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1 week ago | 
accountingweb.co.uk | Molly Macfarlane
Just ahead of the bank holiday, the government released a surprise spring tax update. Richard Hattersley breaks down the key announcements, including the delay to the mandation of payrolling benefits and updates to the CEST tool. He also looks at proposed simplifications, such as helping businesses integrate gov.uk guidance with their AI products.
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2 weeks ago | 
accountingweb.co.uk | Molly Macfarlane
Being an accountant means that the news you’re delivering won’t always be positive. Whether it’s an unexpected tax bill or a missed deadline, it’s your job to communicate clearly, honestly and with empathy – because how you deliver a message is just as important as what you’re saying. After seeing a LinkedIn post claiming that bad news should never be delivered on a Friday, AccountingWEB turned to Any Answers to find out how accountants handle the timing of difficult conversations.
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2 weeks ago | 
accountingweb.co.uk | Molly Macfarlane
With the 2025 Accounting Excellence Awards now open for entries, we look back at the key trends and insights from last year’s finalists. This week, we look at how finance directors are adapting to new challenges and driving change across their organisations.
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2 weeks ago | 
accountingweb.co.uk | Molly Macfarlane
With the 2025 Accounting Excellence Awards now open for entries, we look back at the key trends and insights from last year’s finalists. This week, we look at how finance directors are adapting to new challenges and driving change across their organisations.
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3 weeks ago | 
accountingweb.co.uk | Molly Macfarlane
Happy Friday! Since it’s the end of the week, I thought this question would be fitting. I came across a LinkedIn post saying that bad news should never be delivered on a Friday and that it should wait until Monday. They said that it was “lazy and emotionally inconsiderate” as it leaves the other person stressed over the weekend, unable to do anything about it with no support until Monday comes around. So what do you think? Is Friday really off-limits?
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3 weeks ago | 
accountingweb.co.uk | Molly Macfarlane
With HMRC expanding the MTD pilot from 16 April, Richard Hattersley unpacks the latest developments, including long-awaited multi-agent access and questions around the value of quarterly updates. Tom Herbert adds insight into technical challenges and what this means for accountants. Herbert then shifts gears to agentic AI - a more advanced form of artificial intelligence that carries out complex, multi-step tasks.
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1 month ago | 
accountingweb.co.uk | Molly Macfarlane
Anyone who is testing/trialling MTD ITSA are not given any exemption for any errors made, so in terms of trialling MTD on your clients, you have to get this absolutely right, miss a deadline or file the wrong amount and HMRC will penalise the client, even though the client is volunteering to trial the system.
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1 month ago | 
accountingweb.co.uk | Molly Macfarlane
With the new tax year starting on 6 April, Richard Hattersley runs through the key changes, from the rise in employer's national insurance to HMRC’s focus on debt management. He also covers the MTD countdown, HMRC’s confidence in a 2026 rollout and whether it’s time to rethink the UK tax year. Tom Herbert shares the latest MTD software market updates.
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1 month ago | 
accountingweb.co.uk | Molly Macfarlane
Leadership is not just about managing a business, it’s about having the right mindset to drive it forward. James Hickey, former CEO of two multinational organisations, believes that true leaders constantly challenge their thinking and adapt to change. “Leadership has never been more important within your firms,” said Hickey (pictured left).
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1 month ago | 
accountingweb.co.uk | Molly Macfarlane
At the Diversity in action session at the Festival of Accounting & Bookkeeping, four speakers came together to discuss the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The host Kayleigh Graham, head of partnerships and growth at Telleroo introduced the topic saying, “Diversity used to be a box-ticking exercise, but it’s now about creating workplaces where people feel valued, heard and supported.”She added, “We’ve seen social movements demanding real change from businesses.
