Read the NI Tax Committee’s response to one of the most important consultations for many years in which HMRC explores potential options to regulate the UK tax profession. The key message of the Committee is that there should be no further regulation of qualified agents who are members of Professional Bodies with a strong, effective, and active regulatory function, such as members of Chartered Accountants Ireland.

The Committee also made the following recommendations: -

• Under option A (which examines the potential for better use of HMRC’s powers), the Committee recommends that this is the option which should be pursued. HMRC should target rogue promoters more effectively with the comprehensive powers which they already have available to them after a review has been conducted of the collective efficiency of their use by HMRC – the Committee recommends that this review is conducted by Sir Amyas Morse;
• Further digitisation of the tax system should aim to remove administrative obstacles and unnecessary complexities for taxpayers but should be carried out in tandem with a defined roadmap for simplification of the UK tax system; and 
• The Office of Tax Simplification should be tasked with carrying out a review of income tax complexity in particular given the proposed extension of MTD to income tax from April 2023.