CIOT: New President makes tax law reform his theme
Making the case for reform of the way tax law is made will be the priority for the new President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation over the next 12 months.
Vincent Oratore took office at the Institute’s Annual General Meeting this afternoon, when he succeeded Andrew Hubbard as President. Anthony Thomas succeeds Vincent Oratore as the Institute’s Deputy President for the next 12 months. He in turn has been succeeded as Vice President by Patrick Stevens.
As is traditional, the Institute’s AGM was followed by the annual CTA Address, which was this year given by economist John Kay, on the theme ’30 Years of Tax Policy’.
Explaining his choice of presidential theme, Vincent Oratore said:
“The way tax law is developed and implemented in the UK is deeply flawed. There is not enough expert scrutiny and there is a shortage of parliamentary time for considering the effect that changes to the tax system will have before they are made law.
“This year’s pre-election Finance Bill, which was rushed through with just three hours of debate in the House of Commons, is a particularly glaring example, but even the usual process often results in tax law which lacks clarity or has unintended consequences.
“It is a key aim of the CIOT to achieve a better, more efficient, tax system for all affected by it – taxpayers, their advisers and the authorities who collect tax. This is why I will be campaigning for improvements to the process of developing tax law during my Presidency of the CIOT and will shortly be publishing a paper on this subject, and engaging with politicians inside and outside government to build the widest possible support for reform.
“Ministers in both parties in the new government have been sympathetic to reform in this area. Our aim over the next 12 months will be to provoke debate and provide a forum in which all those with an interest in tax law reform can contribute ideas and build consensus for the changes we need to make the tax system fit for the 21st century.”
Outgoing CIOT President Andrew Hubbard said:
“The last year has been a successful one for the Institute, reaching membership of 15,000, and seeing a number of campaign successes, such as the new HMRC Charter setting out the rights and responsibilities of taxpayers. We have engaged long and hard with HMRC to ensure the move to the new powers regime has been relatively smooth, though there is still more to do.
“I wish Vincent well in his presidential year, and in particular in trying to improve scrutiny of tax law.”
Notes to Editors
Biographies of new officers
New CIOT President – Vincent Oratore
Vincent Oratore is a Fellow and Council member of the CIOT. He served as Chairman of the Institute’s Technical Committee from May 2001 to May 2003, as Vice President of the Institute from May 2008 to May 2009, and as Deputy President from May 2009 to May 2010. In September 2009 he joined Ernst & Young as a tax partner in its Financial Services group. Previously he was with AIG Financial Products as an executive director.
New CIOT Deputy President – Anthony Thomas
Anthony Thomas is in tax practice in Coventry and has more than 20 years of experience covering all major areas of accountancy and taxation. He is a past Council member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and is also a past president of the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT). Currently on the General Assembly of the Confédération Fiscale Européenne (CFE) – the umbrella body representing tax advisers across Europe – he is also the CIOT’s Treasurer and a member of the Institute’s Standards Committee.
New CIOT Vice President – Patrick Stevens
Patrick Stevens is a tax practitioner at Ernst & Young LLP. He is based in growth markets in London. For many years he was managing partner of that business. He covers a wide range of tax areas including entrepreneurial companies, professional partnerships, private clients and retail investment funds.
The Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) is a charity and the leading professional body in the United Kingdom concerned solely with taxation. The CIOT’s primary purpose is to promote education and study of the administration and practice of taxation. One of the key aims is to achieve a better, more efficient, tax system for all affected by it – taxpayers, advisers and the authorities.
The CIOT’s comments and recommendations on tax issues are made solely in order to achieve its primary purpose: it is politically neutral in its work. The CIOT will seek to draw on its members’ experience in private practice, government, commerce and industry and academia to argue and explain how public policy objectives (to the extent that these are clearly stated or can be discerned) can most effectively be achieved.
The CIOT’s 15,000 members have the practising title of ‘Chartered Tax Adviser’.
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George Crozier
External Relations Manager
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The Chartered Institute of Taxation
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www.tax.org.uk
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