ATT welcome: Outstanding contributions

Hello, and welcome to the Deputy President’s page for May. The arrival of Spring is usually cause for celebration as vibrant colours appear in the countryside and the memory of the self-assessment deadline fades. But for one cohort of the tax profession, the arrival of Spring probably goes unnoticed as their minds are most definitely focused elsewhere.

I refer, of course, to those aspiring tax professionals who are about to sit their ATT or CTA examinations at the start of May. For you, this means many hours of study, often alongside a demanding day job and family commitments as well.

It is a very long time since I was a student, but I can still remember the long hours spent revising and honing my exam technique. In my day job, as a tutor for Tolley, I see the amount of effort that you put in first-hand. I wish you all the very best for the upcoming examinations and I hope to welcome you as members of the Association at a future Admissions Ceremony.

Moving on to other news…
In April, David Bradshaw held his President’s reception at the London Edition. It was lovely to welcome so many volunteers and thank them for the support they have given the Association over the last year. Diane Burleigh, who stepped down as our Lay Public Interest Observer, was awarded Honorary Fellowship for her services to the Association and the commitment she has shown over her term in office.

Tanya Wadeson was presented with the Council award for her dedication to the Association as a Council member and member of several committees, as well as for all the help she has given to the Branch Network over many years. Finally, Arnold Homer was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for his long service to the Technical Steering Group. If you know anyone that you think deserves an award for their outstanding contribution to the Association, please get in touch.

On the subject of awards, I was delighted to see that our Technical Team has been shortlisted for Outstanding Contribution to Taxation in 2022-23 by a Not-for-profit Organisation in the annual Tolley’s Taxation Awards.

Ele Theochari, a member of ATT’s Council, has also made the shortlist for the Rising Star award, while Will Silsby, who retired in December after over 10 years as an ATT technical officer, has been shortlisted for Tax Mentor of the Year. The winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on 18 May. Thank you to those of you who have voted for us.

It is also time for those of you who are supervised by us for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) to complete your AML return and make payment by 31 May. The registration scheme is now open for the 2023-24 year and failure to register by 31 May will result in referral to the Taxation Disciplinary Board as it is illegal to practice without AML supervision in place.

Our Professional Standards Team are always willing to help anyone who has difficulty registering so please do contact then if you need any help with your renewal.

And looking forward to the month ahead, on 12 May I, along with Fellow Officers from ATT and CIOT, will be attending the Joint President’s Lunch in Edinburgh. This is an opportunity for us to meet our stakeholders in Scotland and find out what they need from us and how we can help them to achieve their goals. Feedback from events such as these is really valuable as it helps us to make key strategic decisions and shape the future of the Association.

Before I sign off, and continuing the education theme, I would remind you about the upcoming ATT Annual conferences. You can either attend the conference in person on 29 June as a full day event or join it as two morning half day online sessions on 21 and 23 June. It is an excellent way of keeping up to date with the latest developments but also helps to fulfil your CPD responsibilities. Our speakers will be Rebecca Benneyworth, and Helen Thornley, Emma Rawson and Steven Pinhey from our excellent Technical Team.