The implementation of the new Auto-Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme is now only three months away. My Future Fund will affect 800,000 members of the workforce and every employer in Ireland, but our research has indicated that preparedness among businesses remains worrying low; only 2 in 5 (40%) respondents felt that they had been adequately informed of the steps needed to implement it in time for its January launch.    A new public body, the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA), will administer the auto-enrolment scheme, and we were pleased to note that the NAERSA Board, appointed earlier this month, includes two Chartered Accountants Ireland members.   Equipping businesses with the necessary information in the coming weeks is going to be crucial to making auto enrolment a success. Chartered Accountants Ireland will hold a free in-person lunchtime event on auto-enrolment on Thursday 16 October at Chartered Accountants House.   The first in our “Trusted Business Leadership: The Chartered Roundtables”, series, this event will feature perspectives from Shane O’Farrell, Director of Workplace Markets, Irish Life Employer Solutions, Tony Culhane, Solution Design Lead, Sage, and Cróna Clohisey, Director of Members and Advocacy, Chartered Accountants Ireland.   The Institute also believes that there is an ongoing need for government to bridge this information deficit and equip businesses with the support and guidance they need as we approach January.   

On 24 September the Ulster Society hosted an essential legal update tailored for members, exploring the significant changes to UK company law coming into force in 2025. Led by Claire McGurk of A&L Goodbody, this session provides a clear and practical overview of the new legal landscape, with a particular focus on the latest developments under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act. A recording of this webinar is available to view, for free and on demand, HERE A pdf copy of Claire McGurk's slides are available to view HERE

The Institute has issued a revised Publication Policy with effect from 1 October 2025.

Following the amalgamation of Chartered Accountants Ireland and CPA Ireland on 1 September 2024, the Directors of Chartered Accountants Support Designated Activity Company (CA Support) and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland Benevolent Fund Company Limited by Guarantee (CPA Benevolent Fund) are pleased to announce the successful completion of a contractual asset transfer agreement. Under this agreement, the assets of the CPA Benevolent Fund, totalling €620,000, will transfer to CA Support. Once all regulatory requirements are met, the CPA Benevolent Fund will be formally wound up and deregistered as a registered charity. CA Support, a registered charity, offers emergency financial support and advice to members, students and families of the Institute. Founded in 1928, CA Support has evolved to meet the changing needs of the accounting community, providing a vital safety net for those experiencing personal situations and circumstances that have affected their earning ability. This transfer will further advance the operations and mission of CA Support for the benefit of all members, enabling it to expand its reach and impact across the growing membership base. Lorretta Lee, Chair of CA Support, commented: “The amalgamation of these two vital charities allows us to enhance our ability to help those in need within our expanding chartered community. As chair of CA Support, I would like to extend my gratitude to the directors of both CA Support and CPA Benevolent Fund, as well as the Institute and legal entities, for their diligence and commitment in managing this transition.” Michael Dolan, Chair of the CPA Benevolent Fund, added: “I would like to thank my fellow Directors for their voluntary service to the Fund over many years and their unwavering support for this amalgamation of both benevolent funds which strengthens the charitable purpose of CA Support.” Pictured are representatives from CA Support and CPA Benevevolent Fund: (L-R): Front row - Eamonn Siggins (Institute’s Chief Integration Officer), Pamela McCreedy (Institute President), Loretta Lee (CA Support Chair), Michael Dolan (Chair of the CPA Benevolent Fund) Back row: Dee France (CA Support Manager), Cáit Carmody (CA Support Secretary), Rosemary Keogh (Institute CEO), Clodagh Henehan (Past President CPA Ireland), Nano Brennan (CPA Benevolent Fund Director)  If you’d like to support the work of CA Support, donations can be made through our website or via our iDonate page. For more information, please contact: Dee France, CA Support Manager E: dee.france@charteredaccountants.ie T: +35316377342

Revenue has published a further warning of fraudulent emails, SMS (text messages) and phone calls seeking personal information from taxpayers. Revenue has updated its website to assist taxpayers identify fraudulent communications. Taxpayers who have provided Revenue account details in response to an email, SMS or phone call are advised to reset their password immediately. Taxpayers are advised to contact their bank or credit card provider if they have provided bank or card details.

In UK news today, the Institute reports back from last week’s HMRC Annual Stakeholder Conference and we invite tax agents and businesses to participate in our short survey on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.  As part of our ongoing lobbying work, the Institute has contributed feedback to two technical legislation consultations focused on tax agents. In Irish news, the updated Local Property Tax portal is now available for property owners, and Revenue has issued a warning regarding fraudulent communications appearing to originate from Revenue. UK 1. Read our update from the HMRC Annual Stakeholder Conference held last week. 2. The Institute has responded to three technical consultations launched by HMRC on draft legislation. 3. Take our short survey on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. Ireland 4. Revenue has launched a Local Property Tax (LPT) information campaign and the Revenue LPT portal is now available. 5. Revenue has issued a warning of fraudulent communications 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 Cross-border trading corner here.  

Members of the North West Society enjoyed a fantastic late summer’s evening at Sligo Races, filled with great company, lively atmosphere, and plenty of fun. Take a look at the photo gallery for a glimpse of the energy and enjoyment shared by all!

Revenue has published a further warning of fraudulent emails, SMS (text messages) and phone calls seeking personal information from taxpayers. Revenue has updated its website to assist taxpayers identify fraudulent communications. Taxpayers who have provided Revenue account details in response to an email, SMS or phone call are advised to reset their password immediately. Taxpayers are advised to contact their bank or credit card provider if they have provided bank or card details.

At the most recent meeting of the Tax Administration Liaison Committee (TALC) Collection sub-committee, Revenue acknowledged that recent changes to ROS resulted in error reports when returns where completed using third party software packages. To avoid any such future occurrences, Revenue is setting up a technical forum to facilitate better communication between software providers, and Revenue IT technicians. If you provide software solutions for tax practitioners, please email us at tax@charteredaccountants.ie with relevant contact details if you wish to participate in the forum.

Last Tuesday HMRC held its Annual Stakeholder Conference in London which the Institute was represented at by our UK Tax Manager, Leontia Doran. Under the conference theme ‘Navigating the future together: the Transformation Roadmap in Action’, attendees heard more from HMRC’s new CEO and First Permanent Secretary, JP Marks, about the ambitious plans in its Transformation Roadmap, which we previously provided an update on in July. Attendees also took part in a series of workshops, all of which were themed around the roadmap, and which provided the Institute with a key opportunity to directly engage with several senior leaders in HMRC. In his speech, JP Marks spoke frankly about the challenges which lie ahead but importantly also recognised the need for greater openness and transparency. He set out his vision for even greater collaboration between agents and HMRC in which he sees both groups working together as stewards and custodians of the UK tax ecosystem. It is clear that Mr Marks sees co-creation and collaboration as key to achieving HMRC’s goals in the future. The Institute recently wrote a letter of introduction to Mr Marks ahead of the conference setting out four key issues on our agenda. These are as follows: The Institute’s campaign for a lower rate of corporation tax in Northern Ireland, The tax burden and complexity arising from cross-border and remote/hybrid working, Tax simplification and the lack of progress in this area, and Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and the implementation of mandatory tax adviser registration from 1 April 2026. Building on previous annual conferences, the tone of the conference was ultimately collaborative and optimistic with a clear focus on innovation and partnership. Simplification of tax administration was another key theme, one which the Institute has been vocal about for some time. As HMRC strives to make administration largely digitalised and user-friendly, the protection of taxpayer data from cyber threats is also a top priority. Attendees heard in person from the new Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (XST), Dan Tomlinson MP, who in his speech spoke about his role’s three key priorities, which are unchanged from those of his predecessor, and how these fit with the roadmap. The XST also shared updates on the expansion of HMRC’s compliance and debt management teams and his speech confirmed that he has taken up the role of Chair of the HMRC Board. As a reminder, the three key priorities of the XST are: Improving day-to-day performance and the overall taxpayer experience, Closing the tax gap, and Driving reform and modernisation of the UK’s tax and customs system.

Last week the Institute launched its latest survey on Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax. With just over six months to go to commencement, we  are inviting tax agents and businesses to take our short eight question survey. Take the survey now. We also remind readers that HMRC recently launched a new MTD for Income Tax direct support campaign for agents.

In the last week, the Institute has responded to three technical consultations on draft legislation launched on L-day in July. Two of the consultations focus specifically on the behaviour of tax agents and fall under HMRC’s ‘Raising standards in the tax advice market’ project: ‘Enhancing HMRC’s powers and sanctions against tax adviser facilitated non-compliance’ and ‘Modernising and Mandating Tax Adviser Registration’. In both submissions, the Institute is recommending that the proposals therein are delayed until at least 1 April 2027. The Institute also responded to the consultation ‘Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and penalty reform’. Enhancing HMRC’s powers and sanctions against tax adviser facilitated non-compliance This consultation contains draft legislation to enhance HMRC’s powers against agents who facilitate non-compliance and includes the following measures which are currently scheduled to commence from 1 April 2026: Issuing file access notices to advisers suspected of facilitating non-compliance (the behaviour involved is reduced from dishonest conduct to deliberate behaviour), Significantly increased penalties where there is evidence of such behaviour, and Publication of details of advisers subject to any HMRC agent sanction. The key recommendations in the Institute’s submission are that implementation should be paused to commence no earlier than 1 April 2027 given our concerns about the lack of effective safeguards in the draft legislation. A range of new safeguards have therefore been proposed, in addition to citing the need for HMRC to revisit the highly disproportionate penalties in the draft legislation (which are currently based on the potential lost revenue to the Exchequer of the agent’s client). Modernising and Mandating Tax Adviser Registration This consultation examines the proposal that from 1 April 2026, subject to a three month transition period, all tax advisers who interact with HMRC on behalf of their clients must register with HMRC and will not be registered unless they meet ‘minimum standards’. The requirement to register will not initially apply to those who already have an Agent Services Account. Anyone who is not registered will be unable to represent their clients. Registration applications will require the name and address of the tax adviser and each ‘senior manager’ (essentially those at the highest level in the business, though not just those working in tax), together with confirmation that the eligibility conditions are met. To be eligible, the tax adviser and each senior manager must meet certain conditions including, inter alia, that they have no outstanding tax returns or payments and that they meet certain standards expected of tax advisers (which will be set and published by HMRC). There are also powers for HMRC to monitor eligibility and compliance with the rules on an ongoing basis and hefty sanctions for agents who fail to comply. The Institute made the following recommendations in its submission: Given concerns that the proposals are a form of quasi-regulation of members of Professional Bodies who are already subject to heavy regulation, registration should be delayed to no earlier than 1 April 2027 to allow for more in depth consultation, The definition of ‘senior manager’ should only apply to those who provide tax services, and, Further detailed consultation is required on the proposed sanctions in the draft legislation, given the link to the potential for the agent’s details to be published under the consultation on ‘Enhancing HMRC’s powers and sanctions against tax adviser facilitated non-compliance’. Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax and penalty reform This consultation legislates for the changes announced in March at the Spring Statement. In our submission, the Institute’s key ask remains that the Government monitors readiness and progress and listens to and acts on feedback from stakeholders. Although our main objective is to drive the MTD readiness of our members ahead of time, the Institute will continue to listen to and share members concerns as April 2026 approaches, and where appropriate, seek mitigations from this policy change. The Institute is flagging early that there is a high likelihood there will need to be some form of ‘soft landing’ for taxpayers, given the significance of this once in a generation change. HMRC should consider this and announce any soft landing, in particular it’s format, application, and parameters, as early as possible. The Institute raised concerns across a range of other areas including the ability of HMRC to cancel/ reset penalties/penalty points, exemptions, the calendar quarters election, and the definition of digital records. We also took the opportunity to raise concerns about the extension of MTD to those with qualifying income less than £30,000 from April 2028.