Whiteman: accountants ‘must speak up on tax’

14 Nov 14
The accountancy profession must do more to help tackle increasing public disquiet about tax avoidance around the globe and can no longer ‘hide behind the letter of the law’, CIPFA chief executive Rob Whiteman has said.

By Richard Johnstone | 14 November 2014

The accountancy profession must do more to help tackle increasing public disquiet about tax avoidance around the globe and can no longer ‘hide behind the letter of the law’, CIPFA chief executive Rob Whiteman has said.

Speaking at the World Congress of Accountants in Rome on Wednesday, Whiteman said the profession must ‘lead the debate on the ethics of tax, including our own role’.

Addressing delegates in a session entitled ‘Promoting fairness and growth through cooperation on taxation’, he said: ‘If the accountancy profession wants certainty about the tax environment that it operates in it must help lead the debate on the sustainability of tax avoidance.

‘It can no longer hide behind the letter of the law, but instead must ask itself some tough questions on the sustainability of its facilitation of tax avoidance through aggressive management and planning.’

Whiteman’s comments come as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Union have been working on the development of new rules for treatment of corporate profiles in the global tax system to avoid so-called base erosion and profit sharing between different jurisdictions.

He said it was clear that such global bodies ‘do not have endless patience when it comes to large companies and wealthy individuals paying far less tax than should be expected’.

‘If the accountancy profession is honest with itself it can no longer be sustainable to be seen as the facilitators and defenders of tax avoidance,’ Whiteman concluded.


Did you enjoy this article?

Related articles

Have your say

Newsletter

CIPFA latest

Most popular

Most commented

Events & webinars