Cameron's Travelling Caravan

Judging by the comments made by David Cameron today at Davos, he does not have a high regard for lawyers and accountants:

"..the travelling caravan of lawyers, accountants and financial gurus just moves on elsewhere..."

I assume then that Cameron does his tax planning, arranges his trusts etc and completes his tax returns all by himself without the aid of the lawyers and accountants that he seems to despise so much?

Cameron Lambastes Accountants Again! - ICAS Weighs In

I am pleased to see than Anton Colella (CEO of ICAS) is also less than impressed with Cameron's comments about accountants:

""People want to know that we’re not just a bunch of accountants trying to turn around the British economy as if it were a failing company, but that we’re resolutely on their side as we do,” said Prime Minister David Cameron earlier this week. It’s an unhappy irony that, in making an appealing point, Mr Cameron should malign an entire group of hard-working professionals.

ICAS represents over 19,000 world-class business-women and business-men. Now that’s just a – big – bunch of chartered accountants (CAs).

But it’s also a bunch of dedicated and passionate professionals, working to serve clients and investors in the public interest.

It’s a bunch of business leaders, who head up some of the biggest companies in the country, in public practice and in a myriad of business roles, providing employment, innovation and tax revenue.

It’s a bunch of volunteers, who provide their expertise to a range of charities across the UK and abroad with organisations like Accounting for Development, an organisation which matches CAs with organisations in developing nations.

I am sure Mr Cameron didn’t really intend to denigrate accountants. However, the notion of accountants as uncaring bean-counters is at odds with my experience of enthusiastic, hard-working CAs, whose energy and insights and will be key drivers of the UK economy’s recovery.

Prudence is a watch-word for accountants; in reporting, in auditing, in projecting. Prudent phrasing, in this case, might have helped avoid one group of people feeling as though Mr Cameron was not resolutely on their side."

The drip drip of negative comments about accountants, tax efficient schemes, tax avoidance etc, that are coming from Osborne and Cameron, are deliberately designed to play to people's prejudices about the profession and about those involved in the "dark arts" of financial advice.

It undermines the brand value of accountancy as a profession. We should not simply roll over passively, like some pitiful Victorian clerk, and let the politicians use our profession for their own political ends.

As I said a couple of days ago, an open joint letter from the UK's leading accounting bodies is required.

Plus members of the profession should tweet @Number10gov to tell Cameron to stop this nonsense, and make #accountinggate a trending topic.

Cameron Lambastes Accountants Again!

I see that Cameron is lambasting accountants again:

" David Cameron has warned that the Coalition risks being seen as a “bunch of accountants” unless it “focuses on what matters” in the wake of last week’s dismal local election results."

It looks like the letter from Michael Izza was not enough.

As I wrote a few days ago:

"Izza should not be too surprised at the barracking about tax avoidance and accountants from Cameron, Osborne and their ilk. Their background means that their financial affairs are handled by trusts and (ironically) accountants. They have no real world interaction with HMRC or the "mundane" daily matters of the finance that the rest of us have."

Maybe an open joint letter from the UK's leading accounting bodies is required, or maybe Cameron's accountant should simply go on strike?

I have Tweeted @Number10gov to tell him to stop this nonsense, I suggest fellow members do the same and make #accountinggate a trending topic.

Izza Vents His Spleen

Fed up with the low level ongoing anti accounting barracking from the Bullindgdon set at the heart of government, Michale Izza (CEO of The ICAEW) has vented his spleen.

In a letter to Cameron, Izza says that, while such remarks may be tongue-in-cheek, they undermine the significant contribution that the profession makes to the UK economy.

Izza should not be too surprised at the barracking about tax avoidance and accountants from Cameron, Osborne and their ilk. Their background means that their financial affairs are handled by trusts and (ironically) accountants. They have no real world interaction with HMRC or the "mundane" daily matters of the finance that the rest of us have.

Georgie Porgie and Cameron need to be reminded of the wise words of Lord Templeman in 1992:

"There is no morality in a tax and no illegality or immorality in a tax avoidance scheme."