AAT public affairs and public policy activities: June 2021

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 June 2021.

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.

Senior politicians contribute to AAT Comment

Universal Basic Income

Senior MPs from the Liberal Democrat and Labour Party put forward their reasons for wanting a Universal Basic Income (UBI) in this AAT Comment piece in June. The relevant government minister responded and AAT set out its view that whilst attractive in theory it would cause considerable problems in practice.

Ethnicity pay gap

The Chair of the CBI (and Cobra Beer) Lord Bilimoria acknowledged AAT’s work on pushing for compulsory ethnicity pay gap reporting and called for the same in this compelling AAT Comment article.

Regulation campaign continues

Further support for AAT’s campaign to ensure anyone offering paid-for tax and accountancy services joins a relevant professional body was gathered in June, from parliamentarians, tax professionals and others.

Adam Harper and Phil Hall had a constructive meeting with HMRC officials to discuss AAT’s views on 7 June, and the HMRC consultation on the subject closed on 15 June.

The situation continues to affect thousands of individuals and businesses, costs the taxpayer millions annually and would be radically improved by adopting AAT’s long standing recommendation. Watch this space.

Parliamentary engagement

Engagement with 11 parliamentarians took place in June, discussing subjects ranging from Inheritance Tax and VAT for the hospitality industry to ethnicity pay gap reporting and a Universal Basic Income.

Non-parliamentary engagement

Engagement with 30 external stakeholders took place in June. These included HMRC, CIOT, CBI and Retailers Against VAT Abuse Schemes (RAVAS) among others. Issues covered included unregulated advisors, VAT shifting, tax avoidance and much, much more.

AAT consultations, calls for evidence and inquiry responses

AAT responded to the current HM Treasury consultation on the effectiveness of the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS).

This and other responses can be viewed on the AAT Policy page.

Other meetings, events and engagements

• Phil Hall participated in the regular HMRC Virtual Communications Group (VCG).
• Phil Hall met with the Accountancy Sector Lead at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
• Adam Harper attended an HM Treasury roundtable event to discuss the effectiveness of the OTS.
• Adam Harper met with officials from OPBAS (Office of Professional Bodies Anti-money Laundering Supervision).
• Phil Hall met with a number of HMRC officials to discuss AAT recommendations to address the problem of VAT shifting (where items are sold as bundles with the Vatable item advertised as “free” and the VAT free items being charged for).