Accounting body urges government to scrap tax reform plans September 1, 2021 The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has today called for the government to drop tax reform plans which, the accounting body says, “will likely to create as many problems as it might solve”. The ICAEW today published a response to the UK government’s consultation on basis period reform. It reiterated the [...]
UK global talent visa applications surge during lockdown August 31, 2021 Applications for the UK’s tech visas increased by almost 30 per cent during lockdowns and the pandemic, as the UK continues to attract global talent, according to industry body data. Applications for the Global Talent Visa between April 2020 to March 2021 increased by 28 per cent compared to the same period the previous year, [...]
FTSE lender Non-Standard Finance’s chief executive departs August 31, 2021 British lender Non-Standard Finance (NSF) has announced that its CEO John van Kuffeler will today step down, with Jono Gillespie, the company’s CFO, succeeding him. The chairman of NSF, Charles Gregson, said the leadership change was a “long-planned” decision which was “agreed with John Van Kuffeler” in light of the company’s pending recapitalisation and meetings [...]
Civil investigations by HMRC fell during lockdown August 28, 2021 HMRC civil investigations into suspected tax evasion have fallen during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to FOI data obtained by national accountancy group UHY Hacker Young. The organisation said HMRC opened 278 civil investigations into suspected tax evasion during the first ten months of the pandemic, between 1 April 2020 to 31 January [...]
Virgin Money Giving to be shut down after London marathon August 27, 2021 Virgin Money Giving, a not-for-profit fundraising platform, will close at the end of November, shortly following the London marathon, which it will no longer sponsor after this year. The bank said 26 jobs would be lost as a result of the closure which was decided after a strategic review of Virgin Money Giving was conducted. [...]
Norway poised for historic first female as its central bank chief August 27, 2021 Norway may appoint a female as its central bank chief for the first time ever, after governor Oystein Olsen announced on Thursday that he will step down in February 2022. Deputy governor Ida Wolden Bache is in a prime position to succeed Olsen in running monetary policy in the wealthiest Nordic economy, Nordea bank economist [...]
Zoom announces hybrid return to work August 26, 2021 Videoconferencing giant Zoom has announced its plans for a hybrid approach to work for its staff, in a company blog post. The company, which became a household name during the pandemic, conducted an internal survey which found that only 1 per cent of its employees wanted to return to working full-time from the office. The [...]
Morrison Foerster are first law firm to mandate vaccines for London lawyers August 26, 2021 Law firm Morrison Foerster have publicly announced that its lawyers must be fully vaccinated against covid-19 to return to the London office. Morrison Foerster, also known as MoFo, will make covid-19 vaccinations mandatory from 13 September for those coming back to the office, where they will also need to wear a mask in common areas [...]
KPMG encourages whistleblowing to avoid media leaks after CEO’s exit August 26, 2021 KPMG are reportedly urging staff to use its whistleblowing system to report concerns instead of the media, after a leaked meeting recording led to its former head Bill Michael stepping down, first reported by Financial News. The ex KPMG boss, who left the firm in February, made comments around “unconscious bias” during an online town [...]
FRC to ‘strengthen’ audit governance code to tackle Big Four accounting scandals August 26, 2021 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has today announced proposals to update and “strengthen” its Audit Firm Governance Code and establish “operational separation” at the Big Four firms. The proposed changes are aimed at clarifying the role of partnership boards in holding management to account, said the UK accounting watchdog in a statement. A key proposal [...]
