AAT public affairs and public policy activities: July 2019

Every month AAT highlights some of the key public affairs and public policy activities undertaken on behalf of our 140,000 members.

Below you will find some key highlights for July 2019. 

If you would like any further information about any of these issues, please contact Phil Hall, AAT Head of Public Affairs & Public Policy, via Twitter or via email.  

Social mobility

July commenced with an explanatory article on why social mobility matters in AAT Comment.

Separately, engagement with the Social Mobility Commission proved worthwhile as it afforded us an opportunity to highlight the role AAT is playing in this area.

AAT’s awesome Aaron

18-year-old Aaron Phiri joined the team for a fortnight and subsequently wrote: "The first two weeks of my internship as part of the Public Affairs & Public Policy team were insightful. Initially I did not expect to be exposed to such number of projects and external visits, but it was those experiences that made the start of this internship so enjoyable.

"I went to the Thames Pavilion (located on the riverside of the House of Commons) where I was able to have a drink with some MPs and discuss different topics as well as attending an event in 'Strangers Dining Room' (House of Commons) allowing me to meet more Members of Parliament and Peers.

"There were also visits to HMRC where I was able to discuss a few topics about tax and education which was beneficial for myself and my CV!

"In addition to this, I drafted a zero-carbon report which elaborates on how we can remove more carbon from the atmosphere than we emit by 2050. This report will eventually be sent to Parliament, which I’m looking forward to.

"I also met up with Bill Dodwell, the new(ish) Director of the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) and was able to make recommendations for current tax systems and how to potentially improve them. In addition, I got to ask various questions on behalf of myself and family since it’s not every day you get to meet the Director of Tax Simplification!

"I have had a lot to do but it was all interesting and time went by very quickly. I had a very supportive team and my thanks goes out to them for helping me develop so much in such a short amount of time."

Prompt payment

Shadow Economy Spokesperson Kirsty Blackman MP asked the Business Minister a series of written parliamentary questions about recent prompt payment reforms as a result of AAT’s briefing note on the subject.

These included questions on consensus on the £1m technology fund on the definition of late payments the merits of reducing the maximum payment term under the Prompt Payment Code to 30 days and on making the Code compulsory for all large businesses.

AAT views on the subject were also reported in the business media, along with supportive quotes from several small business owners. For example, in London Loves Business.

Stamp Duty Reform

A brief meeting with Boris Johnson to talk about Stamp Duty proved fruitful with a commitment to explore our recommendation to switch Stamp Duty liability and subsequent engagement with his team.

This was also covered by over 300 media outlets including national newspapers The Times, The Telegraph and the Independent as well as a wealth of financial and property media.

Following his election to the role of Prime Minister, numerous media outlets again covered the same issue, with this second bite of the cherry resulting in additional coverage in The Telegraph on Tuesday 23 July, Financial Times on Friday 26 July and in The Times on Friday 26 July, Saturday 27 July and Wednesday 31 July, not to mention myriad property news outlets, specialist comment from the likes of the Conveyancing Association and Chartered Institute of Tax and widespread coverage from a range of solicitors and estate agents.

Further engagement with a number of MPs and Lords has also taken place on the same subject.

Entrepreneurs' Relief

This tax relief doesn’t really do what it says on the tin. Given Jeremy Hunt’s obsession with referring to his entrepreneurial credentials during the Conservative Party leadership campaign, we wrote to him to make him aware of AAT’s desire to see this relief scrapped, with the savings being invested in building up businesses rather than selling them.

As well as a response from Jeremy Hunt, the issue was widely covered in the business press from the likes of London Loves Business to Business Live, not to mention some political coverage too – Left Foot Forward being just one example.

AAT Payroll Panel

The AAT Payroll Panel met on 1 July and welcomed new AAT licensed members as well as existing members from the likes of ADP, Intuit, ICAS, the Payroll Centre and others.

Topics discussed included Payroll in the 21st century, legislative changes to payslips, auto-enrolment and common payroll problems for small businesses.

Parliamentary engagement

Engagement with over ten MPs and Peers took place on issues including apprenticeships, flexible working, the Loan Charge and Stamp Duty.

Office of Tax Simplification (OTS)

AAT met with the new Director and Chair of the OTS in a variety of forums in July. This included a visit to AAT by Director Bill Dodwell who explained their plans to look at taxation in a modern economy (for which we subsequently surveyed licensed members) and to talk about their recent Inheritance Tax report.

A brief overview of AAT, our membership and activities, was provided and a productive working relationship now looks likely.

AAT consultations, calls for evidence and inquiry responses

AAT responded to a Companies House consultation on the information they require companies to disclose, increasing the checks on this information and measures to improve the exchange of intelligence between Companies House and UK Law Enforcement bodies.

The above response and AAT’s previous submissions on a diverse range of topics are available on the AAT public policy responses page.

Other events, meetings and engagement

• Meeting with the new Head of External Engagement at HMRC ensured key facts and figures relating to AAT were fully understood and it was helpful to understand HMRC priorities and challenges (outside of Brexit) for the next few months
• Attendance at a number of All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) including the APPGs on Employment and Skills, on Women and Work, and on Apprenticeships, again provided a good opportunity to express AAT members views whilst gaining insights from a diverse range of stakeholders
• The Chief Executive of Energy UK last week highlighted the “massive impact on tax” that the government commitment to zero carbon by 2050 will have and so a quick chat about some of our views in this area proved helpful. The challenge of meeting the net zero carbon target by 2050 will increasingly be of interest to AAT and our members.