Formally engage a mentor – the benefits to you and your career Organisations and individuals alike are increasingly recognising the value that comes from engaging with a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person’ usually on career development. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and professional growth of a mentee. In recent years there has been a growing recognition of mentoring and the positive impact it can have both from a personal and professional development perspective, including how engaging with a mentor or indeed being a mentor can help to enhance your career success. Many organisations have developed their own mentor programmes to support the development of their talent, and in a market where talent attraction and retention are a major focus for employers, this approach makes sense and as you will see, has proven successful and had tangible benefits. The benefits of mentoring The benefits of mentoring are extensive both for the mentor and mentee. A snapshot of those benefits include: Benefits for the mentee Access to an independent sounding-board and feedback who understands you or your situation Improved confidence and clarity in relation to identifying goals and how to achieve them Feeling supported and more motivated to achieve goals The opportunity to gain new perspectives, ideas and insights The platform to develop relationship management skills and build on your network Benefits for the mentor Potential to develop your listening skills and encourage you to provide constructive feedback The opportunity to give back to your organisation and profession and to develop talent Provides a sense of fulfilment and purpose and can be motivational Obtain new perspectives and insights from the mentee  Developments in mentoring Group mentoring Group mentoring is where mentors and mentees meet in a group, rather than in pairs. It has become more widely used in recent years as it can be an effective way in which to scale the benefits of mentoring. Not only that, the group dynamic can help to accelerate the sharing of insights, guidance, advice and ultimately the learning obtained. Group mentoring can provide enhanced exposure to various levels of expertise and knowledge as each mentee brings and shares their own skills and lived experiences with the group. Another important benefit of group mentoring is the potential to widen and deepen your professional network. The move to the virtual world in recent years has certainly accelerated the growth in group mentor programmes, many of which are being run by international organisations, representative bodies, networking groups and employers. Reverse mentoring In a rapidly changing workplace reverse mentoring has also proven to be beneficial. The concept behind reverse mentoring is that younger members of the workforce act as mentors to their more senior colleagues and provide insights into such areas as technology, the future of work, engaging with and being relevant to younger generations. This approach has proven to be beneficial to organisations as they seek to be relevant to and connect with the younger generations. It can also assist in terms of developing strategies and initiatives to recruit and retaining younger talent. As with all mentoring, reverse mentoring can be beneficial for both the mentor and mentee. In this instance it provides the mentee with valuable insights from a younger generation and the mentor also benefits as the experience can boost their confidence and help them to feel they are influencing key decisions both for the mentee personally and for the organisation. Reverse mentoring can also prove beneficial when it comes to raising awareness and the understanding relating to diversity and inclusion topics and other contemporary issues. For example, it can help to improve senior leadership’s understanding of minority issues, including LGBTQ+ and ethnic minorities. Positive feedback from the Institute mentor programme The Institute offers a Career Mentor Programme to all members, which provides access to over 150 experienced Chartered Accountants with a diverse range of experience across a wide cross section of industry sectors both in Ireland and overseas. From our interactions with members who have availed of the Institute Career Mentor Programme, we have seen first-hand the benefits of mentoring. The feedback from mentees consistently speaks to such benefits as having the opportunity to gain an independent perspective, clarity in relation to career goals and the support, confidence and motivation to maximise their potential. One member explained that ‘it helped me to get clarity in relation to my career goals and what I need to do to achieve these goals’. Institute Career Mentor Programme The Institute operates a Career Mentor Programme with a database of over 150 mentors in Ireland and overseas. The mentors have vast experience across a wide cross section of industries, sectors, disciplines and locations. They have agreed to make themselves available to other Chartered Accountants to provide guidance and support as they develop their career. To avail of a mentor or to volunteer as a mentor The Career Mentor Programme is available to all members as part of a wider range of careers supports. Likewise, if you would like to volunteer as a mentor, contact us via email: careers@charteredaccountants.ie For more information click: https://www.charteredaccountants.ie/professional-development/Career-Development/Careers-Advisory/Mentoring Resources available Link to a webinar on mentoring https://www.charteredaccountants.ie/professional-development/Career-Development/Careers-Advisory/webinars-podcasts Mentoring article https://www.charteredaccountants.ie/professional-development/Career-Development/Careers-Advisory/online-career-resources/mentoring-a-win-win-relationship Dave Riordan FCA Recruitment & Careers Team – Chartered Accountants Ireland        

The North West Society AGM takes place at the Glasshouse Hotel Sligo at 6pm tomorrow evening. In the interest of a greener environment, we will not be providing printed copies of the documents, documents are available for review here

Lots of us are good at showing compassion and kindness to other people. What many of us aren't great at is showing ourselves the same understanding. Our inner critic and negative self-talk can be hard to ignore. But dwelling on mistakes and focusing on faults makes it hard to maintain personal resilience and good mental wellbeing. We could all use a little more self-compassion. The concept of self-compassion has three important elements: Mindfulness - being aware of your thoughts and feelings without judging them or dwelling on them Common humanity - a recognition that no one is perfect and that we all make mistakes Self-kindness - caring for yourself the way you would a friend or loved one in a similar situation Why is self-compassion good for your mental wellbeing? Research shows that people who exercise higher levels of self-compassion tend to be more resilient than those who don't. They have less of a physical response to stressful situations and spend less time dwelling on them after the fact. This is partly because self-compassion involves actively recognising your strengths and achievements, which boosts self-confidence and our belief in our ability to cope with difficult situations. But self-compassion also has an impact on our biology. Stress is your body's natural response to a perceived threat, sometimes called the 'fight or flight' response. A study by the Universities of Exeter and Oxford has found that exercising self-compassion helps to calm the heart rate and shut down this threat response. Participants in the study demonstrated a state of relaxation and security. They also reported feeling a stronger connection with other people. If you exercise self-compassion, you're also more likely to adopt healthy self-care behaviours such as getting plenty of exercise, eating well and establishing healthy sleep patterns. Put simply, you're more likely to make choices that boost your physical health, which is crucial for your mental wellbeing.  Self-compassion also encourages personal and professional development, which in turn improves our confidence and self-esteem. That's because it allows us to consider our strengths and skill set objectively without fear of criticism and judgement. We're then able to identify areas for improvement and make a change for the better. 5 ways to show yourself more compassion At its heart, self-compassion is about self-care or looking after yourself the way you would a friend. In fact, thinking about what you might say to a loved one in a similar situation is a good starting point. What advice would you give them? Here are a few ways you can start showing yourself a little more kindness and understanding: Practice mindfulness - learn how to notice and observe your thoughts without judging them. Mindfulness encourages you to be curious and self-aware, understanding that your thoughts and assumptions are just that. They're not facts. Reward yourself - celebrate your successes and achievements. Keep a list of your personal skills and strengths to review in moments of self-doubt Take a break - time away from your day-to-day routine and a change of scenery can help you keep things in perspective Strengthen your connections - kindness is contagious! By showing love and understanding to the people who are important to you, you're more likely to show yourself the same compassion Do things you enjoy - spending time on our passions, hobbies and interests is good for the soul. Article reproduced with the kind permission of CABA, the organisation providing lifelong support to ICAEW members, ACA students and their close family around the world.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has issued a consultation on a proposed UK version of the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA) 5000, “General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements”. The consultation proposes ISSA (UK) 5000 for use on a voluntary basis by assurance providers. The FRC proposes alignment with the international standard in order to minimise burdens for firms carrying out assurance engagements across multiple jurisdictions. The profession-agnostic Standard supports application by both professional accountants and other assurance practitioners, provided they meet the relevant quality management and ethical requirements. During its recent study of the UK sustainability assurance market, stakeholders expressed support for an assurance framework that provides a clear and internationally consistent approach to sustainability assurance. Stakeholders are invited to comment until 31 July 2025 on the appropriate adoption of ISSA 5000 for the UK market by emailing AAT@frc.org.uk. Read the consultation Read the summary of findings from the FRC’s market study on the UK’s sustainability assurance market Read the IAASB’s ISSA 5000 Implementation Guide providing practical non-authoritative guidance intended to assist practitioners in implementing ISSA 5000

In Irish news this week, Chartered Accountants Ireland launches its Pre-Budget 2026 submission and Revenue has confirmed that the facility to file draft iXBRL accounts will be withdrawn from 1 January 2026.  In UK news, HMRC has enshrined into legislation a long-standing VAT concession and there’s still time to share your views on the consultation examining reform of behavioural penalties. In International news, the OECD has published the consolidated text of the Common Reporting Standard (2025). Ireland 1. Read about the Pre-Budget 2026 submission compiled by the Institute, under the auspices of CCAB-I. 2. Revenue has confirmed that draft financial statements in iXBRL format will no longer be accepted from 1 January 2026. UK 3. In this week’s miscellaneous updates, HMRC has incorporated a VAT concession into law which allows additional time for deregistered businesses to submit a final VAT return. 4. There’s still time to share your thoughts on the reform of behavioural penalties. International 5. Read about the consolidated text of the Common Reporting Standard (2025) report recently published by the OECD. Keep up to date with all the latest Irish, UK, and international tax developments through Chartered Accountants Ireland’s Tax Newsletter. Subscribe to the Tax News by updating your preferences in MyAccount. You can also read this week’s post EU exit corner here.

Revenue has updated two electronic share trading guides, the Euroclear manual and the Crest manual to outline current work practices and to provide further clarifications throughout the manuals.

Last week, the year-to-date economic performance for Ireland was discussed with the Taoiseach at a Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Services Reform and Digitalisation. At the meeting, Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe discussed the current trade tensions, de-globalisation, developments and outlook for the Irish economy and the Government’s policy response. In the opening statement, the Minister said: “Despite trade, geopolitical and other headwinds, incoming data confirm a strong start to the year. Looking ahead, however, the outlook for this year and next is dominated by uncertainty. Against a backdrop of de-coupling, the priority must be to double-down on our ability to attract high value-added investment and jobs to our country. Earlier this month, my department published its spring forecasts, as part of the Annual Progress Report. The key message from our analysis is that uncertainty is prompting households to increase precautionary savings and prompting firms to delay, or even postpone, investment” Details of the annual progress report and our related commentary can be read in a previous Tax Newsletter item.

Revenue has advised that it will be issuing a notice to all companies who have claimed the Research and Development (R&D) tax credit outlining common errors observed in claims being submitted. In the notice, Revenue outlines that making an R&D tax credit claim is a self-assessment process, hence the onus is on the claimant to ensure that a valid claim is made within the 12-month statutory time limit. The notice also confirms that Revenue does not have discretion when applying the R&D legislative provisions. The notice also encourages all claimants to review the accuracy of any R&D claim submitted or to be submitted to ensure a valid claim is made. Notices will also be sent to the agent for the relevant company.

Revenue has confirmed in guidance, ‘Submission of iXBRL Financial Statements as part of Corporation Tax Returns’, that draft financial statements in iXBRL format will not be accepted from 1 January 2026. Currently, by concession, Revenue accepts the filing of draft financial statements in iXBRL format in limited circumstances. In cases where the concession applies, draft financial statements can be filed, without prior permission from Revenue, if the filer is satisfied that director sign off of the financial statements is the only outstanding item. Where other issues are giving rise to the draft/provisional financial statements, filers are currently required to contact the Revenue Branch which handles their affairs. From 1 January 2026, draft Financial Statements in iXBRL format will not be accepted; companies experiencing genuine difficulties in meeting iXBRL filing deadlines will be required to contact their operational branch within Revenue. Revenue has also confirmed that the 2025 Irish extension taxonomies for FRS 101, FRS 102 and EU IFRS will be accepted from 1 July 2025, while the FRS 101 + DPL, FRS 102 + DPL and EU IFRS + DPL taxonomies with a date of 1 September 2017 will no longer be accepted from the same date.

Over the weekend, Chartered Accountants Ireland, under the auspices of the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies – Ireland (CCAB-I), launched this year’s Pre-Budget 2026 submission, titled “Addressing the ongoing housing shortage”. You can read the full submission here. With 1 in 4 SMEs reporting that their business has lost employees or seen prospective employees unable to take roles due to the unavailability of affordable housing, the lack of housing is now clearly both a business as well as a social issue. CCAB-I notes this market failure, and calls for a targeted, time bound and regularly reviewed tax intervention to correct it. As well as housing, we are calling on the Government to address certain ‘quick wins’ to ease the regulatory and compliance burden on businesses. We are also asking the Government to enhance tax reliefs specifically with the needs of SMEs in mind, and to commit to no further increases in Employers’ PRSI to 2028 to manage the substantial increases in the cost of doing business. Businesses are facing substantially increased compliance and regulatory burdens. As part of our mandate to voice areas where Government could simplify reporting requirements for businesses without compromising the information required, we have identified some areas where the Government can score ‘quick wins’. These are: Simplify tax filing by introducing a single pay-and-file date for capital gains tax aligned with the annual income tax return. Simplify the reporting of tax-free small benefits and expenses (the Enhanced Reporting Requirements rules) by replacing real-time reporting with monthly or quarterly returns. CCAB-I also recommends that penalties of €4,000 that are potentially chargeable where a reportable item is missed are made proportionate with the fact that the payments are non-taxable. Introduce legislation enabling businesses to provide their staff with reasonable levels of hospitality while working without having to apply a benefit-in-kind tax charge. This would provide much needed certainty to business as to what they can provide in terms of lunches and teas and coffees and would critically support the local economy and hospitality sector. As we operate within a self-assessment tax system, employers should be empowered to determine what is a reasonable accommodation. In addition to the ever-increasing compliance and regulatory burden on businesses, SMEs continue to need support, particularly given the impact of the significant increases in the cost of doing business. As such, we are calling on the Government to address the following areas: Government should commit to no further increases in the rate of Employers’ PRSI for the next four years. Incremental increases across all classes of PRSI are planned up to 2028. Consideration should also be given to reducing the rate of Employers’ PRSI on minimum wage workers by 1.5 percent to help with the initial costs of pension auto enrolment which will likely come in next year. Broaden the eligibility criteria for the Special Assignee Relief Programme (SARP), so indigenous SMEs can benefit from the relief. Enhance the Research & Development tax credit regime for SMEs and broaden the scope for claiming costs relating to third parties.  

The OECD has published the consolidated text of the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) 2025. The CRS scope has been expanded to include specific electronic money products, central bank digital currencies and indirect investments in crypto-assets, through derivatives and investment vehicles. In addition, amendments have been made to strengthen the due diligence and reporting requirements and to provide a carve out for genuine non-profit organisations. 

The OECD has published a report compiling comparable tax revenue statistics for 27 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. The report notes that tax revenues in the LAC region decreased as a share of GDP in 2023 amid a slowdown in economic activity in the region and a decline in global commodity prices.