Another year, another controversial issue for accountants and tax advisers.

For reasons best known to themselves HMRC decided to press ahead with their interventions project last month. This is despite the severe misgivings expressed by the professional bodies, the wholly inadequate consideration given to a range of practical consequences and the complete absence of legal protection available to taxpayers who are found to have additional tax to pay.

I would concede that the interventions project has a logical rationale. But it is riddled with practical and legal problems. Moany of these could have been avoided if HMRC had not ignored calls from the professional boides to postpone the pilot until these issues had been properly considered.

As it is the pilot is progressing, accountants and their clients are getting concerned about the implications and both the ICAEW Tax Faculty and the CIOT are beefing up their representations.

In the meantime I was delighted to be asked by CCH to chair a workshop on the subject of these compliance interventions next month – details below.

If you have any colleagues who might be interested please advise them by forwarding a link to this blog. Anyone wanting to attend should reply directly to CCH please.

Interventions Workshop

Enabling? Insulting? Inescapable? Avoidable?

Workshop including expert speakers and panel discussion

Chaired by Mark Lee (past chairman, ICAEW Tax Faculty)

Venue: Council Chamber, Chartered Accountants Hall, Moorgate EC2

Date & Time: Friday 8th September 2006, 9.30 start – ending with lunch.

9.30 – Chariman’s intro

9.40 – HMRC speakers

10.20 – Phil Berwick (head of Investigations at Tenon)

11.00 – coffee break

11.20 – Eamon McNicholas – Tax Barrister – the legal perspective

11.40 – Panel session including all speakers plus CCH reps

12.25 – Conclusion

12.30 – Buffet lunch

Cost: £ 55 per person (to include buffet lunch)

(If you are a CCH Fee Protection client you will receive a full refund of £55 per person against your next fee protection renewal)

Two representatives from HMRC will be amongst the speakers.

Full details and confirmation of speakers will be available from CCH in the next 10 days.

Places are limited and we expect interest to be high.

To arrange your place please call CCH on 0800 542 6648.