After the Easter weekend, the AccountingWEB team joined for another episode of No Accounting for Taste. 

Tom zeroes in on HMRC matters, exploring their new One Login service, questioning why now and what impact this will have. He also delves into recent complaints lodged against HMRC after their letter to Devonports LAS accountants contained multiple errors. The team asks how a letter like that gets posted and how are they written.

With the recent news that the Accounting Excellence Awards are now open, Richard looks back at the entries from last year and discusses the most common trends and challenges. Interested in starting your entry for Accounting Excellence? Click here. 

Matt closes off the podcast by recounting an interview with AJ Chambers’ James Gosling, speaking about M&A trends. They talk about issues with succession, consolidators and firms struggling to retain talent.

No Accounting for Taste ep160: HMRC, Accounting Excellence and M&A trends

Richard Hattersley follows on from the previous episode of election talk by going through each party's manifestos and the tax promises they are pledging. The AccountingWEB team look at what’s missing and how the political parties expect to pay for these promises. 

We are joined by Tom Herbert live at Xerocon, giving us the inside scoop on the latest announcements that are being made and some updates on AI. 

Our special guest Mike Goldsmith, head of events at Sift, chats about the Accounting Excellence Awards. He shares what’s new, popular categories and the trends he is seeing. He offers some advice on what the judges are looking for in this year’s entries. Goldsmith also reveals an increased deadline to 28 June so get applying!

Matthew Ord rounds off the podcast with some M&A chat, looking at the uncertainties that life can bring and why having an exit strategy is so important.

This episode of No Accounting for Taste is sponsored by Comarch, a global IT business and solutions provider that optimises operational and business processes: https://www.comarch.com/

No Accounting for Taste ep165: Manifestos, Xerocon, Accounting Excellence and M&A strategies

This week on the podcast, the AWEB team joined by Nimesh Shah, CEO of Blick Rothenberg does a deep dive into the election manifestos. 

With just a week until the election, Nimesh Shah reveals the reality of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat manifestos. The panel also gives mention to some notable initiatives from the Green Party and the Reform Party as well as questioning what will happen post-election.

No Accounting for Taste ep166: General election tax pledges picked apart

Sage’s AI research has revealed that the widespread adoption of AI in accounting and bookkeeping could add £2bn to the UK economy alongside 20,000 jobs in the long term. Tom Herbert looks at AI’s impact on accounting and the concerns accountants and bookkeepers have. 

With a new ICAEW president, Malcolm Bacchus, Matthew Ord shares their discussion on plans and expected changes, emphasising a need to continue building trust within the profession. 

As the summer Olympics begin tomorrow, Richard Hattersley brings up Eugene Amo-Dadzie, the world’s fastest accountant. The team discusses the transferable skills between being an athlete and an accountant and wonders if there should be an accounting Olympics?

No Accounting for Taste ep168: AI research, a new ICAEW president and the Olympics

Tom Herbert’s busy schedule has taken him to NetSuite’s SuiteWorld in Las Vegas and Accountex North in Manchester. He talks about how they were, any similarities or differences and the big topics from the show floor. 

After a couple weeks off interrailing, Richard Hattersley returns to the podcast with some insights on dealing with unscheduled work calls on holiday. The team shares their thoughts on whether people should stop ringing unannounced and the importance of setting boundaries. 

Lastly, Matthew Ord discusses a report from the ACCA and Chartered Accountants ANZ, in association with PwC about why chief financial officers only have five years to adapt to rapidly changing demands or face becoming obsolete. They look at what this means for finance teams and what needs changing.

No Accounting for Taste ep172: Accounting events, unscheduled calls and CFOs

With Christmas and New Year fast approaching, the AccountingWEB team reunites for their final podcast of 2024, reflecting on the year’s biggest stories.

They kick off with the 20-year Post Office scandal, which gained renewed attention in 2024 after the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. The team discusses ongoing lessons and why it’s important to keep this issue in focus.

Next, they tackle HMRC’s pattern of U-turns, including this year’s reversals on double cab pickups and helpline cuts, sharing what these shifts reveal about HMRC’s direction.

The conversation turns to major anti-money laundering (AML) failures, such as Metro Bank’s £16.7m fine and the accountant who faked being an auditor for 34 years. The team questions why AML continues to be an issue and whether things will change. 

General election highlights and two budgets – Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget and Rachel Reeves’s inaugural Autumn Budget – also feature, with their impact being examined. 

Finally, Richard Hattersley and Tom Herbert share bold predictions for 2025, exploring where the accounting profession might head in the coming year.


No Accounting for Taste ep178: End of year round up

Our tech editor, Tom Herbert kicks off the podcast with the shutdown and acquisition of online bookkeeping giant Bench. He details who Bench are, what happened when the company ceased operations, why we should care and the dangers of using technology without proper oversight. 

With January being a busy month for accountants and the 31 January self assessment deadline looming, Richard Hattersley talks about HMRC’s statistics that 5.4m taxpayers are still left to file their return. The team questions whether it is just human nature that a deadline is a deadline for a reason and they see how accountants are coping. 

Finally, Matthew Ord reports on the calls for change in audit. He looks at whether any progress has been made so far and the Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) desire for audit to be more effective. 

No Accounting for Taste ep179: Bench’s collapse, self assessment deadline and audit reform

In this short but sweet episode, recorded live on day two of the Festival of Accounting & Bookkeeping (FAB), the team take a look back at the key moments from day one and get ready for the discussions ahead.

With AI continuing to reshape the profession, Making Tax Digital developments and tax changes keeping accountants on their toes, there was plenty for the AccountingWEB team to unpack. 

Tune in to hear the latest insights straight from the show floor.

No Accounting for Taste ep184: The Festival of Accounting & Bookkeeping

With HMRC expanding the MTD pilot from 16 April, Richard Hattersley unpacks the updates, including long-awaited multi-agent access and questions around the value of quarterly updates. Tom Herbert adds insight into technical challenges and what this means for accountants.

Herbert then shifts gears to agentic AI, a more advanced form of artificial intelligence that carries out complex, multi-step tasks. Drawing from a conversation with tax advisor Alastair Wilson, he explores how this tech could reshape the profession, reduce overheads and impact entry-level roles.

To close, Matthew Ord looks at a string of audit sanctions against EY, including issues with audits of Thomas Cook and Stirling Water Seafield Finance. Hattersley rounds out the discussion with news of the FRC’s investigation into EY’s handling of the Post Office audit, as the team reflects on the growing need for reform.


No Accounting for Taste ep187: MTD, agentic AI and audit sanctions

Just ahead of the bank holiday, the government released a surprise Spring tax update. Richard Hattersley breaks down the key announcements, including the delay to the mandation of payrolling benefits and updates to the CEST tool. He also looks at proposed simplifications, such as helping businesses integrate gov.uk guidance with their AI products.

As cybersecurity threats become more sophisticated, Tom Herbert shares a conversation with the owner of a small family firm that recently fell victim to a breach. He explains why such firms are attractive targets and reflects on advice from Francis West of Security Everywhere on how firms can protect themselves and respond if a breach occurs.

Matthew Ord explores MHA’s decision to pursue an initial public offering (IPO), speaking with CEO Rakesh Shaunak about why he chose this route over private equity (PE). With few firms openly turning down PE investment, the team discusses MHA’s approach and whether more firms might follow with IPOs of their own.


New tracks tagged #Accountingweb