Minister praises Scottish tax input

24 June 2022

Scotland’s tax minister praised the input of the tax profession in helping to shape the country’s first framework for tax when he spoke at May’s CIOT/ATT Joint Presidents’ Lunch in Edinburgh.

Following a two-year hiatus, close to 100 guests from across Scotland’s tax, accountancy, legal, media and political communities returned to Edinburgh’s Signet Library to hear Tom Arthur MSP outline his ambition to improve awareness and understanding of Scotland’s tax powers and set out the additional tax responsibilities that Scottish Ministers would like to see devolved to Holyrood when the way the Scottish Parliament is funded is reviewed later this year.

Arthur said that the expertise and advice offered by the tax profession had been integral in the development of Scotland’s first Framework for Tax. But he expressed regret that levels of awareness and understanding of the devolved taxes were low, and suggested that more could be done to ‘move the dial’. Putting tax into the school curriculum, developing public awareness campaigns and improving the quality of public debate around tax were all put forward as options for consideration.

Thanking Tom Arthur for his remarks, ATT President Richard Todd said that both ATT and CIOT appreciate the open and consultative approach taken to tax in Scotland, adding: ‘We hope to be able to bring our knowledge, experience and expertise to bear on all parties looking to make Scotland’s tax system work as well as it should for all.’

Scotland’s tax minister Tom Arthur was guest speaker at the CIOT/ATT lunch.

CIOT chief executive Helen Whiteman and incoming president Susan Ball (both standing) welcomed Wilna de Bruyn and Keith Engel from the South African Institute of Taxation to the lunch, and hosted a formal signing of the recent agreement between the two bodies (see June’s Tax Adviser).

ATT President Richard Todd recognised three outgoing committee members with certificates of appreciation in recognition of their invaluable support to ATT and CIOT in Scotland. These were presented to Sean Coburn (left) for his service as Chair of the Scotland Hub, Alan Dean (right) for his service as Treasurer of the Scotland Hub, and Alexander Garden (who was unable to attend) for his service as Chair of the CIOT Scottish Technical Committee and, prior to that, of the Scotland Hub.