomed Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond’s call for evidence on the impact of VAT and Air Passenger Duty (APD) on the Northern Ireland travel industry. The call for evidence, issued as part of the Chancellor’s Spring Statement, seeks to understand the ways that these taxes impact the tourism industry, and how the industry can be supported to build on its growing success. Zara Duffy, Head of Chartered Accountants Northern Ireland said: “Highlights such as Game of Thrones, the Titanic Visitor Centre and some of the world’s most beautiful scenery have helped tourism in Northern Ireland perform strongly in recent years. “We believe that there is a fantastic capacity to build on that success and we are pleased to see recognition at official level of the impact that taxation can have on this key industry sector. “As Northern Ireland’s premier business organisation we intend to contribute to the formation of government policy in this important area. Our members are keen to lend their expertise, ability and experience to do what they can to boost the tourism industry.”