Registered Charity Number: 803480 Company Number: 2418331
**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 CONTENTS**
||**Page**|
|---|---|
|**Our Vision**|**2**|
|**President’s Statement**|**3**|
|**Annual Report of Council**|**8**|
|**Council and Advisers**|**15**|
|**Public Benefit**|**16**|
|**Lay Public Interest Council Observer**|**20**|
|**Enforcement of Standards**|**22**|
|**Branches Report**|**27**|
|**Steering Group and Committee Reports**|**29**|
|**Treasurer’s Report**|**45**|
|**Association Governance**|**48**|
|**Committees of Council**|**52**|
|**Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities**|**54**|
|**Independent Auditor’s Report**|**55**|
|**Financial Statements**|**59**|
|**Notes to Financial Statements**|**63**|
|**Biographies of Council Members**|**75**|
|**New Members admitted during 2025**|**79**|
|**Notice of Annual General Meeting**|**84**|
P a g e | **1**
**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 OUR VISION**
**The vision of the Association of Taxation Technicians ("The Association" or "ATT") is to remain the leading educational body in the field of compliance tax law and practice.**
## **The Association's objectives are:**
## **The Coat of Arms**
(a) to advance public education in and promote the study of the administration and practice of taxation and the principles of economic and political science in relation to taxation and public finance.
- (b) (i) to prevent crime, and
- (ii) to promote the sound administration of the law for the public benefit by promoting and enforcing standards of professional conduct amongst those engaged in the provision of advice and services in relation to taxation and monitoring and supervising their compliance with money laundering legislation.
## **To do this we:**
The Arms granted to the Association in 1990 with Supporters granted in 1997.
The shield shows a gold cross, the Roman X, indicating the tithe or tenth paid in former times. The wheatsheaves represent produce or income and the sword of the Crown's officer is matched by the sword of the taxpayer's adviser. The chequered surround signifies the Court of the Exchequer which used counters on a chequered table-cloth to check calculations. Above the helm is a closed book representing abstruse written law, surmounted by an owl of wisdom. The Arms are supported by a pair of mute Swans, representing constancy, while the plant thrift grows from the banks on which they stand.
1. Set and administer tax examinations to become a Taxation Technician.
2. Liaise with and make submissions to the Revenue authorities and Government on the improvement and simplification of taxation compliance issues and relevant tax legislation.
3. Protect the public by monitoring Taxation Technicians’ compliance with regulations.
4. Provide grants to other bodies which have similar or parallel charitable objects.
5. Run conferences and training courses for members, students and the public.
6. Operate an anti-money laundering scheme under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 for members in practice.
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT**
Since becoming President for a second time on 10 July 2025, following the AGM, I have also continued in my wider roles on Council, including as Vice Chair of the Examination Steering Group, and as a member of our Audit & Risk Committee and the Policy Review Group. These roles inform my perspective and ensure I remain immersed in both the strategic and operational aspects of ATT’s work.
**Graham Batty reports**
## **A Year of Engagement, Education, and Integrity**
It has been a privilege to serve as your President for a second term, and it gives me great pleasure to reflect on what our Association has achieved during the past year. With membership exceeding 10,000 and around 7,000 registered students, the ATT continues to thrive, supporting a diverse and growing community of tax professionals and those training to become one.
Our status as a charity is central to our identity, and the twin aims of advancing public education in taxation and promoting the sound administration of the law through high professional standards remain the guiding principles of everything we do.
**Backed by Experience: My History with ATT and Role in Governance**
My connection with ATT stretches back many years: I first joined Council and became a member in March 2005 but stepped down in November when I joined RSM (then Baker Tilly), the Association’s auditor. I rejoined Council in 2012, was appointed a Fellow in 2015, and your President in 2017. Before retirement, my career included a role as Associate Director at RSM, specialising in the taxation of charities and other not for profit bodies, an area where tax compliance, transparency and public interest oversight are especially important.
Throughout this year, the governance framework established by Council, meeting quarterly, supported by Steering Groups, Committees, and working parties, has continued to ensure that ATT’s charitable obligations, strategic direction, and governance standards are upheld with rigour.
**2025-2026 Officers**
**Barry Jefferd, Deputy President, Graham Batty, President, and Ele Theochari Vice President**
## **Education, Access, and Support: Delivering on ATT’s Core Mission**
At the heart of ATT’s purpose lies education, not just as a gateway to qualifications, but as a means of making tax knowledge accessible, building competence, and supporting members at every stage.
In addition to the full ATT Qualification (the benchmark for many in tax compliance), students can become qualified through the
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT**
apprenticeship route or by following the Tax Pathway which allows students to specialise from an early stage. We also offer four online Foundation Qualifications in Personal Taxation, Business Taxation, VAT Compliance, and Transfer Pricing. These allow individuals to build key knowledge at their own pace; a feature I regard as particularly important for those seeking either a career change or initial grounding in tax.
Though these foundation qualifications began some years ago, the principles behind them, accessibility, flexibility, and inclusivity, remain as important today as ever. Indeed, our efforts to support those entering the profession without the traditional university degree route align closely with our charitable aim to advance public education and open access to taxation as a profession.
Beyond qualifications, our technical team has maintained a robust output of support and reference resources. These include the “How to Guides” (one targeted at tax agents, the other at the public), technical articles, newsletters, and materials designed for schools and careers fairs. Through these, we continue to demystify tax and raise awareness of taxation as a viable and rewarding career path, helping both new entrants and the wider public to understand tax administration and its importance.
**Our Branch Network and CPD: Sustaining Community, Professional Development and Support**
This year, our branch network has again proved essential in delivering continuing professional development (CPD), technical updates, and opportunities for networking. Volunteers on branch committees, steering groups, and Council have organised and delivered a varied programme of events, both online and in person, enabling members across the UK to stay connected, learn, and share experiences.
I have greatly valued the opportunity to engage directly with members. In the past months I have visited several branches and attended events in different regions. These visits reinforce the fact that ATT is not a centrally run organisation, but a network of committed professionals who bring their local knowledge, concerns, and aspirations to the wider Association. The energy, dedication, and generosity of volunteers remain at the core of our strength.
Recognising that volunteers represent a small, elite portion of our membership, less than two per cent, I have been honoured to present awards in acknowledgement of exceptional service and commitment. Council Awards and Certificates of Appreciation offer a small token of gratitude, but they also celebrate the spirit, professionalism and community-minded ethos that define ATT. This year I presented the Council Award to Katharine Lindley and Certificates of Appreciation to John Foulkes and Justine Riccomini.
**Graham Batty, President, with ATT Council Award and Certificate of Appreciation recipients John Foulkes, Katharine Lindley, and Justine Riccomini Joint Presidents’ Reception, October 2025**
**Increasing our Public Presence: Engagement with Government, HMRC and Public Interest Concerns**
As a professional body representing thousands of tax technicians and students, ATT has continued to engage publicly where
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT**
changes to policy, regulation, or administration have significant implications for our members and the public.
One key example this year was our letter to the newly appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Dan Tomlinson MP. In that letter we emphasised the importance of effective tax administration, beyond the inevitable focus on policy and rates. We highlighted areas of concern such as the service levels at HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and warned against the risk that digital services could mask complexity rather than alleviate it. We offered the ATT’s support and expertise to help improve the practical functioning of the tax system.
Similarly, we have maintained our role as a “critical friend” in various discussions with HMRC, most notably on the MTD and Agent registration project.
**ATT and CIOT Presidents, Graham Batty and Nichola Ross Martin Joint Presidents’ Reception, October 2025**
**Technology, AI, and Ethics: Preparing for Change with Caution and Professional Integrity**
Perhaps the most significant single issue this year, in terms of long-term implications for the tax profession, has been the emergence and rapid development of generative
Artificial Intelligence (AI). In my presidential address at the 2025 AGM, I emphasised that while AI offers genuine potential for increased efficiency and improved workflows, it must be used in a transparent, ethical, and secure manner.
Specifically, I highlighted three fundamental responsibilities for all practitioners:
- Maintaining professional scepticism. Even where work is generated or assisted by AI, you remain fully responsible for the output. This means establishing robust review and verification procedures. As I noted at the AGM, there was a worrying example in which a tax appeal cited cases that had been entirely generated by AI, and none of them existed.
- Ensuring staff and students have the knowledge and skills to review AI generated work competently. It is not enough to simply rely on AI, practitioners need a solid grounding in technical, legal, and professional principles.
- Applying AI in a transparent, ethical, and secure way: clients must be informed if AI tools have been used; AI derived work should not be passed off as a practitioner’s own which would be unethical; and strong cyber security and data protection safeguards must be in place.
In parallel, I committed to ensuring that ATT’s examination and qualification framework evolves to reflect the changed realities of practicing tax in an AI enabled world. To start this piece of work Council held a Strategy Day in October where we discussed how our exams will be strengthened, any changes we would like to make to them, and the need to consult with all stakeholders. As President, I believe it is our responsibility to preserve the integrity, rigour, highest ethical standards, and professionalism upon which the reputation of ATT, and of tax technicians, rests.
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT**
The first step in this journey will be when we introduce a new exam platform for the May 2026 exams. Candidates will be remotely invigilated and will only have access to certain legislation; this will allow us to preserve the integrity of our exams and ensure candidates are not using AI to answer questions.
## **Widening the Public Understanding of Tax, and Protecting the Public Interest**
One of the strengths of ATT is that while we primarily support professionals, our charitable remit extends to public education. Over the past year, our technical team has maintained and expanded its output of public facing materials: guides for the public, resources for schools and careers fairs, newsletters, webinars, and technical updates. Through these, we aim to improve general understanding of tax administration, its purpose, its challenges, and the value of competent professional advice.
By encouraging tax literacy and awareness, we contribute not only to the professionalism of individual tax practitioners but also to a more informed, engaged public. Knowledge of tax is not a specialist’s luxury, for many individuals, small businesses, and charities, it is a vital part of financial responsibility and compliance.
## **Governance, Oversight and Professional Standards, Foundations We Reaffirmed**
As a charity and leading professional body, ATT’s governance, oversight, and ethical standards must remain robust and transparent.
This year the joint ATT & Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) Professional Standards Committee (PSC) continued its work, and the joint ATT & CIOT Audit & Risk Committee remained vigilant, with me serving as ATT’s representative on the Audit & Risk Committee. We continued to ensure that
members adhere to the Code of Conduct (PCRT), Professional Rules and Practice Guidelines, that disciplinary mechanisms remain effective, and that the public interest is protected.
Council’s oversight functions continued to cover strategic direction, compliance, asset management, and performance review, meeting four times during the year at in person meetings. Our committee and steering groups who have delegated responsibility for more operational functions meet three or four times a year either in person or remotely. Each committee or steering group is chaired by a Council member.
**Future of Tax Professionals Chair, Toyin Oyeneyin, with new ATT members ATT Admission Ceremony, June 2025**
## **Reflecting on the Year: What We Have Achieved Together**
Looking back, I take pride in the progress we have made, and in the continued relevance and resilience of the ATT. We have maintained and strengthened our education delivery, supported a growing membership and student base, engaged proactively with government and public bodies, and addressed the pressing challenges posed by technological change.
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT**
Our volunteers, branch committees, steering groups, technical teams, and Council members, have worked tirelessly to deliver on ATT’s mission. Their generosity of time, expertise, and commitment remains the backbone of this Association. I want to express my gratitude to every one of them for their contribution this year.
I also want to thank our members and students. Your continued engagement, feedback, and professional commitment shape the ATT; you define it more than any policy or paper ever could.
**Closing Reflections: The Value and Purpose of ATT**
In an era of rapid change, technological, regulatory, societal, the role of a professional body such as ATT becomes ever more important. We are not just gatekeepers of qualification. We are educators, advisers, public trust guardians, and community builders.
Through ensuring high standards, promoting understanding, and offering flexible, accessible routes into the profession, we contribute not only to the competence of individual practitioners, but to the integrity of the tax system as a whole. We also provide clarity, confidence, and reassurance to the public, whether individuals, businesses, charities, or not for profit organisations.
As I look back over the year, I am more convinced than ever that ATT plays a vital role. The commitment, resilience and collaboration shown by all involved, volunteers, staff, Council, members, and students, underpin what we are, and what we will continue to be: a trusted, professional, inclusive, and public facing association with the public interest at its heart.
To everyone who has contributed through volunteering, studying, practising, advising, or supporting, thank you. Your dedication and professionalism make the ATT what it is.
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 REPORT OF COUNCIL**
The Council members (who are the Trustees of the Charity and Directors of the Company) present their annual report to the members on the affairs of the Association together with the audited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025.
## **Reference and Administrative Details**
The Association of Taxation Technicians is a registered charity in England and Wales, number 803480, and a company limited by guarantee, number 2418331. Its registered office is 30 Monck Street, London SW1P 2AP.
The names of all the trustees, Chief Executive and professional advisers are listed on page 15.
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
The Association's governing document is its Articles of Association.
A governance statement which includes details of compliance, organisation, trustee elections and training, audit committee, internal controls, and risk assessment is set out on pages 48-51.
## **Volunteers and Staff**
It is the Association's policy to train, develop and motivate volunteers and staff, ensuring equal opportunities for all.
Members are encouraged to become involved in our activities and there are over 80 unpaid volunteers on Council, Steering Groups, Committees, Sub-Committees, Branch Committees, and Working Parties. The Association is grateful not only for the generous input from all its volunteers at meetings and other activities but also to their firms who may ultimately bear the financial cost. It is not possible to quantify exactly how many volunteer hours were
provided in meetings during the year, but it is in excess of 6,000.
Association staff are responsible for providing efficient and effective support to all Steering Groups and Committees. Except for the Chief Executive and Lay Observer of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, all staff are jointly employed by the Association of Taxation Technicians and the Chartered Institute of Taxation and the average number of employees in the year was 99.75 (2024: 94.75).
Our employee engagement survey showed that staff continue to enjoy working with us, with an 84% response rate and 90% of respondents being fully engaged in their work. In recognition of this we are proud that we won the People Insight Outstanding Place to Work Award for the third year running.
## **Health and Safety**
The nature of the Association's activities means that employees and volunteers do not encounter many hazards in the workplace.
As a responsible employer, the health, safety, and wellbeing of our staff receives constant management attention to ensure a safe working environment for our staff and volunteers. A general policy statement on health and safety at work is included in the staff handbook.
The ongoing responsibilities include assessment and management of areas of exposure to organisational and remote workers’ risk assessments, first aid provision, issuing statutory information, and increasing employee awareness of their role in maintaining a safe environment.
During 2025 we continued to support staff through continued access to counselling and GP services, as well as access to a wide range of well-being online resources and
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 REPORT OF COUNCIL**
seminars. We held four in-person allemployee meetings, at our London office and off-site, to enable our homeworkers to network with office-based staff.
We have reviewed our health and safety policies and information packs to ensure we remain up-to-date, and our wellbeing and learning events are well attended and liked.
## **Officers and Council Members**
Under Regulation 37.1, made under the provision of Article 27(a), up to 24 members of the Council shall be elected by the members.
In accordance with Article 27(b), the Chartered Institute of Taxation is entitled to nominate one member of Council.
## **Equality and Diversity**
The Association is committed to providing equal opportunities to job applicants, staff, students, and volunteers regardless of sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, race, ethnic origin, religion or belief, or disability. As of 31 December 2025, 72% of our staff were female, 21% from diverse backgrounds, and 34% worked part time. The Association seeks to conduct all its activities in compliance with this principle and in full adherence to all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination in employment or service provision and developing and maintaining a diverse workforce of staff and volunteers at all levels within the Association. All new employees undergo diversity and unconscious bias training as part of their induction.
## **Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)**
As a charitable body, the ATT is looking to make informed decisions based on the ESG credentials and how this can have a positive impact on the Association, our members, and the wider public. The ATT regularly reviews its carbon footprint, both in terms of the travel being undertaken by staff and volunteers, as well as the suppliers we use. All the hard copy publications provided to members are available as online editions and members are free to opt out of receiving the hard copies if they prefer.
During 2025 the following changes took place:
- Hayley Perkin ATT left on 24 April.
- Senga Prior ATT(Fellow) left on 10 July.
- Richard Todd ATT(Fellow) left on 10 July.
- Georgiana Head ATT(Fellow) left on 24 November 2025.
- Mehran Iqbal ATT CTA joined on 10 July.
- Jonathan Yeomans ATT joined on 10 July.
- Paul Bartlett ATT CTA joined on 25 September.
- Tracy Lewis ATT CTA joined on 11 December.
The other members listed on page 15 served throughout the year.
The Officers appointed at the Council meeting held on 10 July 2025 to serve from 10 July 2025 to the Annual General Meeting to be held on 09 July 2026 were Graham Batty as President, Barry Jefferd as Deputy President, and Eleanor Theochari as Vice President.
## **Objectives, Activities and Achievements**
The Association's objectives are: (a) to advance public education in and promote the study of the administration and practice of taxation and the principles of economic and political science in relation to taxation and public finance; (b) (i) to prevent crime and
(ii) to promote the sound administration of the law for the public benefit by promoting and enforcing standards of professional conduct amongst those
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 REPORT OF COUNCIL**
engaged in the provision of advice and services in relation to taxation and monitoring and supervising their compliance with money laundering legislation.
The Association had the following key areas of interest for the year.
_**Raising Standards in the Tax Advice Market**_ We continued our engagement with HMRC on raising standards in the Tax Advice market, including responding to consultations and attending roundtables and formal and informal meetings. We welcomed the certainty given in the budget that regulation of the tax profession would not happen in this parliament.
## _**Examinations**_
We reviewed our examinations at a Council Strategy Day in October and are now considering what changes can be brought in over the next few years. We will be moving to a new examination platform for the May 2026 examinations, and students will be live proctored and restricted on the amount of material they can use.
## _**Tax Education**_
We produced 12 videos to educate children and the public about tax. We delivered tax education in schools and promoted tax as a career to over 10,000 children.
## _**Engagement with HMRC**_
We continued to engage with HMRC at all levels to make the system as easy and fair as possible for the public. Areas of engagement for 2025 included Regulation of the Tax Profession, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, and the Tax Administration Framework.
## _**Increasing our technical output**_
We increased our resources within our technical team so that we could respond to more HMRC consultations and requests for meetings. We increased the number of educational webinars, talks, and articles to help members and the wider profession understand any changes to the tax system.
This included offering our members four free webinars during the year on topical tax subjects and giving our members a year’s free subscription to the five most read Claritax Books.
## _**Digital Media**_
We increased our use of digital media, including TikTok, which enabled us to target diverse audiences with key messages to enable them to pay the right amount of tax at the right time.
## _**Artificial Intelligence**_
We helped our members understand the changing environment by offering a one-day Tax Technology conference.
## _**Cybersecurity**_
We helped our members increase their cybersecurity with refreshed website guidance and a free webinar. We engaged with HMRC on digital security of agent accounts.
Details of the Association’s achievements and performance against objectives are given in the following reports:
- President’s Statement page 3.
- Steering Group and Committee Activities page 29.
- Public Benefit page 16.
- Treasurer’s Report page 45.
## **Financial Review**
The operating gain before revaluations of investments for the year ended 31 December 2025 of £134,000 is shown in the Statement of Financial Activities on page 59. The gain on the revaluations of investment assets amounted to £206,000. A review of the Association’s financial position is given on pages 59-75
At the end of 2025, the valuation of the longer-term investments held in the Association’s investment portfolio grew by 7% to £2,663,000. The Association has asked its investment advisers to consider
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 REPORT OF COUNCIL**
environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks as part of their investment decisionmaking process.
During the year £1,200,000 surplus cash has been deposited in short-term financial products such as treasury bills and fixed term bonds. This is in addition to the £2,000,000 deposited in notice accounts and fixed term bonds during 2024.
## **Donations, Legacies, and other Incoming Resources**
The Association is solely supported by subscriptions and fees from members and students.
## **Grant-making Policy**
The Association does not make donations to funds of political parties. Grants can be made only to organisations with common, parallel, or related charitable objectives and activities. During the year, a grant to the value of £3,000 was made to the Tax Advisers’ Benevolent Fund and a grant of £50,000 to Tax Aid. Interested parties are referred to the Association’s website.
## **Reserves**
In 2025 the target for reserves was composed as follows:
|In 2025 the target for reserves was
composed as follows:||
|---|---|
||**2025**|
||**£’000**|
|12 month’s budgeted costs to|4,251|
|provide financial stability and||
|enable the Association to meet its||
|commitments for a reasonable||
|period in the event of adverse||
|operatingconditions||
|To cover (i) the unpredictable|1,800|
|future costs of investigations and||
|disciplinary hearings by the||
|Taxation Disciplinary Board; (ii) the||
|cost of improvements to our IT||
|systems and website; (iii) the||
|property costs; (iv) education||
|technology;and(v)future cost of||
|raising standards in the tax adviser||
|---|---|
|market||
||6,051|
|Actual reserves at 31 December|6,703|
|2025(includingdesignated funds)||
|Surplus in target level of reserves|652|
## **Reserves Policy**
The Council has assessed the risks involved in the activities of the Association. The following reserves policy, agreed at the September 2025 Council meeting, remains in place:
- To retain a sufficient level of reserves to provide financial stability and the means for the development of the Association’s principal activity. The sum required is equivalent to one year of budgeted costs, which has been achieved.
- To set aside designated sums to be used for future expenditure but retain the power to reallocate these funds within unrestricted funds unless and until expended. Unrestricted funds have been designated for the following purposes:
- _**Disciplinary Processes**_
- In view of the nature of professional advice given by members, we are aware that if, for whatever reason, action is brought against members, then the costs of dealing with such action can be considerable. Although we have no indication of any significant pending actions, we maintain reserves to cover such eventualities.
- _**Information technology**_
The IT infrastructure and software constantly need to be kept up to date to meet members’ and students’ requirements and expectations.
- _**Property**_
We are building up a property fund for use on the expiry of the current lease.
- _**Examination Development Fund**_ With the decision to keep all our exams online, we will need to invest
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 REPORT OF COUNCIL**
further in remote invigilation and other resources to enable us to continue to offer students the best examination experience we are able to.
- _**Raising Standards in the Tax Advice Market**_
If HMRC go ahead with regulation of the Tax Profession, we will need to invest in additional staff resources to regulate our members should we choose to become a regulator.
Taking account of the challenging economic and market environment, the Council were satisfied with the performance of the longer-term investments in 2025.
## **Payment of Suppliers**
The Association is committed to paying suppliers promptly and aims to pay within 30 days of receiving a valid invoice unless other specific arrangements apply.
## **Strategy: Plans for 2026**
We made an operating gain of £134,000 in 2025, and a net surplus of £340,000 after net gains on the investment portfolio. Reserves have built over the last five years to a level sufficient to support the future sustainability of the Association. The moderate surplus aligned to the financial strategy to target a break-even position.
## **Investment Policy**
The Association's powers of investment are set out in the Articles of Association which state that monies of the Association not immediately required for any of its objects may be invested. The Council has assessed the risks involved in the activities of the Association and agreed the following:
- To regularly review the value of funds the Association requires to be held in longerterm investment and short-term liquid funds, to ensure that they are adequate to meet its obligations.
- To hold short-term liquid funds in deposits and cash or suitable short-term low-risk investments.
- To maintain an investment strategy with a medium to high risk profile (based on industry standards) for longer-term investments.
- To take independent advice on all longerterm investments.
- To regularly review with its investment advisers the performance of longer-term investments.
In keeping with the Council's strategic plan, the main objectives for 2026 include.
## _**Examinations**_
We will be implementing the latest technology for remote invigilation at our May 2026 examination session. We will be considering other improvements to our examinations following our stakeholder survey.
## _**Tax Education**_
We will work with our volunteers to deliver tax education in schools and promote tax as a career through this programme.
## _**Engagement with HMRC**_
We will continue to engage with HMRC at all levels to make the system as easy and fair as possible for the public. Areas of engagement for 2026 include Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, Agent registration and HMRC’s digital transformation.
## _**Increasing our technical output**_
We will increase the number of educational webinars, talks, and articles to help members and the wider profession understand any changes to the tax system. We will also increase our involvement in the devolved tax regimes in Scotland and Wales.
## _**Digital Media**_
We will increase our use of digital media so that we can target diverse audiences with
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 REPORT OF COUNCIL**
key messages to enable them to pay the right amount of tax at the right time.
## _**Artificial Intelligence and cybersecurity**_
We will keep abreast of the developments in AI and how they may affect the tax profession. We will help our members understand the changing environment by publishing articles and help sheets.
## **Pay Policy of Key Management Personnel**
The pay of key management personnel is reviewed annually and normally increased in accordance with average earnings. In 2025 all staff had their pay benchmarked by PayData and were awarded increases if appropriate.
## **Public Benefit**
The charity has referred to the recommendations contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing its aims and objectives and in planning future activities. In particular the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set. How the Association achieved its public benefit objectives can be found on page 16.
## **Money Laundering Regulations 2017**
The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 lists the Association as a supervisory authority for its members in practice. The Scheme was introduced in December 2007, and practising members have been registering since that date. During 2025 the Association continued to ensure that members in practice were fulfilling their obligations under the Regulations, which included visiting members and checking their anti-money
laundering policies and procedures. HM Treasury announced in October this year that AML supervision for the Accountancy sector would transfer from all Professional Bodies and HMRC to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Although this will not take place for about two years (transition plans are still to be announced), we will work with the Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS) and the FCA to ensure a smooth transition for our members.
**Statement as to Disclosure of Information to the Auditor**
The trustees who were in office on the date of approval of the financial statements have confirmed, as far as they are aware, that there is no relevant audit information of which the auditor is unaware. Each of the trustees has confirmed that they have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as directors to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that it has been communicated to the auditor.
## **Annual General Meeting**
A separate notice on page 85 of this report explains the business to be considered at the Annual General Meeting on 09 July 2026.
This report was approved by the Council on 30 April 2026.
By order of the Council
**Jane E C Ashton** Chief Executive
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## Our Impact in 2025
## Public voice
8,582 In-person and online eventregistrations 10 MTD webinars and peer discussion groups 2,268[MTD event registrations]
4[Parliamentary mentions]
Engagements with 11 politicians
Appearances in mainstream 279 and trade media
39 Press releases
10,469 Members
## Successes
Reached over 10,000 students as part of our schools and careers programme
Launched our dedicated social media strategy, with over 1.4m views across YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn
Created fantastic member engagement with our involvement in Trustees’ Week, and National Mentoring Day
627 New members
6,473 Students (inc. Tax Pathway)
1,685 New students
3,570 Online exams
A successful, livestreamed, hybrid AGM
Considered the No.1 source for MTD
Awarded Highly Commended for best use of video at the Memcom awards
47[Technical ] articles
30[Technical ] submissions 87k[Views of our FAQs] and how to guides
48 HMRC groups represented Annual Report 2025 1
**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 COUNCIL AND ADVISERS**
## **President**
*Graham Batty BSc (Hons) ATT (Fellow) CTA ACA (2012) (E)
**Deputy President** Barry Jefferd BSc ATT (Fellow) CTA FCA (2021) (E)
**Vice President** Eleanor Theochari ATT CTA (2023) (E)
**Honorary Treasurer** *David Bradshaw BSc ATT (Fellow) CTA FCA (2015) (E)
**Council** Paul Bartlett ATT CTA (2025) (E) Paul Benton ATT CTA (2023) (E) Richard Freeman LLB (Hons) ATT CTA Solicitor (2015) (E) *Simon Groom BSc ATT (Fellow) CTA FCA (2018) (E) Jacqueline Hall BA (Hons) ATT CTA FCA (2016) (E) Jamie Hooper ATT CTA (2023) (E) Mehran Iqbal ATT CTA (2025) (E) Tracy Lewis ATT CTA (2025) (E) Banin Oozeerally BSc (Hons) ATT CTA FCCA (2021) (E) Toyin Oyeneyin BA (Hons) MSc ATT CTA (2021) (E) Jonathan Stride ATT (Fellow) FMAAT CAT (2016) (E) Thomas Wallace ATT (2024) (E) Connor Whelan ATT CTA (2024) (E) Jonathan Yeomans ATT (2025) (E)
(E) - Elected Member
* Indicates Past President The year of appointment to Council is shown in brackets
**Chief Executive**
Jane Ashton ATT (Fellow) MAPM AMBCS
**Registered Office**
30 Monck Street, London SW1P 2AP Tel: 020 7340 0551
**Connected Charity**
Chartered Institute of Taxation 30 Monck Street, London SW1P 2AP
## **Bankers**
HSBC plc The Peak, 333 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 1EJ
## **Statutory Auditor**
UHY Hacker Young Thames House, Roman Square, Sittingbourne ME10 4BJ
## **Investment Advisers**
Rathbones Group Plc 30 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7QN
**Solicitors**
Stone King LLP Boundary House, 91 Charterhouse Street, London EC1M 6HR
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 PUBLIC BENEFIT**
As a registered charity, we have a responsibility to operate for the public benefit. Our charitable aims are to advance public education in, and promote the study of, the administration and practice of taxation. We also work to prevent crime and support the sound administration of the law by promoting and enforcing high standards of professional conduct among those who provide tax advice and services.
Our Technical Steering Group (TSG) continues to work with HMRC to try and make the tax system simple, accessible, and fair for all taxpayers, whether or not they are represented.
## **Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax**
A major area of focus for TSG in 2025 was Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax, which remains a significant topic for both members and the wider public. The ATT technical team continues to maintain strong formal and informal links with HMRC’s MTD teams, contributing to design and implementation discussions and reviewing legislation and guidance.
MTD readiness among both members and unrepresented taxpayers.
## **Improving Public Guidance**
Accurate, comprehensive guidance is essential for both agents and unrepresented taxpayers. Through the Guidance Strategy Forum, the ATT works closely with HMRC to help shape and improve public-facing materials. Areas of particular focus in 2025 included several iterations of a new interactive guidance tool to help taxpayers navigate a compliance check, and discussion of how HMRC use ‘change notes’ to display when guidance has been updated. The Forum has also carried out preliminary work towards HMRC’s major guidance projects for 2026, prioritising areas of Corporation Tax, PAYE, and VAT guidance which would benefit from improvement.
Alongside this work, we continued to maintain and update our own ‘how to’ guides for members and the public, especially where existing GOV.UK content lacks detail or practical support.
## **Simplification of the Tax System**
Our Director of Public Policy, Emma Rawson, continues to co-chair (alongside HMRC) the MTD Guidance Strategy Group. In addition, Technical Officer, Senga Prior, undertook a secondment with HMRC from 01 September to the end of December, providing an agent’s perspective on HMRC’s preparations and communications ahead of the April 2026 start date.
As the MTD ‘go-live’ date approaches, the technical team has expanded its work to support members’ readiness for April 2026 and beyond. Updated resources are published on the ATT’s MTD hub, which this year saw the addition of new MTD Frequently Asked Questions and Technical FAQs, both of which are regularly refreshed. A number of MTD related talks and webinars are already planned for 2026, and we will continue seeking opportunities to promote
We remain committed to promoting simplification as a key element of an accessible and understandable tax system. The ATT participated in Simplification Announcement Status Update meetings with HMRC, HM Treasury, and other professional bodies, reviewing simplification measures announced at recent fiscal events. Both HMRC and HM Treasury have shown strong interest in advancing simplification, and the ATT continues to highlight examples where simplification would make taxpayer compliance easier.
## **HMRC Performance Standards**
HMRC’s performance standards continued to affect taxpayers and agents throughout 2025. The ATT is represented on the Customer Services for Tax Agents &
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 PUBLIC BENEFIT**
Representative Bodies Working Group (CSTARB), established at the end of 2024 to address issues within personal tax operations. This group has already improved mutual understanding of problem areas and helped deliver practical changes, including revised processes allowing agents to reactivate self assessment records.
We also play an active role in HMRC’s Charter Stakeholder Group, emphasising the importance of ensuring Charter standards are meaningfully applied across all parts of HMRC. Throughout the year we monitored HMRC’s performance against both the Charter and its internal standards, providing feedback drawn from members’ experiences.
from 06 April 2026. Much of this activity focused on highlighting the implications of upcoming changes or emerging proposals, helping taxpayers understand compliance obligations and avoid errors.
## **Education and Careers**
We continue to promote education in taxation. Members and Technical Officers delivered webinars for ATT/CIOT branches, contributed to ATT annual conferences and free quarterly webinars for members, and took part in joint events with organisations including AAT, CIPP, and AccountingWEB. These events are open to members and nonmembers, providing opportunities for participants to ask questions and share feedback.
## **Policy, Consultations, and Engagement**
In 2025, TSG submitted 17 formal consultation responses and six Budget representations. We also engaged extensively with HMRC through both regular standing meetings and informal discussions. Our consultation work covered a wide range of agent-related reviews, including proposals for mandatory registration of tax advisers with HMRC and stronger sanctions for promoters of tax avoidance schemes.
TSG members also participated in numerous HMRC-led groups covering the full range of UK taxes, as well as meeting with HMRC on an ad-hoc basis to discuss specific policy and operational issues.
Our Employer Focus publication highlights issues of importance to employers and employees. Twelve editions were published during the year, covering topics such as overseas remote working, the impact of higher income tax rates on employees, PAYE reporting obligations for early payments, and automatic enrolment of seasonal staff. Our Employer Focus articles were accessed more than 50,000 times during 2025.
Throughout 2025, members and technical officers represented the ATT at 45 in-person careers events at schools and colleges, reaching more than 10,000 students and promoting tax as a rewarding career path.
## **Membership and Student Support**
## **Media and Public Engagement**
TSG produced 27 press releases during the year, which received significant coverage in tax, accountancy, and in-house publications, as well as mainstream media. Technical Officers and TSG members contributed articles and made a number of appearances on BBC radio, both locally and nationally. Technical Officer, Helen Thornley, provided oral evidence to the House of Lords Finance Bill Sub-Committee on APR/BPR changes
Our open-access policy ensures that anyone wishing to register as a student may do so, regardless of academic background. We offer three routes into full ATT membership: the traditional route, the Tax Pathway, and the Level 4 Professional Tax Technician Apprenticeship. For those seeking entrylevel qualifications, we also offer Foundation Level qualifications in Personal Tax, Business Tax, VAT Compliance, and Transfer Pricing.
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 PUBLIC BENEFIT**
To support examination preparation, we run Exam Focus and Skills Days ahead of both the May and November sittings. These webinars help students with revision, covering both core and more challenging areas of the syllabus. Tutors guide students through past exam questions and demonstrate how to produce examinationstandard answers. Recordings are available for students unable to attend live sessions.
## **Mentoring Programme**
The ATT’s mentoring programme, ATT Mentor Match, has now been running for just over a year. It supports personal and professional development by pairing experienced mentors with individuals seeking guidance. Through regular one-toone sessions, mentees receive tailored advice, constructive feedback, and ongoing encouragement.
The programme continues to grow, with 74 registered users including 51 mentees and 28 mentors, several of whom serve in both capacities.
than 75 TikTok videos, generating over 500,000 views and more than 2,000 comments and likes. Our presence on YouTube and LinkedIn also continues to grow, and we published a further 12 educational videos in 2025.
Website enhancements have made our content more accessible and user-friendly. In 2025 the site recorded more than 860,000 page views up to 31 December. While examination pages remain the most visited, our Corporation Tax Rates and Associated Companies FAQs pages attracted over 26,000 views. Our new collection page for How-to Guides and FAQs brings together popular resources in one place, with six of these guides appearing in the top 20 mostvisited pages.
## **Branch Network and Regional Activities**
The Branch Network delivered a wide range of technical events across the UK and beyond, with many held online to increase accessibility for members, students, and the public. Recordings are available for purchase, and all CPD events are open to all.
## **Careers Campaign: Step into Tax**
Our ‘Step into Tax’ careers campaign gained significant recognition following the revamp of the website and creation of downloadable brochures aimed at students, employers, career switchers, and those planning their next steps, including being Highly Commended for Best Use of Video at the Memcom Excellence Awards. We also produced a series of YouTube videos exploring topics such as the benefits of a career in tax, balancing a career with family responsibilities, and what makes tax work rewarding.
## **Social Media and Website Development**
In 2025, we developed our Social Media Strategy with the aim of becoming the most trusted, recognisable, and influential voice on tax matters. This year we published more
Following the expansion of the technical team, we now have two Technical Officers based in Scotland, allowing us to increase our engagement with Scottish schools, colleges, and universities. As part of our commitment to promoting tax as a career, the ATT has become a pledge partner of Developing the Young Workforce (DYW). Through this partnership, Technical Officer, Chris Campbell, attended careers events at four secondary schools and one primary school and supported two mock interview sessions.
To raise awareness of tax as a career at university level, he presented at Robert Gordon University (Aberdeen) and the University of Dundee, while Senga presented to students at the University of the Highlands and Islands (Perth). Chris also spoke at a graduate careers event for an
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 PUBLIC BENEFIT**
accountancy firm, and both he and Senga have begun discussions with additional
Scottish universities to broaden our reach in 2026.
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 LAY PUBLIC INTEREST COUNCIL OBSERVER**
**George Ritchie reports**
This is my third annual report as the ATT Lay Public Interest Council Observer. My role includes reporting annually on the Council’s conduct of business in relation to safeguarding of the public interest, particularly as a charity, and commenting on the Council’s adherence to the Association’s Articles and statutory obligations and functions.
I have attended all 4 Council meetings this year. I have also attended the annual mandatory trustee training and a training event for Council Members on Chairing Meetings. I was unable to observe the Council’s Strategy Day in October due to other commitments. I have, however, reviewed the minutes from this event which evidence Council’s strategic focus on delivering long-term sustainability in a rapidly changing world increasingly influenced by AI.
from the public interest perspective was the issue of a new version of the Charity Governance Code in late 2025. This sets out universal principles of governance for charities to consider and helps to shape a common view of what good looks like. Compliance with the Code is not a regulatory requirement, but meeting the Code’s principles and outcomes would provide strong assurance to external stakeholders that a charity is well governed.
At its December 2025 meeting, Council reviewed the Operational Checklist completed by the Executive Team confirming that the ATT’s operational practices meet the new Governance Code principles and standards. It identified only one minor “evidence and assurance” area requiring further development. Demonstrating the ATT’s positive culture and commitment to the Code, Council members agreed to complete their own individual checklists to ensure awareness of the Code’s expectations of them personally. This high-level assessment that the ATT is in very good shape aligns with my own observations over the last twelve months.
While the new Code contains some slight but significant changes to the governance principles, and places greater emphasis on behaviours (culture) and evidence of adherence to the principles and assurance (alongside operational policies and processes), it is still apt to group them and report on them under the same four headings as in past years.
## **Organisational Purpose**
The ATT’s core charitable objectives are (in brief):
- To advance public education in and promote the study of the administration and practice of taxation,
- To prevent crime, and
- To promote the sound administration of the law for the public benefit.
Council remains keenly focused on all aspects of its organisational purpose. During the year, it has given careful consideration to the evolution of the ATT’s educational offering, maintenance of confidence in the integrity of the ATT’s examinations processes, improving educational member benefits and the development of the mentoring programme started in late 2024.
Council also continues to maintain good oversight of the ATT’s AML responsibilities,
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 LAY PUBLIC INTEREST COUNCIL OBSERVER**
receiving reports at each meeting highlighting progress made and key risks.
## **Architecture and Governance/Leadership**
As I reported last year, the engagement between the Executive and Council has again been open, respectful, and effective.
Council meetings were all held in-person this year. I believe this provides for a more inclusive environment, making it easier for all members to be fully engaged and contribute.
There continued to be appropriate churn of Council members in 2025, with due consideration being given to ensuring a strong and diverse leadership pipeline.
## **Ways of Working/Policy, Processes, and Practice**
Council meetings operated effectively. During the year, Council received updates from the Steering Groups and Committees in a timely fashion and ensured their terms of reference were regularly reviewed and updated as required. Similarly, Council members received comprehensive papers for Council meetings in plenty of time to enable thorough preparation in advance and clear minutes with Action Points that were then tracked as they progressed.
Council continued to manage the ATT’s key risks effectively. The way in which the Strategic Risk Register is presented at each meeting continued to improve this year, further enhancing the ability of Council members to calibrate and assess the risks, alignment with risk appetite and the appropriateness of the control measures.
## **Culture/Behaviours**
I continue to be impressed by the ATT’s healthy culture and the role modelling of Council members and the Leadership Team. Council discussions have once again been conducted with integrity, with a clear focus on “doing the right thing” for all stakeholders and of respecting – and on delivering on – the ATT’s charitable objectives.
This healthy culture appears to run throughout the organisation, as evidenced by the high levels of engagement with the Employee Opinion Survey, which meant the criteria were met for an Outstanding Workplace Award from People Insight.
In conclusion, I extend my gratitude to all Council members, CEO Jane Ashton, and the members of the Leadership Team and Steering Groups for their warmth of welcome, willingness to engage, and transparency.
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 ENFORCEMENT OF STANDARDS - TDB**
**Tom Hayhoe, TDB Chair, reports**
The Taxation Disciplinary Board Limited (TDB) is an independent body which handles complaints about alleged breaches of professional rules and conduct by members and students of the ATT and CIOT.
For the purposes of the figures quoted in this report, students are counted as members, and figures for ATT members include individuals who are joint members of ATT and CIOT.
The TDB is responsible for administering the Taxation Disciplinary Scheme (TDS), which sets out the principles and powers underlying the participant bodies’ complaints and disciplinary procedures. These procedures exist to protect the public. By maintaining and enhancing professional standards, they also strengthen the standing and reputation of the tax profession and are beneficial to all members. The TDB aims to ensure it is at the forefront of best regulatory practice and is committed to an open and effective system of complaints handling and disciplinary tribunals.
## **Governance of the TDB**
Overall responsibility for the administration of the TDS lies with the TDB Board of Directors.
I was Chair during 2025 and I am supported by three directors: Brian Palmer, appointed by ATT; Daniel Lyons, appointed by CIOT; and Jane Brothwood, an independent NonExecutive Director.
The committees and tribunals appointed by the TDB are drawn from a panel of legally qualified professionals, tax professionals, and lay people. Panel members do not have any current involvement with the standards setting of the two participant bodies.
Complaints are managed by the TDB Operations Team within a firewalled area of ATT/CIOT Professional Standards, under the oversight of the Head of Professional Standards.
The Board employs a part-time Executive Director (previously referred to as the Executive and Strategy Officer), who supports the board and panel members, working on policy and strategy and fulfilling the company secretary's duties. The Board also employs a part-time administrative assistant. The Clerk to the Disciplinary Tribunal is responsible for the organisation and conduct of disciplinary tribunal hearings.
## **Overview of 2025**
The investigation of complaints, including the function of ‘reviewer,’ and day-to-day administration, is undertaken by two Case Managers within the TDB Operations team. An additional Case Manager was recruited for a one-year fixed term contract in September 2025 to assist in clearing the backlog of cases.
TDB have continued to operate remotely, with some in-person meetings at the office in Monck Street. Hearings are generally held
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 ENFORCEMENT OF STANDARDS - TDB**
virtually, with some Disciplinary Tribunal hearings held in-person at Monck Street.
The Board undertook a quality assurance review of TDB case work in the spring of 2025 and held a strategy day in July to consider how to improve processes and regulations which set out the rules on how the disciplinary process is conducted. The current Executive Director has started work on a review of the operation of the disciplinary process and updating the regulations. This work will continue in 2026.
A successful training day was held in November 2025, with most attendees attending in-person and some joining virtually. It was a wonderful opportunity to come together again, to learn and share good practice. The day was led by Sarah Ellson, Partner at Fieldfisher solicitors, with discussions with panel members on TDB processes and documentation.
Case Center, an evidence management platform provider, provided training on the use of their product for panel members. This tool is used to collate case information for hearings and enables information to be securely shared with panel members. Anest Ellis, TDB Case Manager, provided an update on the work of the TDB and Jane Mellor, Head of Professional Standards at ATT/CIOT, presented updates on professional standards material and Anti-Money Laundering requirements.
## **Complaint Cases Received in 2025**
TDB still maintains a backlog of cases, but good progress is being made in working through these. The consent order process was introduced in 2024 and, during 2025, has proved to be useful in speeding up the resolution of cases and reducing costs for members.
The TDB received 83 referrals in 2025, of which 52 cases related to ATT members. The TDB were also put on notice of one potential referral of an ATT member which is dependent on the outcome of criminal proceedings or disciplinary action by another body. Of the 83 cases, 23 referrals were made by ATT, and this included the referral of 13 ATT students for potential cheating through the use of AI. The remainder of the referrals were made by CIOT, other professional bodies, by government, clients, or other members of the public.
Four complaints received during 2025 related to Anti-Money Laundering (AML) failures identified through AML supervisory activity. Enforcement action in relation to members with AML breaches is required to be effective, proportionate, and dissuasive under the requirements of the Money Laundering Regulations. One ATT member has been censured and fined and one received a warning. At the end of the year, the remaining two were still going through the disciplinary process.
Other than AML-related cases and exam cheating, other complaints received related in the main to the provision of poor advice or service. There were also complaints where the member brought the profession
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 ENFORCEMENT OF STANDARDS - TDB**
into disrepute through their dismissal or convictions for offences such as drink driving.
## **Disciplinary Hearings and Outcomes in 2025**
The Disciplinary hearings undertaken in 2025 included referrals made during 2025 and in previous years.
In relation to publicised complaint outcomes, eight ATT members went through the full disciplinary process. These were all ATT students alleged to have cheated using AI and one was censured whilst the other seven were removed from the student register.
Two members were subject to interim orders and suspended from ATT membership pending full hearings by the Disciplinary Tribunal. Interim orders enable swift interim action to be taken for the
protection of the public in the most serious cases coming to the TDB.
Twelve members settled their cases by way of consent orders, where they admitted to breaches of ATT rules and agreed for the sanction to be imposed. Two student members alleged to have cheated using AI agreed to removal from the student register (one was also fined). Seven members were censured (two of which were also fined). One member was suspended for three months, one was warned, and one was suspended for 2 years and fined.
Where disciplinary action was upheld against members, details are included on the Taxation Disciplinary Board Website hearings page. This page includes links to cases settled by consent order and those which went to the Disciplinary Tribunal and for interim orders.
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 ENFORCEMENT OF STANDARDS - AML**
**Dhruti Shah, Professional Standards Committee Chair, reports**
## **Anti-Money Laundering (AML)**
All businesses in the UK tax and accounting sector must be supervised for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) purposes by an approved supervisory body. The ATT acts as a supervisor for firms where at least one of the principals in the business is an ATT member. One of the objects of the Association is to “prevent crime,” and effective AML supervision is an important tool in the fight against financial crime and protection of the public.
answers are followed up, and non-compliant firms are subject to enforcement measures as required.
As AML supervisors it is our responsibility to ensure that tax advisory and accountancy firms run by our members:
- a) understand the anti-money laundering, counter terrorist financing, and counter proliferation financing risks facing their business and how to mitigate them; and
- b) comply with their anti-money laundering, counter terrorist financing, and counter proliferation financing obligations.
Updated AML scheme rules came into effect from 01 November 2025. The update included the requirement for supervised firms to retain copies of suspicious activity reports submitted to the National Crime Agency and notes of matters considered for reporting. There was also clarification about the requirement to respond promptly in relation to AML supervision rules and disciplinary action.
## **AML Inspection visits**
## **AML Supervision**
The ATT supervised over 600 firms as at 31 December 2025.
The ATT supervises firms where a member is the sole proprietor or where there is at least one member who is an equity partner, member of an LLP, or company director listed at Companies House, and where the firm includes the provision of tax advice.
Firms must apply for supervision and undergo several checks before being accepted. They are also required to renew their status annually by submitting a detailed return. The return form includes questions relating to a firm’s compliance with The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (as amended) (MLR). Non-compliant
AML inspection visits were undertaken in relation to 31 firms during 2025.
In accordance with the MLR all our supervised firms are given a risk rating. With the National Risk Assessment (NRA) in mind, given the potential inherent risks attached to tax work the minority of our firms are considered to be low risk.
Firms assessed as high risk, and firms with a higher medium risk profile, are included in our programme of visits, as well as a small sample of medium and low risk firms. This covers a range of firms from sole
practitioners through to larger practices. The programme is flexible and, when new risks are identified, we can add visits to the schedule at short notice. For example, late registering firms were quickly slotted into the programme for AML visits as well as
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 ENFORCEMENT OF STANDARDS - AML**
firms indicating non-compliance in AML renewal forms.
As a result of an AML visit we are able to rate the firms as compliant with the Money Laundering Regulations, generally compliant, or non-compliant. The results in relation to 2025 visits were that two were compliant, 27 were generally compliant, and two were non-compliant.
Where firms are generally compliant or noncompliant, they are issued with action points, and a deadline is set for completion of these. We work with firms to ensure compliance, and ongoing non-compliance with requirements results in referral to the Taxation Disciplinary Board.
## **Enforcement**
Members are fined by the ATT for failure to complete renewal forms. Fines were issued in relation to late renewal by 12 ATT supervised firms in 2025.
In line with requirements placed on us by the MLRs and Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS) we have taken a firmer line in 2025 in relation to AML non-compliance in other areas and have referred 4 ATT members to the TDB for initial late ATT AML supervision registration and failure to deal with AML requirements.
## **Communication**
In addition to regular AML newsletters, articles in the Weekly News email and Tax Adviser magazine, we covered AML in our Professional Standards webinar in April 2025, and a further AML update webinar was provided in November 2025. The November webinar included guidance on
the changes to the scheme rules, suspicious activity reporting, the updated National Risk Assessment, training requirements, and other compliance tips. We also provided AML training as part of the Taxation Disciplinary Board (TDB) training day.
Our annual report on our activities as an AML supervisor was titled ‘ _Making AML Supervision effective in a changing world_ .’ This report is a requirement under the MLRs in addition to the annual report which we submit to HM Treasury and provides more information about the supervisory activity undertaken during 2024/25.
**Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS)**
We continue to engage with the other AML supervisors, HM Treasury, and OPBAS in order to meet the statutory requirements placed on us as supervisors. We also actively take part in information sharing on financial crime threats and risks.
We are accountable to OPBAS for the standard of our supervision. The action points identified during the OPBAS review in February 2024 were resolved during 2025.
In October 2025, HM Treasury announced the outcome of the 2023 consultation on the reform of the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervisory system. It indicated that professional body AML supervision will be moving to a single professional services supervisor (the Financial Conduct Authority). The ATT engaged with OPBAS, HM Treasury, and the FCA in relation to these changes with a number of meetings taking place in 2025. AML supervision is expected to transfer in 2028.
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 BRANCHES REPORT**
## **Lynne Poyser reports**
Branch volunteers met in February to discuss succession planning for volunteers, audiences, and speakers, and again in October to reflect on their ambassadorial role for the network and strategies for growing our branch communities.
The Branch Network delivered a total of 142 events in 2025 on a broad range of topics, including:
- complying with Pillar Two
- residency 101 and PPR relief 101
The Branch Network supports the ATT to deliver on its aims and objectives in furtherance of the public benefit, namely, education in taxation.
- efficient legal research and structuring tax advice
- new income streams: tax strategies for influencers, gamers, and online sellers
- LBTT update
This is achieved by:
- the delivery of public events to further the public education of taxation matters, and
- the delivery of accessible, inclusive, high quality, and affordable CPD, and bringing the profession together as a community via peer-to-peer learning and networking.
## **Community**
The Branch Network is supported by over 100 volunteers who are ATT members or students, 39 of whom are in the role of Chair or hold an Officer position. This includes 17 new branch committee members who joined in 2025.
We thank the branch volunteers who have supported the network for years and have decided to step down, some to take on new roles or to allow for new members as part of succession planning.
- HNWI individuals leaving the UK
We have brought local communities together with an expanded programme of in-person events across the network. 102 CPD and social events were held in 2025. compared to 70 in 2024. This expansion has led to an increase in branch event registrations from ATT members and students, rising from 1,190 in 2024 to over 1,500 in 2025.
Attendance at our virtual events has remained consistent; with over 5,700 registrations this year compared to 6,200 in 2024. The decrease in registrations may be partly due to hosting fewer online events - 36 events compared to 45 in 2024.
Thank you to all volunteers for their hard work throughout the year to provide their local communities, which include our members and students, with relevant CPD and networking opportunities.
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 BRANCHES REPORT**
**ATT President, Graham Batty, and Banin Oozeerally, London Branch Chair with London Branch prizewinners Charles Tillett and Samuel Rose, and Emma Barklamb, Head of Member Services**
**ATT Vice President, Barry Jefferd, and Banin Oozeerally, London Branch Chair with London Branch members at a CPD event**
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STEERING GROUP REPORTS**
## **Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (joint with CIOT)**
## **Olayinka Iwu reports**
In 2025 we continued work on our EDI Strategy (2022–2026). This work has been supported by ATT and CIOT senior leadership and is overseen by the EDI Committee and by our independent chair. The committee met four times during the year, during which it continued work towards meeting the five goals contained in the strategy that aim to support a positive EDI culture within our organisations.
## **Goal 1: Developing an Inclusive Environment**
The annual training session for trustees, which included a dedicated EDI workshop, covered the strategic importance of diversity within charities and membership bodies. Topics covered included legal developments under the Equality Act and strategies for fostering an inclusive culture at board-level. This ensured trustees were equipped with insights to support equitable decisionmaking and promote best practice in EDI.
The recruitment process for a new independent chair of the committee and ATT trustees involved advertising the vacancies across a diverse range of media and the application of a documented process, including a standard redaction policy to help reduce unconscious bias. Applications were assessed against a defined
scoring framework and anonymously scored to produce a shortlist.
We continue to foster a positive working environment for our employees. Our Annual Employee Opinion Survey attracted high levels of staff engagement, who responded positively to questions on the culture of inclusivity and diversity across CIOT and ATT. Among the findings were that 92% of respondents said everyone was welcome at CIOT/ATT regardless of background and 89% felt they are treated fairly and with respect.
For the third consecutive year, our organisations received the Outstanding Workplace Award from People Insight, a global employee survey consultancy.
## **Goal 2: Embed EDI Values in Our Work**
Our events team continue to ensure our events are attractive to as wide a range of people as possible through a mix of inperson, online, and hybrid events. Venues are reviewed to ensure they meet our accessibility requirements and, where possible, we work to ensure that our speakers and panellists come from a diverse talent pool.
The revised Charity Governance Code was updated in November 2025. ATT Council has considered the new code and are satisfied they are meeting all the requirements in respect of EDI.
Our inclusive language guide was updated twice in 2025. Future reviews have been scheduled on a three-year cycle, unless legislative, legal, or best practice requirements necessitate an earlier review.
We made improvements to our websites, including Tax Adviser, to improve navigation and make content clearer and more accessible. Our organisations continue to maintain a shared corporate inclusion calendar to help avoid scheduling major
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STEERING GROUP REPORTS**
meetings on key cultural or awareness days where possible.
## **Goal 3: Build an Inclusive Membership Base**
The results of our second member/student EDI survey found that the spread of our members is increasing across the UK, with slightly less concentration than before in London and the Southeast.
over 10,000 students to raise awareness of our qualifications.
As part of Neurodiversity Week, more than 700 people registered to attend a CIOT/ATT webinar on ADHD and the tax profession. A dedicated working group will be set-up in 2026 to consider many of the issues explored in the webinar.
## **Goal 5: Be Thought Leaders for the**
Other findings showed that the gender balance of our members is roughly equal, while there has been a notable increase in the proportion of students from Asian or Asian-British backgrounds (from 15% to 20%). To better capture diversity data, we have started work on an upgrade to our member portal. This is due to be completed in 2026.
The survey also told us that our students are more likely to advise us if they have a mental health condition such as anxiety or depression and that, compared to 2022, members and students are more likely to report negative experiences related to their employment, such as a lack of promotion or salary progress.
Nearly one in six CIOT and ATT students said that they have experienced inappropriate behaviour in the workplace that communicate negative attitudes towards specific groups. This is less prevalent compared to our first survey in 2022.
Around 50% of CIOT and ATT members are aged between 45 and 64 and two-thirds of students are under the age of 35. Ageism is reported as an issue among our youngest students and middle-aged members, indicating a need to consider better awareness and intergenerational training.
## **Profession**
We continue to emphasise the importance of an inclusive tax profession through articles in Tax Adviser magazine, which outline how the profession has benefited from improved equality and diversity. We have featured profiles of students and members in the magazine and have continued to promote the ATT qualification at a range of external events.
## **External Engagement**
In addition to working towards the five aims of our strategy, the EDI committee welcomed external speakers to share best practice and broaden its understanding of EDI issues affecting the tax profession.
In May, the committee welcomed speakers from Blick Rothenberg, who spoke about social mobility and inclusion. This meeting was also attended by the Worshipful Company of Tax Advisers, who gave a presentation on education initiatives, their school outreach activity, and funding available to support students.
In November, representatives from HMRC gave a presentation on their customer support as well as the roll-out of the Making Tax Digital initiative and the plans being put in place to support accessibility.
## **Goal 4: Inspire the Next Generation**
Our organisations continue their outreach to employers, tutors, and schools to promote careers in tax. During 2025 the ATT reached
The committee is grateful for the time, effort, and expertise that has been shared and further external engagement is planned for 2026.
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STEERING GROUP REPORTS**
## **Committee Changes**
There were a number of committee changes in 2025. We were pleased to welcome Paul Bartlett, Heather Hill, and Kaila Engelsman to the committee and thanked Waris Butt, Reshma Johar (Vice Chair), Georgiana Head, and Sofia Thomas for their contributions as they left the committee.
end of 2025. Following an external recruitment process, we are pleased that Sharon Spice will join as our new independent Chair from February 2026.
The appointment of Sharon comes as the committee prepares to review its action plan and identify new priorities for the coming year, which is expected to include a focus on social mobility.
After three years as our independent Chair, I stepped down from the committee at the
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STEERING GROUP REPORTS**
## **Examination Steering Group**
**Barry Jefferd reports**
During the year candidates sat 3,525 papers achieving 2,592 passes. Congratulations to all of you who passed your tax exams during 2025.
The ATT tax examinations continued to be held remotely using the Exam4 software during 2025. Following student feedback on Exam4 functionality a tender process for a new exam platform supplier was carried out. The TestReach tender was successful, and they have been awarded the contract with May 2026 being the first exam session for ATT exams to be held with them. TestReach offer live remote proctoring during the exam, and all exams are also recorded and can be requested for review after the exam has taken place. Training with the Education team has begun on how to deal with student registrations and setting the exams, then as the training progresses there will also be sessions on marking and moderation. The examinations will continue to be an open book style with limitations on the materials that can be used by the candidates by whitelisting online materials and students will be able to have an A5 notebook in the examination containing their notes and memory joggers. These are transitional arrangements before final arrangements are put in place from November 2026. Our aim is to ensure that, as far as possible, all candidates have access to the same materials during their exams. The ATT
website is being updated regularly, complemented by articles in Study Advance, to keep students and employers updated as we work through the transfer process.
In 2025 we introduced changes to the structure of the ATT examinations to guard against the use of AI through the removal of short form questions. Despite these format changes we experienced a large number of students using AI in their exams leading to disqualifications and in some cases referrals to the Tax Disciplinary Board (TDB). We have introduced a new appeals process with effect from the November 2025 examination session whereby the EXSG and ATT Special Admissions and Appeals Panel (SAAP) will hear appeals from students disqualified during our post-examination processes.
We will continue to ensure our examinations remain robust and relevant as the world of work and use of AI continually changes.
On 26 June 2025 we were delighted to welcome new members and their families to the Admission Ceremony at the Law Society in London. We were also delighted to be able to present prize winners with their medals and prizes.
The ATT has always taken the needs of our students into consideration. We have an updated detailed access arrangement policy ensuring that students requiring extra time or help are supported. We also have a new special circumstances policy to cover incidents or unforeseen circumstances that happen during or just before the examinations. A new method for using this policy was communicated to students and put in place for the first time during the May 2025 exams which proved to be successful and will continue for future exam sessions.
We worked with Skills England and the Trailblazer Employer Group to develop a new Level 4 Apprenticeship in Taxation in 2024 and have continued to provide support for its introduction following policy changes
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STEERING GROUP REPORTS**
at the Department for Education in relation to apprenticeship assessment. This work will continue in 2026.
successful students. We had 1 student register for the VAT Compliance Diploma – Malta.
During the year there were 526 students registered for our non-UK VAT Compliance Diploma (VCD) and 95 for our non-UK Diploma in Transfer Pricing (DTP). 487 VCD non-UK students received certificates, and 51 DTP certificates were awarded. There were 148 students studying for our four Foundation Level qualifications in Personal Taxation, Business Taxation, VAT Compliance and Transfer Pricing with a total of 160 certificates awarded. 566 students registered on the Diploma in Corporate Tax (non-UK) since its introduction in 2022, and 534 certificates have been issued to
This year saw a change to those that could register as an ATT student with only students residing in the UK and GCC countries now being eligible to study, this is owing to the tax being charged by other countries on the qualification.
Finally, a huge thank you to our Chief Examiner, Helen Stainton, and her team of examiners and the Education Team who monitor and deliver the whole examination process. The work they do is immense and always with the need of our student members at the forefront.
**Senga Prior with prize winners from the 2024 examinations at the 2025 Admission Ceremony**
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 EXAMINATION RESULTS**
|**2025 Examinations – May**||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**_No. of_**|**_No. passing_**|**_Pass rate_**|
||**_candidates_**|||
|Personal Taxation|685|465|
68%|
|Business Taxation|551|402|
73%|
|Business Compliance|111|99|
89%|
|Corporate Taxation|213|167|
78%|
|Inheritance Tax,Trusts & Estates|121|92|
76%|
|VAT|104|80|
77%|
|**May 2025prizes and medals were awarded as follows:**||||
|**Association Medal**||Perla Hoffman||
|_(best overallperformance)_||||
|**Tolley Prize**||Elizabeth Andree Swain||
|_(highest total mark when taking all threepapers_|_at one sitting)_|||
|**President’s Medal**|||not awarded|
|_(at the discretion of the President)_||||
|**Ivison Medal**||Lucy|Jane Downes|
|_(Personal Taxationpaper)_||||
|**Jennings Medal**||Freya Tuulikki Webb||
|_(Business Taxationpaper)_||||
|**Collingwood Medal**||Sameer Hussain||
|_(Business Compliancepaper)_||||
|**Stary Medal**||Perla Hoffman||
|_(Corporate Taxationpaper)_||||
|**Kimmer Medal**||Brogan Howe||
|_(Inheritance Tax, Trusts & Estatespaper)_||||
|**Gravestock Medal**||Rebecca Watt||
|_(VATpaper)_||||
|**Johnson Medal**||Charlotte Helen Cade||
|_(Computer Based Examinations in Professional Responsibilities_||||
|_& Ethics, Law, and Principles of Accounting)_||||
**P a g e | 34**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 EXAMINATION RESULTS**
|**2025 Examinations – November**||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**_No. of_**|**_No. passing_**|**_Pass rate_**|
||**_candidates_**|||
|Personal Taxation|594|406|68%|
|Business Taxation|602|457|76%|
|Business Compliance|125|107|86%|
|Corporate Taxation|247|188|76%|
|Inheritance Tax,Trusts & Estates|118|87|74%|
|VAT|54|42|78%|
|**2025 Examinations – Computer Based (1 January – 31 December 2025)**|**2025 Examinations – Computer Based (1 January – 31 December 2025)**|**2025 Examinations – Computer Based (1 January – 31 December 2025)**||
|---|---|---|---|
||**_No. of_**|**_No. passing_**|**_Pass rate_**|
||**_candidates_**|||
|Professional Responsibilities & Ethics|696|567|81%|
|Law|771|489|63%|
|Principles of Accounting|673|468|70%|
|**November 2025prizes and medals were awarded as follows:**||||
|**Association Medal**||Niles Christopher Keane||
|(_best overallperformance_)||||
|**Tolley Prize**||Niles Christopher Keane||
|_(highest total mark when taking all threepapers_|_at one sitting_)|||
|**President’s Medal**||Paige Givin and||
|(_at the discretion of the President_)|||Freya Owen|
|**Ivison Medal**|||Abby Main|
|(_Personal Taxationpaper_)||||
|**Jennings Medal**||Raiko Hotski||
|(_Business Taxationpaper_)||||
|**Collingwood Medal**||Lucy Jane Downes||
|(_Business Compliancepaper_)||||
|**Stary Medal**||Alex Michael Punshon||
|(_Corporate Taxationpaper_)||||
|**Kimmer Medal**||Freya Tuulikki Webb||
|(_IHT, Trusts & Estatespaper_)||||
|**Gravestock Medal**||Jacob Kersley||
|(_VATpaper_)||||
|**Johnson Medal**||Ka Wai Peter Hui||
|(_Computer Based Examinations in Professional Responsibilities_||||
|_& Ethics, Law, and Principles of Accounting_)||||
|**Jean Jesty Prize**||Joseph Heavens||
|(_awarded by the Worshipful Company of Tax Advisers to the_||||
|_student under 21 years of age as at 31 December 2025_||||
|_achieving the highest overall marks in the three papers and_||||
|_three Computer Based Examinations_)||||
**P a g e | 35**
**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STEERING GROUP REPORTS**
## **Member and Business Development Steering Group**
## **Georgiana Head reports**
The Member and Business Development Steering Group met three times during 2025, in March, June and October, with discussions centred on membership growth, engagement activity, marketing initiatives, and our expanding outreach to students, employers, and the wider public. Minutes from each meeting were circulated to Council shortly after the meetings took place.
Membership continued its upward trajectory during the year. By the end of 2025, we welcomed 627 new members and 56 new Fellows, bringing total membership to 10,469, including 1,721 Fellows. Our flexible membership categories, including Life Membership and the Reduced Low Income category, continued to support member retention, with take-up in both groups increasing steadily over the year.
We were pleased to continue providing members with benefits and key resources such as the Whillans Tax Tables, Tolley’s Tax Guide, Mouse Mat and the Annotated Finance Act. This year also saw the introduction of a new benefit: digital access to Claritax’s Essential Tax Library. Take-up exceeded expectations, with more than 550 registrations within weeks of launching, demonstrating a strong appetite for high-
quality technical content delivered in a convenient digital format.
One of the more personal highlights of the year was the introduction of our new membership milestone recognition programme. In 2025, 339 members reached their five-year milestone and 207 reached 25 years with ATT. To mark the occasion, fiveyear members received a congratulatory message, while those celebrating 25 years were presented with a certificate and commemorative pen. The initiative was warmly welcomed and provided a meaningful way to celebrate dedication and long-standing membership of the Association.
Throughout 2025, we delivered an expanded programme of technical and memberfocused events. Our quarterly free members’ webinars remained extremely popular, covering inheritance tax changes, furnished holiday lets, crypto-assets and Making Tax Digital (MTD). The specialist Fellows’ webinars continued to offer deeper technical insight, incorporating breakout discussions led by Emma Rawson, Helen Thornley, Steven Pinhey, and David Wright. Monthly MTD peer discussion groups were also well-received, offering a supportive space for members to share practical tips and experiences ahead of the April 2026 implementation.
This year saw the successful continuation and expansion of the Step into Tax campaign. Building on the momentum created in 2024, our three-strand 2025 approach, membership conversion, student recruitment, and employer engagement, delivered excellent results. The studentfocused campaign exceeded all key metrics, achieving more than 1.5 million advert impressions, strong video completion rates and over 15,000 click-throughs to the Step into Tax webpages. The employer-focused strand generated increased interest in the ATT Apprenticeship, following the uplift to the funding band. For qualified students and
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STEERING GROUP REPORTS**
CTA members, the mid-year membership conversion campaign was well received, supported by refreshed materials including a new member benefits brochure and shortform video content.
Our marketing and digital output continued to grow, with the Technical Team releasing 12 new videos on a range of topics from state pensions and marriage allowance to side hustles and MTD for sole traders. These were complemented by new motion-graphic videos, podcasts and social media content that strengthened our visibility across LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Events remained a significant highlight of 2025.
- In May, the Joint Presidents’ Reception aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia brought together more than 120 guests and featured the presentation of awards to Derek Francis, Isobel D’Inverno, and Eric Brown.
- In June, we launched our first Tax Technology Conference, held at the ICC Birmingham. With over 260 attendees, the event featured a keynote speech from Professor Michael Mainelli, interactive breakout sessions, and live demonstrations from Bloomberg Tax, Tolley LexisNexis, Wolters Kluwer, WTS, and V7.
- The ATT Annual Conferences once again blended virtual and in-person sessions, with contributions from HMRC and the ATT Technical Officers.
- Our Admission Ceremony at the Law Society was a warm celebration of new members and prizewinners, with exceptional demand prompting us to consider a larger venue for future years.
- We also partnered with AAT for the December Sharpen Your Tax Skills virtual conferences, offering topical updates and practical sessions for sole traders, employees, and agents navigating HMRC processes.
Our schools and careers activity grew significantly this year, reflecting our commitment to promoting tax as a meaningful, rewarding career. Across 2025, the Technical Officers and volunteer members reached more than 10,000 students at over 30 events. From Year 6 sessions to university-level workshops and large apprenticeship fairs, the ATT presence was strong across England and Scotland. We also supported members delivering their own school sessions, supplying resources, merchandise, and guidance. Feedback from schools and members alike has been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging.
The branch network continued to rebuild its activity, with branch events attracting over 700 attendees. Topics ranged from cybercrime resilience and VAT case law to mentoring in tax. We welcomed new chairs and vice-chairs across several branches, and work continues to revitalise branches that have remained inactive since the pandemic.
Our mentoring platform, ATT Mentor Match, continued to grow its presence. National Mentoring Day in October provided a valuable opportunity to highlight the programme through coordinated social media activity, website content, and newsletter articles, and uptake has continued to increase as a result.
During Trustees’ Week in November, we ran a campaign celebrating the contribution of ATT trustees and volunteers, featuring articles, social media posts, and a half-page advert in Tax Adviser. This work reflects our ongoing commitment not only to supporting our current volunteers but also to encouraging new members to get involved.
Finally, I would like to thank the Steering Group members for their ongoing insight and contributions throughout the year, Vicky Nicholas, our secretary for her exceptional support, the Member Services and Events Teams for their hard work, and the Technical Team for their tireless work
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STEERING GROUP REPORTS**
across schools, events, webinars, videos, and public outreach. Their dedication has
ensured another successful and impactful year for the Association.
**New members from the 2025 Admission Ceremony**
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STEERING GROUP REPORTS**
## **Professional Standards Committee (joint with CIOT)**
**Dhruti Shah reports**
Members are expected to adhere to high professional standards to maintain trust in the profession by members of the public, HMRC and other third parties. The Joint Professional Standards Committee looked at several important issues during the year as part of the continuing work to set appropriate standards and review and monitor adherence to these.
## **Rules, Guidance, and Member Support**
## _**Professional Rules and Practice Guidelines (PRPG)**_
Work commenced during the year on an update to PRPG. PRPG sets out a number of member requirements plus guidance for those undertaking tax work. A full review has not taken place since 2018, and a number of areas need to be refreshed including reporting requirements to the ATT and conflicts of interest guidance. Work will continue in 2026.
## _**Professional Conduct in Relation to Taxation (PCRT)**_
Significant work on PCRT was concluded by the author bodies (including ATT) in 2025. This related to the alignment of PCRT wording with the wording in the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) ethical provisions for accountants providing tax planning services.
Whilst the ATT is not required to meet IESBA standards, four of the other author bodies are required to. The changes should not present significant extra burdens when providing tax advice.
Topical guidance covering the application of PCRT to Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax was issued in July and continues to be kept under review. Work has also been undertaken during the year on updating the topical guidance covering the application of professional standards to the provision of Research and Development tax credit services and drafting guidance on the application of PCRT when using artificial intelligence in the provision of tax services. These are expected to be published in 2026.
_**Professional Rules and Practice Guidelines (PRPG Indemnity Insurance (PII) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD)**_ We continued to regularly liaise with insurance providers to monitor market conditions in relation to obtaining insurance. We have also been considering how to encourage the uptake of cyber security insurance alongside raising awareness on cyber security issues in general through a webinar and website guidance.
The CPD working party continued to keep the regulations under review and commenced work on improving supporting guidance for publication in 2026.
## _**Member support**_
We are pleased to provide support to members through our helpline: standards@att.org.uk. Queries covered a wide range of issues including PII, how to meet CPD requirements, handover of clients to new advisers and suspicious activity reporting.
## **Raising Standards**
## _**Work with HMRC**_
We continued to engage with HMRC about raising agent standards and liaised with the
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STEERING GROUP REPORTS**
ATT Technical Team in relation to the consultation response on enhancing HMRC’s powers: tackling tax advisers facilitating oncompliance and the subsequent issue of draft legislation. We have also attended a number of follow-up meetings with HMRC as they developed the legislation for inclusion in the Finance Bill.
## **Compliance**
The ATT does not simply set standards but must also monitor compliance and follow up where non-compliance is identified, including the issue of fines and referral to the Taxation Disciplinary Board (TDB) where appropriate.
## _**Membership readmissions and annual returns**_
Work was undertaken during 2025 to update the readmissions policy for ATT
including implications for members and students following disciplinary action.
The annual return is a key element in checking member compliance. Members completing the form must self-certify compliance with CPD, PII and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) obligations and respond to conduct questions including criminal convictions and disciplinary action by another professional body.
Members failing to complete a return risk referral to the TDB and we have stepped up enforcement activity in this area including the issue of more than 20 fines for nonsubmission.
## _**CPD audit**_
The annual check of a selection of CPD records indicated a high level of compliance with this membership requirement.
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STEERING GROUP REPORTS**
## **Technical Steering Group**
## **Jon Stride reports**
The Technical Steering Group (TSG) has had another varied and successful year in 2025.
There have been a number of changes in the composition of TSG. During the year, Jon Stride took over from Senga Prior as Chair and Thomas Wallace became the new ViceChair. We also welcomed five new members: Banin Oozeerally; David Perrin (as our first Welsh member); Lucy Orrow; Mehran Iqbal; and Sam Litchfield.
TSG is supported by the ATT’s Director of Public Policy, Emma Rawson, and a team of six technical officers: Helen Thornley; Steven Pinhey (TSG Secretary); David Wright; Autumn Murphy (joined 24 March); Chris Campbell (joined 20 May); and Senga Prior (joined 12 August).
TSG had two virtual meetings and two inperson meetings during the year. These meetings were used to discuss topical issues and oversee the technical work of the ATT in ensuring that the tax system works for all. The discussions at TSG meetings feed into the drafting of responses to consultations and comments on draft legislation and helps identify issues to be raised with HMRC or which require further consideration or publicity.
TSG’s VAT Sub-Group has continued to provide an excellent forum for the
identification of VAT related issues. The group draws strongly on the wide practical experience of its members. Julia Garbutt and Chris Lewis remain the group’s Chair and Vice-Chair respectively, and the group welcomed Zlatina Andreeva as a new member during the year. The group met four times during the year, and areas of focus have continued to centre around VAT, customs, and adjacent indirect tax issues.
The technical team continues to engage with the wider ATT membership on technical issues. Over 40 members act as contributors, providing vital views on consultations, draft legislation, and tax administration. The technical team also receives a significant volume of technical queries from members.
Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax remains a major area of interest for our members and the public in general. The ATT technical team has close links with HMRC’s MTD teams and feeds in on design and implementation issues, legislation, and guidance. Emma continues to co-chair (alongside HMRC) the MTD Guidance Strategy Group. Senga undertook a secondment from 01 September to the end of December, helping HMRC with its readiness for the start date of 06 April 2026, and in particular providing an agent’s perspective.
The Technical Officers have presented topical MTD updates and readiness tips at a number of webinars and events throughout the year. They have also written MTD related articles for publications such as Tax Adviser, Tax Journal, AccountingWEB, and, of course, the ATT website.
As the MTD ‘go live’ date approaches, the technical team’s work has expanded into recommending steps members can take to prepare for April 2026 and beyond. Various resources are hosted on the MTD hub on the ATT’s website. This year, new MTD Frequently Asked Questions and Technical
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STEERING GROUP REPORTS**
FAQs sections were added to the hub, which are regularly updated. The technical team already have a number of MTD related talks and webinars planned for 2026 and will be looking for opportunities to promote MTD readiness to both ATT members and unrepresented taxpayers.
Emma and Helen have appeared extensively on national and local radio during 2025 to discuss areas such as side hustles, taxation of savings interest, Simple Assessment, and High Income Child Benefit Charge changes.
The ATT continues to work closely with HMRC helping to shape and improve public guidance through the HMRC’s Guidance Forum and other groups.
The ATT raised concerns about HMRC systems and processes for the first part of the year via the Issues Overview Group (IOG). Issues raised included overcharged Class 2 amounts, problems with selfassessment registrations, and missing PAYE codes in agent online services accounts. The IOG has now been disbanded along with the HMRC online forums, and we are working with HMRC on its replacement. In the meantime, the technical team continue to raise practical, day to day, compliance issues with HMRC as members bring them to their attention.
HMRC performance standards continued to cause issues for members during 2025. The ATT is represented on Customer Services for Tax Agents & Representative Bodies Working Group (CSTARB) which was formed at the end of 2024 to address issues with personal tax operations. The work of this group has resulted in a better understanding of problematic areas and a number of improvements, including changes to the process to allow agents to reactivate self assessment records. The team were also able to strengthen links with HMRC teams with a visit to its Portsmouth office where they had direct discussions with staff on the
Agent Dedicated Line to identify and start to resolve shared concerns.
The expansion of the technical team has enabled the ATT to have an increased influence in Scottish devolved taxes, with regular dialogue with the Scottish Government and Revenue Scotland. This includes responding to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee call for views on the Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill and providing feedback on guidance on the new Scottish Aggregates Tax being introduced from April 2026. The ATT has played a key role as part of the working group reviewing Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, and the Scottish Building Safety Levy Expert working group. Chris also attended a round table with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government ahead of the Scottish Budget.
The ATT played an active part in HMRC’s Charter Stakeholder Group during 2025, highlighting the fundamental importance of the Charter obligations being translated into action across every section of HMRC. The ATT monitors HMRC’s performance against the Charter and HMRC’s own standards and continues to feedback based on ATT members’ experiences and observations.
In 2025, Steven delivered two sessions to HMRC’s new recruits on the customer voice as part of their induction masterclass on Timeliness of Response. These masterclasses are designed to illustrate and embed the Charter standard of being responsive. Steven also attended a roundtable meeting looking at HMRC’s training and capability needs.
Helen continues to co-chair the Agent Digital Design and Advisory Group with HMRC. This group is focused on the modernisation of agent systems following HMRC’s transformation roadmap, including the introduction of multi-factor authorisation to
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STEERING GROUP REPORTS**
agent accounts and the new system needed to register tax advisers from April 2026.
The TSG launched its Ten Principles for the Tax System, which set out how it believes the tax system should be designed and operated. The principles are considered when evaluating tax policy, processes, and administration, and we refer to them in consultation responses.
During 2025, TSG responded to 17 formal consultations, made six Budget representations, and engaged with HMRC both in standing group meetings and informally on a number of issues. Helen provided oral evidence to the House of Lords Finance Bill Sub-Committee on APR/BPR changes from 06 April 2026. The ATT is represented, and continues to play an active part, on over 35 different HMRC groups informing decision-making and representing our members’ views.
The submissions and engagements are a key part in the ATT’s work towards developing a simple and accessible tax system for all taxpayers, whether represented or not. During the year, the ATT together with other professional bodies attended two Simplification Announcement Status Update meetings where there was a review of the progression of tax simplification, gauging views from the sector and identified opportunities for the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury to engage with representative bodies.
Promoting education in tax remains a key focus. Members of the technical team contributed to the Association’s Annual Tax Conferences, which were held in a hybrid format this year with two days being held online and one in-person event in Monck Street. These live interactive sessions were attended by over 150 delegates and received positive feedback.
Members of the technical team were also actively involved in two live events as part of
the joint AAT-ATT Sharpen Your Tax Skills series led by Barry Jefferd, ATT Deputy President. The online training sessions gave a comprehensive overview of recent tax changes, delivered using practical scenarios and case studies, and attracted over 350 registrations.
During the year David, Emma, Helen, and Steven were involved in recording 12 new short YouTube videos. These educational videos are aimed at the general public and cover topics as wide ranging as Making Tax Digital for landlords, the trading allowance, simple assessment, and the beard tax!
In 2025, the technical officers presented several online talks and webinars. These included technical updates for the ATT/CIOT branch network covering areas such as the introduction of MTD for IT and presentations to university students on tax.
Two webinars specifically for ATT Fellows were held in 2025. These comprised a short presentation followed by three discussion groups to allow Fellows to contribute.
We have continued our quarterly free webinars for members during the year. David’s presentations focusing on the end of the FHL regime attracted over 1100 registrations and ‘Goodbye to Domicile for Tax’ received over 1,150 registrations. Helen’s IHT update also had over 1,150 registrations while her talk ‘Cryptoassets for Beginners’ attracted over 780 registrations.
In addition to their regular items in Tax Adviser, the technical team continues to contribute regularly to publications such as AccountingWEB and Taxation Magazine, with over 60 articles being written during 2025. Our 27 articles with AccountingWEB alone have amassed over 110,000 page views. Topical news items are frequently added to the ATT website, with over 100 news items published in 2025. The team produced 27 press releases on technical topics during 2025, many of which were
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STEERING GROUP REPORTS**
relevant to the wider public as well as tax professionals. These were reported extensively in tax, accountancy, and inhouse publications.
Through both press releases and direct engagement with journalists, the ATT was quoted frequently in mainstream media including the Financial Times, Sunday Times, The Times, Telegraph, and the Guardian. The ATT was also quoted in several trade publications including British Dealer News, Opticians magazine, Veterinary News, Private Dentistry, and Nursing and Residential Care magazine with articles looking at how businesses can keep tax bills low, tax implications of improvements and renovations to premises, the introduction of MTD in April 2026, and legitimate ways to reduce business tax bills.
The technical team issues a monthly ATT Technical Round-up email to ATT Council members, TSG members, and contributors. The aim of these monthly emails is to provide a short insight into the work of TSG and the technical team in the past month and highlight any areas where additional input would be particularly welcome. A version of this email is also circulated to ATT Fellows each month.
Twelve editions of Employer Focus were published in the year. Articles highlight tax and employment issues relevant to employers. During the year, these have included articles on remote working overseas, how do higher rates of income tax affect employees, PAYE reporting obligations for early payments, and automatic enrolment of seasonal staff. Over 95,000 Employer Focus newsletters were sent to subscribers from January to November, and our articles on the website were viewed almost 50,000 times during the year.
The TSG has had another productive and successful year, and this is expected to continue into 2026, when the group’s focus will continue to be on providing guidance and support on the introduction of MTD. We will also play an active role in reviewing and commenting on the introduction of mandatory tax agent registration from 18 May 2026 and commenting on HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap implementations. Throughout 2026, HMRC policy teams will work closely with stakeholders to co-create the E-invoicing policy and delivery approach - Autumn and the VAT Sub-Group will be taking an active part in these discussions.
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 TREASURER’S REPORT**
## **Income**
The income for the year was £4,369,000 (2024: £4,201,000), an increase of £168,000.
Income from examinations decreased by £(14,000) to £1,051,000 in 2025, a decrease of (1)%. Membership subscriptions had strong performance during the financial year, increasing from £1,950,000 in 2024 to £2,098,000 in 2025, an 8% increase.
**David Bradshaw reports**
## **Overview**
I am pleased to present my report as the Association’s Honorary Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Steering Group. Throughout the year, the Association has continued to focus on delivering its core activities of advancing public education in, and promoting the study of, the administration and practice of taxation and providing support to our members. This has meant continuing to deliver our examinations online and our other activities on a hybrid basis. Our prudent approach to your Association’s finances and providing good value for money remains central to our financial strategy.
## **Results for the Year**
The operating gain for the year before investment valuation movements was £134,000 (2024: £551,000). The funds of the charity at the end of 2025 amounted to £6,703,000 (2024: £6,363,000).
The majority of the increase in funds is attributable to the unrealised gains on the Association’s investment portfolio, reflecting the trustees’ financial strategy to deliver a break-even position following a 5-year period of delivering surplus reserves to ensure the Association’s future financial resilience.
With regard to membership subscriptions and fees, it remains our policy to keep any increases to the minimum necessary to achieve the Association’s budgetary objectives, however, as a result of the inflationary pressures in the economy, it was decided by the trustees that there would be an increase in membership subscription rates for 2025. The increase in membership subscription fees was below the average Consumer Price Index increase in 2024 of 3.3%.
## **Expenditure**
Expenditure for the year amounted to £4,235,000 (2024: £3,650,000). This is an increase of £585,000.
Staff costs increased in the year as anticipated in the Association’s budget, in response to the inflationary background in order to retain and attract staff, and to expand the capacity in the Association’s technical team. Staff costs increased by £382,000 to £1,788,000.
The Association shares staff and other administrative services with the CIOT which enables both organisations to benefit from economies of scale and efficiencies.
The expenditure of the Association is in furtherance of its charitable objectives and in addition to delivering examination and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes, grants of £53,000 (2024:
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 TREASURER’S REPORT**
£3,000) were made in the year to charities that are aligned to our objectives.
We continue to provide our members with supportive educational resources including Tolley’s Tax Guide, Whillans’s Tax Tables, Claritax Books, mouse mats, Tax Adviser, and an Annotated Copy of the Finance Act. Apart from the mouse mat these are all available online and members can choose not to receive the paper copies if they wish.
## **Taxation Disciplinary Board**
The professional delivery of taxation-related services requires an effective and independent disciplinary scheme to maintain the confidence of HM Government, HMRC, the business sector, and the public in our Association. The Taxation Disciplinary Board (TDB) administers the Taxation Disciplinary Scheme for both the ATT and the CIOT. Expenditure of £54,000 was incurred in 2024 (2024: £54,000) as the Association’s contribution to the TDB’s costs, and this comprises part of Member Services’ expenditure in the financial statements.
The Association maintains a designated fund to be called upon should the TDB be facing unusually complex and costly cases.
## **Reserves**
Reserves are held to provide the Association with the financial security it needs to meet its obligations and liabilities and to enable investment in new initiatives in furthering its charitable objectives.
During the year, Council reviewed the designated funds and concluded they remained appropriate. The current designated funds include £500,000 to fund any expenses associated with raising the standards in the tax market, the IT fund is £350,000, the education fund is £300,000, the property reserve is £500,000, and the disciplinary reserve is £150,000. Total
designated funds at the balance sheet date are £1,800,000.
The Reserves Policy adopted by Council sets the target level of general reserves to be equivalent to a minimum of twelve months’ budgeted costs. General reserves at the end of 2025 as stated in note 12 amounted to £4,903,000 (2024: £4,563,000) which was equivalent to 14 months budgeted cost. Total Unrestricted Reserves at the end of 2025 were £6,703,000 (2024: £6,363,000). The surplus in actual reserves compared to the targeted level is £652,000 and is a result of the net income reported for the year, unrealised gains within the investment portfolio and brought-forward reserves from 2024.
The Association keeps its activities and expenditure under regular review, and any necessary action will be taken to ensure operational efficiency and value for money. The trustees are confident that this approach will continue to provide sustainable finances in support of its charitable aims over the medium to long term.
## **Going Concern**
The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis as the trustees are satisfied there is reasonable expectation that there are adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future.
Details of the Association’s reserves are shown in the Report of Council.
## **Investments**
The Association’s longer-term investment portfolio was valued at £2,663,000 as at 31 December 2025 (2024: £2,490,000).
Investment income arising from the portfolio is reinvested. The Finance Steering Group meets regularly with our investment
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 TREASURER’S REPORT**
managers, Rathbones, and we keep our investment strategy under review annually.
served during the year, as well as our Finance Team at Head Office for all their support.
## **Thank You**
I would like to record my thanks to the members of the Finance Steering Group who
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 ASSOCIATION GOVERNANCE**
## **Jane Ashton reports**
## **Compliance Statement**
The Association operates within the terms of its Articles of Association and its management is under the control of the Council of the Association. The Association is committed to business integrity and high ethical values in all its activities and the Council has overall responsibility for the Association’s internal controls. The Council has considered the guidance published by the Charity Commission and concluded that the Charity’s core activity satisfactorily addresses the principles of identifiable public benefit and demonstrates that the charity has fulfilled the public benefit requirement under Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011.
nominations Committee reviews all applications and an interview panel comprising of three members of the committee interview selected candidates.
The Council met five times during the year to deal with trustee business, review financial performance, strategy and risk at which there were formal agendas of matters specifically reserved to it for decision. Council papers, including an agenda, Council and committee minutes and briefing papers, are sent to Council members in advance of each meeting. Council members achieved an overall attendance rate of 86% (2024: 94%) at Council meetings. Council and committee members are required to make declarations of interest in any matter arising at meetings whenever appropriate. A Register of Council and Committee Members’ Interests is kept. Members of Council have access to the advice and services of Association staff and may take independent professional advice at the expense of the Association. There are a number of standing committees of Council to which implementation of the Association’s strategy has been delegated. Standing committees adopt the same approach to the preparation and distribution of papers for meetings. Membership of the committees as of 31 December 2025 is set out on pages 52-53.
## **Council**
## **Election to Council**
As at 31 December 2025 the Council comprised 18 trustees. They provide a wide range of skills and experience. The majority are tax practitioners working in the accountancy and legal professions. They fulfil both executive and non-executive roles such that no individual or small group of individuals can dominate Council decisions. The roles of the President, Deputy President and Vice President are separate and clearly defined. The Council considers that its nonCouncil committee members are independent.
The Association operates an independent process for recruiting trustees. A
Election of up to 24 members of Council is by the Members of the Association at the Annual General Meeting. The Chartered Institute of Taxation is entitled to nominate one member of Council. Currently this is the CIOT’s Vice President. Council is responsible for the election of the Honorary Officers. New Council members, who must also be Members of the Association, are selected for what they can contribute to the Association, and they must sign a declaration that they are not disqualified from acting as a trustee as detailed in Section 178 of the Charities Act 2011. They are also required to confirm that there is no matter which they should
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 ASSOCIATION GOVERNANCE**
bring to the attention of the Association which might bring the Association into disrepute. In addition, a background check is conducted by an independent company. There is a Trustee (Council member) Code of Conduct which they agree to adhere to. Trustee training is provided each year for new and existing trustees and a Trustees’ Handbook has been issued to all trustees.
## **Leadership Team**
In addition to the usual six meetings per year the Leadership Team met roughly every two weeks throughout the year to consider budgets and other matters.
## **Audit & Risk Committee**
The Audit & Risk Committee, a joint Committee of the Association and the Chartered Institute of Taxation, has a formal constitution and a separate budget. Its members are appointed by the Councils of the Association and the Institute and comprise a serving member of each Council, a nominee from each of the Association and the Institute and two other independent members. The Chief Executive attends all meetings. Members of the Committee, who receive no remuneration for their services although travel expenses are reimbursed, operate independently of the Council, have accountancy and/or taxation qualifications, and recent and relevant experience. The Committee acts as a catalyst in relation to matters that affect the Association’s financial controls, reporting requirements and risk management and is authorised to seek any information it requires from members of the Council, the external auditor and the staff. In this role it reviews:
- financial control policies and their practical implementation;
- the changes in the external environment and the procedures used to respond to them; and
- the management of any prospective risk.
It has a specific responsibility for making a recommendation to Council on the appointment and removal of the external auditor. The committee met three times during the year and requests and receives reports from management and from the external auditor on the audit. It considers annually a wide range of audit-related subjects and reports directly to the Council and comments on perceived weaknesses. No major weaknesses in internal control systems have been identified.
## **Council Member Remuneration**
Council members receive no remuneration for their services as trustees although their expenses incurred on Association business are reimbursed. There is provision in Article 6 of the Articles of Association for up to six members of the Council or former members who have served on Council in the last three years to receive remuneration for their services as a lecturer or examiner. During 2025 one member of Council was paid for their services as a lecturer at the annual tax conferences (2024: one).
The respective responsibilities of the Council and auditor in connection with the financial statements are explained on pages 55-58. The Council’s statement on going concern is set out below. There were no non-audit services provided by the auditor during the year.
The Council is responsible for the Association’s system of internal control and for taking such steps as are reasonably open to it to safeguard the assets of the Association and to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities. The guidance refers to internal controls in the widest sense, including financial, operational and compliance controls and risk management.
Responsibility for managing the business of the Association rests, ultimately, with Council. However, management of the dayto-day activity is delegated to the Chief
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 ASSOCIATION GOVERNANCE**
Executive and the Officers. Certain powers of the Council are delegated to committees and to the Chief Executive who is also entrusted with carrying out appropriate aspects of the Association’s strategy. An annual letter of assurance is signed by the Association Executives with responsibility for the preparation of financial statements and the adequacy of internal financial compliance and non-financial controls.
Key financial and operational measures are reported on a quarterly basis and are measured against both budget and interim forecasts that have been approved and reviewed by the Council. The Council has established a clear organisational structure with defined authority levels.
## **Fundraising**
The Association does not raise funds for itself through asking for public donations in any form.
## **Risk Management**
Council has delegated responsibility for the maintenance of the Association’s Risk Register to the Leadership Team. The Register has the objective of increasing stakeholders’ confidence in the integrity of the Association, strengthening the ongoing process of risk assessment, and providing a valuable management tool or framework for mitigating risks which might otherwise prevent the Association from achieving its charitable objectives.
## **Internal Controls**
The Council acknowledges that it is responsible for the Association’s system of internal controls and for reviewing its effectiveness. As with all such systems, internal control is designed to manage, rather than eliminate, the risk of failure to achieve strategic objectives and can only provide reasonable and not absolute assurance against material misstatement or loss.
The Council reviews the effectiveness of the Association’s system of internal controls on a regular basis by monitoring the reports from the Audit & Risk Committee and other committees.
The Council keeps under review the need for an internal audit function at the Association. The Council’s current view, supported by the Audit & Risk Committee, is that a separate function is not required, given the size and nature of the Association, the close management supervision exercised, and the attention paid to the adequacy of financial and operational controls.
We have identified the following as our principal risks:
- Qualification fails to meet the requirements of employers and students – the examination syllabus is reviewed annually, and our Employer Engagement programme ensures that the qualification remains attractive and relevant.
- Our public voice is ignored – we have strengthened our Technical Team and regularly meet with HMRC and HMT. We contribute to consultations on the development of the UK tax system to ensure that, for the public, it is workable and as fair as possible.
- Significant loss of income, particularly from members – we survey members and the employers of our members on a regular basis to ensure that we are providing the services they want.
- IT system development – the costs associated with moving into a digital world are constantly monitored and controlled.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) – this is constantly monitored. We have reviewed our examination papers and have implemented IT systems to detect if any students are using AI in their examinations.
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 ASSOCIATION GOVERNANCE**
The development and maintenance of the Association’s Risk Register is a continuing process of refinement and integration into the management process.
## **Going Concern**
of expenditure relating to its strategy and is satisfied that it is appropriate to prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis.
## **Jane Ashton**
Chief Executive
The Council has reviewed the Association’s budget for 2026 and beyond and the timing
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL**
|**Leadership Team**|||
|---|---|---|
|Graham Batty (_Chair_)|David Bradshaw|Simon Groom|
|Barry Jefferd|Ele Theochari||
|**Joint Officers and Senior Staff Forum (joint with the Institute)**|||
|_Chair alternates between Presidents_|||
|Graham Batty|David Bradshaw|Simon Groom|
|Barry Jefferd|Ele Theochari||
|**Audit and Risk Committee (joint**|**with the Institute)**||
|Laura Kaye Tomlinson* (_Chair_)|Graham Batty|Ralph Pettengell*|
|**Climate Change Working Group (joint with the Institute)**|||
|Jason Collins (_Joint Chair_)|Mark Feldman (_Joint Chair_)|Toyin Oyeneyin|
|Senga Prior|||
|**Crypto Assets Working Group (joint with the Institute)**|||
|Gary Ashford* (_Chair_)|Ross Bond*|Jeremy Coker*|
|Lucy Orrow*|Sofia Thomas*||
|**Digitalisation and Agent Services Committee (joint with the Institute)**|||
|Alison Hobbs* (_Chair_)|Tara Bell*|Sarah Ferries*|
|Patrick Kelly*|Stuart Miller*|Yvette Nunn*|
|**Equality, Diversity and Inclusion**|**Committee (joint with the Institute)**||
|Olayinka Iwu* (_Chair_)|Paul Bartlett|Jeremy Coker*|
|Georgiana Head*|Eleanor Theochari||
|**Examination Steering Group**|||
|Barry Jefferd (_Chair_)|Graham Batty (_Vice Chair_)|Paul Benton|
|Angela Cairns*|Jackie Hall|Vicky Hulse*|
|Natalie Miller*|Connor Whelan||
|**Finance Steering Group**|||
|David Bradshaw (_Chair_)|Katharine Lindley* (_Vice Chair_)|Jeremy Coker*|
|Richard Freeman|Simon Groom|Jamie Hooper|
|Tracy Lewis|Stuart McKinnon*|Phil Waller*|
|**Future of Tax Professionals (joint with the Institute)**|||
|Toyin Oyeneyin (_Chair_)|Stephanie Chan*|Helen Knight*|
|Danielle Phillips*|Amanpreet Purewall*|Sharlene Rowley*|
|Jack Stubbs*|Connor Whelan||
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 COMMITTEES OF COUNCIL**
|**Member and Business Development Steering Group**|**Member and Business Development Steering Group**||
|---|---|---|
|Banin Oozeerally (_Interim Chair_)|Rheka Bhonsle*|Nic Byrne* (_independent_)|
|Sarah Hewson*|Murat Kurt*|Nicola Midgley*|
|Hayley Perkin*|Chloe Radcliffe-Scott*|Puregrace Rydzewski*|
|Juan Carlos Venegas*|Abbie West-Kelsey*|Rana Zubair*|
|**Policy Review Group (joint with**|**the Institute)**||
|---|---|---|
|Helen Whiteman (CIOT CEO|Jane Ashton|Graham Batty|
|_Chair_)|||
|**Professional Standards Committee (joint with the Institute)**|||
|Dhruti Shah (_Chair_)|Eleanor Theochari (_Vice Chair_)|Paul Benton|
|Tracy Easman*|Colin Lothian*|Brian Palmer*|
|David Rose*|David Stedman*|Anthony Thomas*|
|Richard Todd*|Juan Carlos Venegas*|Jon Yeomans|
|**Technical Steering Group**|||
|Jon Stride (_Chair_)|Tom Wallace (_Vice Chair_)|Delyth Barnett*|
|Trevor Blackmur*|Gabrial Brenton*|Mike Britton*|
|Jeremy Coker*|Ann Elmer*|Jackie Hall|
|Sabrina Halliday*|Matthew Herring*|Abigail Holland*|
|Mehran Iqbal|Sam Litchfield*|Colin Lothian*|
|Yvette Nunn*|Banin Oozeerally|Lucy Orrow*|
|Hayley Perkin*|Dan Perrin*||
|**VAT Sub-Group**|||
|Julia Garbutt* (_Chair_)|Christopher Lewis* (_Vice Chair_)|Zlatina Andreeva*|
|Ross Bond*|Harris Bone*|Nancy Cruickshanks*|
|Glyn Edwards*|Mike Frost*|Becky Hayes*|
|Matthew Herring*|Jamie Jarrett*|Hugh Mitchell*|
|Stephen Taylor*|||
## **Representation on committees of the Institute**
|**Examination Committee**|**Finance Committee**|**Officers’ Group**|
|---|---|---|
|Barry Jefferd|David Bradshaw|Graham Batty|
## **Technical Policy and Oversight Committee**
Jon Stride
*indicates co-opted member
For all Joint Committees, only ATT members are listed
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 STATEMENT OF DIRECTORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES**
The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the Financial Statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.
Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law the Directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and its incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure of the charity for that period.
In preparing these Financial Statements, the Directors are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable to the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS102);
- make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charity’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Financial statements are published on the charity’s website in accordance with legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements, which may vary from legislation in other jurisdictions. The maintenance and integrity of the charity’s website is the responsibility of the Directors. The Directors’ responsibility also extends to the on-going integrity of the financial statements contained therein.
## **Statement of disclosure of information to the Auditor:**
The Directors who are in office on the date of approval of these financial statements have confirmed, as far as they are aware, that there is no relevant audit information of which the auditor is unaware. Each of the Directors has confirmed that they have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as Directors in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that it has been communicated to the auditor.
This report was approved by Council on 30 April 2026.
By order of the Council.
Jane Ashton **Secretary**
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT**
## **To the Members of the Association of Taxation Technicians:**
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of The Association of Taxation Technicians (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 December 2025 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
- give a true and fair view of the state of the Charitable Company’s affairs as at 31 December 2025 and its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
- have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
## **Basis for Opinion**
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## **Independence**
We remain independent of the Charitable Company in accordance with the ethical requirements relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.
## **Conclusions Relating to Going Concern**
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that Council’s use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the Charitable Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of Council (who are the Trustees and Directors of the charitable company for the purpose of Charity and Company Law) with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
## **Other Information**
Council is responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Annual Report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT**
materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
## **Other Companies Act 2006 Reporting**
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
- the information given in the Report of Council, which includes the Directors’ Report prepared for the purposes of Company Law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
- the Directors’ Report, which is included in the Annual Report of Council, has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the Charitable Company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatement in the Annual Report of Council report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- adequate accounting records have not been kept by the Charitable Company; or
- the Charitable Company financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- certain disclosures of Directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made;
- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
- Council is not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the Annual Report of Council and from the requirements to prepare a strategic report.
## **Responsibilities of Council**
As explained more fully in the Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities, Council is responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, Council is responsible for assessing the Charitable Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Council either intend to liquidate the Charitable Company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## **Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements**
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT**
a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
## **Extent to which the Audit was Capable of Detecting Irregularities, Including Fraud**
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
regulations to be Health and Safety Act 1974, Data Protection Act 2018, Employment Rights Act 1996, and the Bribery Act 2010.
Our procedures in respect of the above included:
- Review of financial statement disclosures and agreeing to supporting documentation;
- Review of minutes of meeting of those charged with governance for any instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations;
- Review of correspondence with regulatory and tax authorities for any instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations; and
- Review of legal expenditure accounts to understand the nature of expenditure incurred.
## **Non-Compliance with Laws and Regulations**
## **Fraud**
## Based on:
- Our understanding of the Charitable Company and the sector in which it operates;
- Discussion with management and those charged with governance, including Audit & Risk Committee; and
- Obtaining an understanding of the Charitable Company’s policies and procedures regarding compliance with laws and regulations;
We considered the significant laws and regulations to be the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102), the Charities SORP (FRS 102), Charities Act 2011, Companies Act 2006 and UK and international tax legislation.
The Charitable Company is also subject to laws and regulations where the consequence of non-compliance could have a material effect on the amount or disclosures in the financial statements, for example through the imposition of fines or litigations. We identified such laws and
We assessed the susceptibility of the financial statements to material misstatement, including fraud. Our risk assessment procedures included:
- Enquiry with management and those charged with governance regarding any known or suspected instances of fraud;
- Obtaining an understanding of the Charitable Company’s policies and procedures relating to:
- Detecting and responding to the risks of fraud; and
- Internal controls established to mitigate risks related to fraud.
- Review of minutes of meeting of those charged with governance for any known or suspected instances of fraud;
- Discussion amongst the engagement team as to how and where fraud might occur in the financial statements;
- Performing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud.
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT**
Based on our risk assessment, we considered the areas most susceptible to fraud to be to be journals and key estimates and judgements.
Our procedures in respect of the above included:
- Testing a sample of journal entries throughout the year, which met a defined risk criteria, by agreeing to supporting documentation;
- Assessing significant estimates and judgements made by management for bias, including the recognition of provisions and allocation of support costs;
- Testing the existence and accuracy of income recognised in the year.
We also communicated relevant identified laws and regulations and potential fraud risks to all engagement team members and remained alert to any indications of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations throughout the audit.
Our audit procedures were designed to respond to risks of material misstatement in the financial statements, recognising that the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery, misrepresentations or through collusion. There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures performed and the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we are to become aware of it.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located at the Financial Reporting Council’s (“FRC’s”) website at: frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
## **Use of our Report**
This report is made solely to the Charitable Company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit has been undertaken so that we might state to the Charitable Company’s members and Council those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Charitable Company, the Charitable Company’s members as a body and the Charitable Company’s Council as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Tracey Moore BFP ACA (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of UHY Hacker Young, Statutory Auditor Thames House Roman Square Sittingbourne Kent ME10 4BJ
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
**Statement of Financial Activities (including income and expenditure account) for year ended 31 December 2025**
|**December 2025**||
|---|---|
||**Note**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds 2025**
**£’000**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds 2024**
**£’000**|
|**Income:**||
|Charitable activities|3a
4,172
4,036|
|Investment income|3b
197
165|
|**Total income**|**4,369**
**4,201**|
|**Expenditure:**||
|Cost of raisingfunds|3c
19
17|
|Expenditure on charitable activities|3c
4,216
3,633|
|**Total expenditure**|**4,235**
**3,650**|
|Operating gain|134
551|
|Netgains on investments|6
206
210|
|**Net income**|**4**
**340**
**761**|
|**Net movement in funds**|**340**
**761**|
|**Reconciliation of funds:**||
|Total funds brought forward at 01 January|12
6,363
5,602|
|**Total funds carried forward at 31 December**|12
**6,703**
**6,363**|
The above results are derived from continuing activities and all gains and losses recognised in the year are included above. The notes on pages 63-74 form part of these financial statements.
P a g e | **59**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
## **Registered Company Number 02418331**
## **Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2025**
|**Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2025**||
|---|---|
||**Note**
**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|**Fixed Assets:**||
|Tangible Fixed Assets|5
0
0|
|Intangible Fixed Assets|5
26
78|
|Investments|6
2,663
2,490|
|**Total Fixed Assets**|**2,689**
**2,568**|
|**Current Assets:**||
|Debtors|7
965
704|
|Cash at bank and in hand|8
4,920
4,555|
|**Total Current Assets**|**5,885**
**5,259**|
|**Liabilities:**||
|Creditors fallingdue within oneyear|9
(1,563)
(1,060)|
|**Net Current Assets**|**4,322**
**4,199**|
|Total assets less current liabilities|7,011
6,767|
|Creditors fallingdue after more than oneyear|10
(245)
(235)|
|Provisions for liabilities|14
(63)
(169)|
|**Net Assets**|**6,703**
**6,363**|
|**Funds of the charity: **||
|Restricted|0
0|
|Unrestricted
(includingrevaluation reserve £990k,2024: £783k)|12
6,703
6,363|
|**Total funds**|**6,703**
**6,363**|
Approved and authorised for issue by the Council on 30 April 2026 and signed on its behalf by:
G Batty, _President_
*The notes on pages 63-74 form part of these financial statements
P a g e | **60**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
**Cash flow statement for the year ended 31 December 2025**
||**Note**
**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|---|---|
|**Net cashprovided by/(used in) operating activities**|Table A
**135**
**560**|
|Cash flows from investingactivities:||
|Dividends and interest from investments|197
165|
|Purchase of fixed assets|0
0|
|Purchase of investments|(190)
(679)|
|Proceeds from sale of investments|223
651|
|Net cashprovided by/(used in)investment activities|230
137|
|Increase/(decrease)in cash and cash equivalents inyear|365
697|
|Cash and cash equivalents at 01 January|4,555
3,858|
|**Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December**|Table B
**4,920**
**4,555**|
## **Table A**
||**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|---|---|
|**Reconciliation of net income/expenditure to cash flow**
**from operating activities:**||
|Net income asper the SOFA|340
761|
|Adjustments for:||
|Depreciation and amortisation|12
10|
|Loss on disposal of fixed assets|40
0|
|Dividend interest and investment|(197)
(165)|
|Gains on investments|(206)
(210)|
|(Increase)/decrease in debtors|(261)
198|
|Increase/(decrease)in creditors|513
(203)|
|(Decrease)/increase inprovisions|(106)
169|
|**Net cashprovided by/(used in) operating activities**|**135**
**560**|
## **Table B**
||**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|---|---|
|**Analysis of cash and cash equivalents:**||
|Cash at bank|1,485
5|
|Notice deposits(less than 3 months)|3,435
4,550|
|**Total cash and cash equivalents**|**4,920**
**4,555**|
P a g e | **61**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
## **Table C**
## **Analysis of changes in net debt**
|**Table C**
**Analysis of changes in net debt**||
|---|---|
||**At 01 January 2025**
**£’000**
**Cash flows**
**£’000**
**At 31 December**
**2025**
**£’000**|
|Cash|4,555
365
4,920|
|**Total**|**4,555**
**365**
**4,920**|
As the Association does not have any loans or debt, the above shows the reconciliation of cash only.
*The notes on pages 63-74 form part of these financial statements
P a g e | **62**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
**1. General Information**
The Association of Taxation Technicians (“ATT” / “the Association”) is a company limited by guarantee (registered company number: 2418331) and registered as a charity with the Charity Commission (registered charity, England and Wales, 803480). The ATT’s registered office is 30 Monck Street, London, SW1P 2AP.
The principal activities of the Association are as a professional membership and awarding body for Taxation Technicians and promoting and enforcing standards of professional conduct.
**2. Accounting Policies**
The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:
## _**Basis of preparation of accounts**_
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) (second edition – October 2019), “Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)”, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (January 2022) and the Companies Act 2006.
The financial statements for the year to 31 December 2025 are presented in Sterling and rounded to the nearest thousand pounds. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historic cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).
The Association of Taxation Technicians meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102.
The Chartered Institute of Taxation (registered charity number: 1037771) of 30 Monck Street, London SW1P 2AP is a connected charity but it is not subordinate to the Association and therefore consolidated financial statements have not been prepared. Further information on the relationship can be found in note 16.
## _**Accounting estimates and judgements**_
Preparation of the financial statements requires the trustees and management to make significant judgements and estimates. The items in the financial statements where these judgements and estimates have been made include:
- Estimating the useful economic life of intangible fixed assets for the purpose of determining the annual amortisation charge.
- Estimating future liabilities associated with the operating lease for the Monck Street office for purposes of determining the dilapidations provision.
- Allocation of support costs across charitable activities.
- Estimating the recoverability of debtors for the purposes of determining the bad debt provision.
## _**Going concern**_
As detailed in the Council Members’ responsibilities statement, the accounts are prepared on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Association will continue in operation. The Association’s Council Members have approved the Association’s budgets and forecasts for 2026-27 and conclude that the Association has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for at least twelve months from the date of approval of
P a g e | **63**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
these accounts and accordingly continue to prepare the accounts on a going concern basis.
## _**Income recognition**_
Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item(s) of income have been met and it is probable that the income will be received, and the income can be reliably measured.
Student registration fees are not refundable and are credited to income over the period of registration with 40% recognised in the first year and 15% each subsequent year. For Tax Pathway students, the registration fees are credited to income over the period of registration with 50% recognised in the first year and 12.5% in each subsequent year.
Subscriptions, sponsorship, examination fees, and registration income are credited to income over the period to which they relate with that portion relating to subsequent years included in creditors. The date to which examination fees relate is deemed to be the date of the examination. Investment income from the Association’s portfolio of investments is credited on an earnings basis each year.
## _**Expenditure recognition**_
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:
- Expenditure on raising funds comprises investment management costs.
- Expenditure on charitable activities includes, but is not limited to, the cost of member services, student services, education, governance, and grants.
- Other expenditure represents those items not falling into any other heading.
- Irrecoverable VAT is charged at a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.
## _**Donated services and facilities**_
In accordance with Charities SORP (FRS102) the contribution of unpaid volunteers is not recognised as income in the financial statements given the absence of a reliable measurement basis. Association members and students are encouraged to become involved in the Association’s activities and there are volunteers on Council, Committees, Sub-Committees, Branches, and Working Parties. The Association is grateful, not only for their generous input, but also to their firms who may ultimately bear the financial cost.
Donated services are recognised on receipt or supply on the basis of the value, donation, or contribution which is the amount that the Association would be willing to pay or charge to obtain or supply facilities and services on the open market. Corresponding amounts are recognised as income and expenditure in the period.
## _**Allocation of support costs**_
Support costs are central administration costs that assist the work of the charity but are not directly allocated to charitable activities. These costs are allocated across the categories of charitable expenditure and governance costs.
The basis of allocation is given in note 3c to the financial statements. Governance costs, now included as a part of support costs rather than as a separate category, include those incurred in the governance of the charity and are primarily associated with organisational administration, and constitutional and statutory requirements.
P a g e | **64**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
## _**Fixed asset investments**_
Investments have been valued at fair value at 31 December 2025. The fair value of investments quoted on a recognised stock exchange is the quoted bid price. Account is therefore taken of both realised and unrealised gains in the Statement of Financial Activities.
## _**Intangible and tangible fixed assets and depreciation and amortisation**_
All single purchases of less than £1,000 (incl. VAT) are written off in full to the Statement of Financial Activities in the year of purchase unless forming part of a bulk purchase where the total is £1,000 (incl. VAT) or more, which is capitalised.
Depreciation and amortisation are calculated to write off the cost of fixed assets over their estimated useful lives on a straight-line basis as follows:
- Office equipment 25%
- Intangible software assets 20%
Assets are reviewed for impairment if circumstances indicate their carrying value may exceed their net realisable value in use at the reporting date.
## _**Debtors**_
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any discounts due.
## _**Cash at bank and in hand**_
Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
## _**Creditors and provisions**_
Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will
probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any discounts due.
## _**Financial instruments**_
The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments and are not considered to be of a financing nature. Such financial instruments, except for investments classified at fair value through profit or loss, are initially recognised at the transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.
## _**Pension costs**_
Members of staff are eligible to contribute to an external defined contribution retirement benefits scheme. The scheme provides individual pension plans which are managed by independent pension providers. The amounts charged to the statement of financial activities in respect of pension costs is the actual contribution payable in the year as part of the shared cost agreement.
## _**Foreign currencies**_
Monetary assets and liabilities in foreign currencies are translated into Sterling at the rates ruling at the balance sheet date. Transactions in foreign currencies are recorded at the rate set at the date of the transaction. All differences are taken to the Statement of Financial Activities.
## _**Taxation**_
The Association meets the definition of a charity in Schedule 6 Finance Act 2010 and accordingly is entitled to exemptions set out in Part 11 Corporation Tax Act 2010 and section 256 Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that its income and gains are applied for charitable purposes.
P a g e | **65**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
## _**Fund accounting**_
Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of
the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes.
**3. Analysis of income and expenditure**
## _**3a. Income from charitable activities**_
||**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|---|---|
|Membershipsubscriptions|2,098
1,950|
|Entrance fees|56
49|
|Student registrations|531
559|
|Examination fees|1,051
1,065|
|Conference and event fees|56
52|
|Anti-MoneyLaunderingfees|240
219|
|Sale of books andjournals|140
142|
||**4,172**
**4,036**|
## _**3b. Income from investments**_
|**_3b. Income from investments_**||
|---|---|
||**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|Dividend income|51
53|
|Bank interest receivable|146
112|
||**197**
**165**|
## _**3c. Breakdown of expenditure**_
||**Direct**
**Expenditure**
**Costs**
**£’000**
**Direct**
**Staff**
**Costs**
**£’000**
**Admin**
**Support**
**Costs**
**£’000**
**Grant**
**Making**
**Activities**
**£’000**
**Total**
**2025**
**£’000**|
|---|---|
|**Charitable activities:**||
|Grants Payable|0
0
0
53
53|
|Member Services|685
117
391
0
1,193|
|Student Services|628
323
464
0
1,415|
|Regulation and Compliance|83
226
150
0
459|
|Public Policy|36
545
283
0
864|
|Promotion|145
11
76
0
232|
||**1,577**
**1,222**
**1,364**
**53**
**4,216**|
|**Raising funds:**||
|Investment management
costs|19
0
0
19|
|2025|**1,596**
**1,222**
**1,364**
**53**
**4,235**|
P a g e | **66**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
||**Direct**
**Expenditure**
**Costs**
**£’000**
**Direct**
**Staff**
**Costs**
**£’000**
**Admin**
**Support**
**Costs**
**£’000**
**Grant**
**Making**
**Activities**
**£’000**
**Total**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|---|---|
|**Charitable activities:**||
|Member Services|550
407
568
3
1,528|
|Student Services|632
467
652
0
1,751|
|Promotion|128
94
132
0
354|
||**1,310**
**968**
**1,352**
**3**
**3,633**|
|**Raising funds:**||
|Investment management
costs|17
0
0
0
17|
|2024|**1,327**
**968**
**1,352**
**3**
**3,650**|
There has been a change in the allocation of support costs to reflect that costs attributed to Regulation and Compliance and Public Policy directly relate to the Association’s delivery of its Charitable Objectives, these had previously been attributed to support costs. The note has therefore been adapted to include a new charitable activity category for Regulation and Compliance and Public Policy. The impact of the change in
accounting estimation has reduced support costs by £890,000. There has been no change in the basis of allocating remaining support costs.
Support costs (including governance costs) are central administration costs allocated to each activity on the same proportional basis as expenditure incurred directly and are analysed as follows:
|Policy. The impact of the change in
analys|ed as follows:|
|---|---|
||**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|**Support costs comprising:**||
|Staff costs|692
675|
|Operatingcosts|575
375|
|Property|46
220|
|**Governance costs comprising: **||
|Audit fee|13
13|
|Legal andprofessional fees|2
38|
|Council meetings(inc. Council members’ expenses)|36
31|
||**1,364**
**1,352**|
P a g e | **67**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
## _**Grants payable in respect of charitable activities**_
|**_Grants payable in respect of charitable activities_**||
|---|---|
||**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|**Grants payable to tax and other charities to help meet**
**the core operating cost of providing free tax advice to**
**persons who cannot afford to pay for professional help or**
**training and to promote public understanding of tax**
**matters:**||
|Tax Advisers’ Benevolent Fund (registered Charity
no: 1049658)|3
3|
|Tax Aid(registered Charityno: 10622852)|50
0|
||**53**
**3**|
## **4. Net income/(expenditure) for the year**
|**4. Net income/(expenditure) for the year**||
|---|---|
||**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|**This is stated after charging/(crediting):**||
|Netgains on investments|(206)
(210)|
|Auditor’s remuneration – statutoryaudit|13
13|
|Amortisation and depreciation|12
10|
## **5. Fixed assets**
||**Office**
**Equipment**
**£’000**
**Total Tangible**
**Fixed Assets**
**£’000**
**Intangible**
**Fixed Assets**
**Software**
**£’000**
**Total**
**Fixed Assets**
**£’000**|
|---|---|
|Cost at 01 January2025|1
1
105
106|
|Additions|0
0
0
0|
|Disposals|0
0
(40)
(40)|
|Cost at 31 December 2025|1
1
65
66|
|Depreciation at 01 January2025|(1)
(1)
(27)
(28)|
|Charges for theyear|0
0
(12)
(12)|
|Depreciation at 31 December 2025|(1)
(1)
(39)
(40)|
|Net book value at 31 December 2025|0
0
26
26|
|Net book value at 31 December 2024|0
0
78
78|
P a g e | **68**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
## **6. Fixed asset investments**
|**6. Fixed asset investments**||
|---|---|
||**2025**
**Listed**
**Investments**
**£’000**
**2024**
**Listed**
**Investments**
**£’000**|
|Fair value at 01 January2025|2,490
2,252|
|Disposal Proceeds|(223)
(651)|
|Acquisitions|190
679|
|Netgain/(loss)on investment assets|206
210|
|**Fair Value at 31 December 2025**|**2,663**
**2,490**|
|**Historical cost**|**2,105**
**2,134**|
|**Listed Investments held at 31 December comprised the**
**following: **||
|Fixed interest|264
258|
|Listed UK equities|320
306|
|Listed International equities|1,836
1,693|
|Other Assets|243
233|
||**2,663**
**2,490**|
## **7. Debtors**
|**7. Debtors**||
|---|---|
||**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|Trade debtors|214
169|
|Other debtors|2
2|
|Prepayments|561
348|
|Accrued income|160
173|
|The Chartered Institute of Taxation|9
0|
|Other Taxes|19
12|
||**965**
**704**|
## **8. Cash at bank and in hand**
|**8. Cash at bank and in hand**||
|---|---|
||**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|Cash at bank|1,485
5|
|Cash on short term deposit|3,435
4,550|
||**4,920**
**4,555**|
## **9a. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
||**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|---|---|
|Trade creditors|492
178|
|Accruals|182
145|
|The Chartered Institute of Taxation|235
160|
|Deferred Income(note 9b)|654
577|
||**1,563**
**1,060**|
P a g e | **69**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
Deferred income includes subscriptions, examination fees, and conference fees paid in 2025 but relating to future events.
## **9b. Deferred income**
|**9b. Deferred income**||
|---|---|
||**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|**Student Registration Fees:**||
|Amount brought forward|385
397|
|Fees received inyear|166
164|
|Fees released to income inyear|(154)
(176)|
|Amount carried forward|397
385|
|Subscription and other fees|502
425|
|Total Deferred Income|**899**
**810**|
|**Representing: **||
|Within oneyear(note 9a)|654
577|
|After oneyear(note 10)|245
233|
||**899**
**810**|
## **10. Creditors: amounts falling due after one year**
||**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|---|---|
|Student Registration Fees(note 9b)|245
233|
|Taxation DisciplinaryBoard|0
2|
|Total|**245**
**235**|
## **11. Financial instruments**
|**11. Financial instruments**||
|---|---|
||**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|**Financial Assets:**||
|Instruments measured at fair value throughprofit and loss|2,663
2,490|
||**2,663**
**2,490**|
Financial assets measured at fair value though profit or loss comprise listed investments.
All investments are carried at their fair value. Investments in bonds, equities, property and alternative investments are all traded in quoted public markets, primarily the London Stock Exchange. The basis of fair value for quoted investments is equivalent to the market value, using bid price. Asset sales and purchases are recognised at the date of trade at cost (i.e. their transaction value).
The significance of financial instruments to the ongoing financial sustainability of the Association is considered in the financial review and investment policy and performance sections of Council’s report.
The main risk to the Association from financial instruments lies in the combination of uncertain investment markets and volatility in yield. The Association manages these investment risks by retaining expert advisers and operating an investment policy that provides for a high degree of
P a g e | **70**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
diversification of holdings within investment asset classes that are quoted on recognised stock exchanges. The Association does not make use of derivatives and similar complex
financial instruments as it takes the view that investments are held for their longerterm total return.
## **12. Income funds: unrestricted**
||**At 01/01/25**
**£’000**
**Income**
**£’000**
**Expenditure**
**£’000**
**Gains(losses)**
**£’000**
**Transfer**
**£’000**
**At 31/12/25**
**£’000**|
|---|---|
|**Unrestricted:**||
|General funds|4,563
4,369
(4,235)
206
0
4,903|
|**Designated:**||
|Property|500
0
0
0
0
500|
|Disciplinary procedures|150
0
0
0
0
150|
|Technology|350
0
0
0
0
350|
|Education|300
0
0
0
0
300|
|Raising standards in tax
market|500
0
0
0
0
500|
||**6,363**
**4,369**
**(4,235)**
**206**
**0**
**6,703**|
|||
||**At 01/01/24**
**£’000**
**Income**
**£’000**
**Expenditure**
**£’000**
**Gains(losses)**
**£’000**
**Transfer**
**£’000**
**At 31/12/24**
**£’000**|
|**Unrestricted:**||
|General funds|4,302
4,201
(3,650)
210
(500)
4,563|
|**Designated:**||
|Property|500
0
0
0
0
500|
|Disciplinary procedures|150
0
0
0
0
150|
|Technology|350
0
0
0
0
350|
|Education|300
0
0
0
0
300|
|Raising standards in tax
market|0
0
0
0
500
500|
||**5,602**
**4,201**
**(3,650)**
**210**
**0**
**6,363**|
Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of the charity. Designated funds comprise funds that have been set aside by the trustees for a particular purpose. The property fund will be held until December 2028, the end of the lease on the Monck Street premises. The property fund is retained to fund any potential renovations of a new office space should the Association choose to exit the Monck Street premises at the end of the lease and lease its own
building. The disciplinary fund will be used and added to over time for the purpose of the Taxation Disciplinary Board. The technology fund will be used for significant investment in technology as determined by the trustees, as will the education fund. The raising standards in the tax market fund will be used to fund any organisational change that may be required in response to any government announcements regarding raising standards in the tax adviser market.
P a g e | **71**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
## **13. Analysis of net assets between funds**
||**2025**
**Unrestricted**
**Fund**
**£’000**
**2025**
**Designated**
**Fund**
**£’000**
**2025**
**Total**
**£’000**|
|---|---|
|Tangible Fixed Assets|0
0
0|
|Intangible Fixed Assets|26
0
26|
|Investments|2,663
0
2,663|
|Cash on short-term deposit and at bank|3,120
1,800
4,920|
|Other net current(liabilities)|(598)
0
(598)|
|Creditors fallingdue after more than oneyear|(245)
0
(245)|
|Provisions for liabilities|(63)
0
(63)|
||**4,903**
**1,800**
**6,703**|
||**4,903**
**1,800**
**6,703**|
|---|---|
||**2024**
**Unrestricted**
**Fund**
**£’000**
**2024**
**Designated**
**Fund**
**£’000**
**2024**
**Total**
**£’000**|
|Tangible Fixed Assets|0
0
0|
|Intangible Fixed Assets|78
0
78|
|Investments|2,490
0
2,490|
|Cash on short-term deposit and at bank|2,755
1,800
4,555|
|Other net current(liabilities)|(356)
0
(356)|
|Creditors fallingdue after more than oneyear|(235)
0
(235)|
|Provisions for liabilities|(169)
0
(169)|
||**4,563**
**1,800**
**6,363**|
## **14. Provisions for liabilities**
||**Brought**
**forward at**
**01 January**
**£’000**
**Utilised in**
**year**
**£’000**
**Released**
**in year**
**£’000**
**Provided in**
**year**
**£’000**
**As at**
**December**
**2025**
**£’000**|
|---|---|
|Dilapidations Monck Street|80
0
(66)
49
63|
|International indirect tax|89
(16)
(73)
0
0|
||**169**
**(16)**
**(139)**
**49**
**63**|
The dilapidations provision represents management’s best estimate of the costs to restore their leased head office premises in Monck Street, London to its previously unfurnished state.
## **15. Personnel**
committee members, and staff, any claims for wrongful acts arising out of the conduct of the Association’s business or committed in their capacity as officers. The insurance premium paid by the Association covering both claims against the Association and the trustees personally amounts to £28,557 (2024: £23,998).
The Association has maintained liability insurance throughout the year to pay, on behalf of the Association or its Council,
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
There was an outstanding pension contribution at the year-end of £94,939 (2024: £81,401).
All members of staff, with the exception of the Chief Executive and Lay Observer of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, who are employed solely by the Institute, are jointly employed by the Chartered Institute of Taxation and the Association of Taxation
Technicians. All costs are initially disbursed by the Institute, and an agreed proportion is attributed to the Association.
The average number of joint employees is 99.75 (2024: 94.75) and the number whose salary and benefits in kind, including termination payments, fell within the following scales.
|employed by the Chartered Institute of
Taxation and the Association of Taxation
follow|ing scales.|
|---|---|
||**2025**
**2024**|
|£60,001-£70,000|5
5|
|£70,001-£80,000|1
4|
|£80,001-£90,000|6
5|
|£90,001-£100,000|2
1|
|£100,001-£110,000|1
0|
|£110,001-£120,000|0
0|
|£120,001-£130,000|0
0|
|£130,001-£140,000|0
0|
|£140,001-£150,000|1
1|
## Total staff costs:
||**2025**
**£’000**
**2024**
**£’000**|
|---|---|
|Salaries|1,470
1,173|
|National Insurance|174
121|
|Pension costs|144
112|
||**1,788**
**1,406**|
Key management personnel is defined as those persons having authority and responsibility for planning, directing, and controlling the activities of the entity directly or indirectly. The key management personnel of the Association of Taxation Technicians comprised Chief Executive, Director of Education, Director of Public Policy, and Chief Finance Officer. The total employee benefits and remuneration (including pension contributions) of the key management personnel during the year was £563,591 (2024: £435,868).
The values for total staff costs and key management personnel represent the full
value, and not the amounts attributable to the Association.
**16. Related party transactions**
Council members receive no remuneration for their services as trustees. The Articles of the Association state that reasonable and proper remuneration can be made to any member or former member in their capacity as an examiner or lecturer, providing no more than six persons, being members of the Council or former members who served in the Council in the previous three years, shall benefit from this provision in any calendar year. A payment of £1,855 was made to George Hay Chartered Accountants
P a g e | **73**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
for such services in the year (2024: £4,852), one Council member (Barry Jefferd) is a partner in the firm. The Lay Public Interest Council Observer receives remuneration, and their remuneration for the year was £2,281 (2024: £2,358). Council members’ travelling expenses are reimbursed in respect of expenses incurred on Association business.
In the year ended 31 December 2025, 20 Council members claimed reimbursement of expenses totalling £19,201 (2024: 20 claimed a total of £19,659. Council members are reimbursed for travel, accommodation, and subsistence whilst engaged in the activities of the Association. Payments made directly to third parties in relation to trustee accommodation and subsistence were £4,400 (2024: £2,041). Expenses waived by trustees in 2025 were immaterial (2024: immaterial).
Council members pay subscriptions on the same basis as other members.
## _**The Chartered Institute of Taxation**_
The Institute is a connected charity in that it has common, parallel, or related objects and activities and unity of administration with the Association. All employees, with the exception of the Chief Executive and Lay Observer of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, who are employed solely by the Institute, are jointly employed by the Institute and the Association. Labour,
operating, and overhead costs borne by the Institute on behalf of the Association are charged to the Association on a quarterly basis using a simple and equitable formula agreed by both parties.
At a meeting of the Officers of both parties, it was agreed that the current formula would continue with a review annually. The total allocation for the year is £2,363,407 (2024: £1,814,057) and the balance outstanding due from the Institute to the Association at the balance sheet date was £9,482 (2024: £468 due to the Institute by the Association). The balance outstanding due from the Association to the Institute at the balance sheet date was £235,395 (2024: £159,660).
## _**The Taxation Disciplinary Board**_
The Association and the Institute have an agreement with the Taxation Disciplinary Board, a company limited by guarantee and managed by an independent board of directors. Neither the Association nor the Institute exercise any significant influence over the operating and financial policy of the Board whose object is to administer the Taxation Disciplinary Scheme. The Association’s contribution to costs in the year was £54,000 (2024: £54,000). The amount due to the Taxation Disciplinary Board from the Association of Taxation Technicians at the balance sheet date was £0 (2024: £1,933).
P a g e | **74**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 BIOGRAPHIES OF COUNCIL MEMBERS**
## **Paul Bartlett**
## **David Bradshaw**
Paul joined Council in 2025. He serves on the Joint Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. Paul started working in tax in 1988 at Arthur Andersen and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1991. He now works at Insight Investment a wholly owned autonomous subsidiary of the Bank of New York as the head of farmland finance. His experience in tax and accounting, including experience in local government will enable him to see things from a broad perspective to provide oversight and support the governance of the ATT.
## **Graham Batty**
Graham joined Council in 2012. He is the Association’s President. He previously served as the Association’s President in 2017-18. He is Vice Chair of the Examination Steering Group and also serves on the Policy Review Group. He is a former Chair of both the Leeds and Birmingham and West Midlands Branches. Graham became a member of the Association in 2005 and was appointed a Fellow in 2015. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1983 and became a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation in 1986. Graham is a former Associate Director at RSM, where he specialised in the taxation of charities and other not for profit bodies.
## **Paul Benton**
David joined Council in 2015. He is the Association's Honorary Treasurer, and also a past President. He is Chair of the Finance Steering Group. At various intervals over the past 20 years David has been Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary of the North East England Branch. David became a member of the Association in 2015 and qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 1984. He has spent time with all four of the world's largest accountancy practices and has specialised in taxation in both the SME marketplace and large corporate tax departments. David now provides corporation tax administration services for a number of North East businesses.
## **Richard Freeman**
Richard joined Council in 2015. He chairs the Nominations Committee and serves on the Finance and Member and Business Development Steering Groups. He currently chairs the HMRC Branch and is a former Chair of the Birmingham and West Midlands Branch. Richard became a member of the Association in 2015. He qualified as a solicitor in 2000, and as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2003. He works for HMRC as a Deputy Director Compliance, for the Large Business Directorate in Customer Compliance Group. Prior to joining HMRC he has worked in leading legal and accounting firms.
Paul joined Council in 2023. He serves on the Examination Steering Group and the Joint Professional Standards Committee. Paul became a member of the Association in 2015 before qualifying as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2016. Paul works in practice at Haigh & Co Accountants based in Doncaster as Head of Tax and acts as treasurer to a local youth charity.
## **Simon Groom**
Simon joined Council in 2018. He is the Association’s Immediate Past President. He serves on the Joint Audit and Risk Committee, Finance Steering Group, and Nominations Committee. Simon became a member of the Association in 2003. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1987 and as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 1991. He has worked for LexisNexis since 2006. Having had various roles along the way, he
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 BIOGRAPHIES OF COUNCIL MEMBERS**
now enjoys a part time role as a Senior Tutor.
## **Jacqueline Hall**
Jacqueline joined Council in 2016. She serves on the Technical Steering Group and Examination Steering Group, and is a former Chair of the Hull Branch. Jacqueline became a member of the Association in 2016 and is a Chartered Tax Adviser and Chartered Accountant. Jacqueline is a Partner with RSM, providing business and tax advisory and compliance services to owner managed businesses, large employers, and individuals.
## **Barry Jefferd**
Barry joined Council in 2021. He is the Association's Deputy President, Chair of the Examination Steering Group, and is a former chair of the Mid-Anglia Branch. Barry became a member in 2009 and is also a member of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners. He trained with a City of London practice where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Tax Adviser. Barry is a Senior Partner with George Hay. He advises on the complete range of taxes although he particularly enjoys Capital Gains Tax, Inheritance Tax and property and land transactions.
## **Jamie Hooper**
## **Tracy Lewis**
Jamie joined Council in 2023. He serves on the Finance Steering Group and chairs the CIOT/ATT Essex Branch Committee. Jamie became a member of the Association in 2000 before qualifying as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2008. Jamie has experience of personal, corporate, and international taxes and in 2009 took over management of his family firm proving taxation and accounting services to SMEs and HNW families.
## **Mehran Iqbal**
Mehran joined in the Council in 2025. He serves on the Technical Steering Group. Mehran became a member of the Association in 2020 and is also a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser. Mehran is additionally authorised by ICAEW to conduct non-contentious probate work. A director at Smart Leap and Smart Probate, he provides business and tax planning advice and compliance services for individuals, owner-managed businesses, and clients in the creative industries. He specialises in advising clients on HMRC compliance checks and investigations.
Tracy joined Council in 2025. She serves on the Finance Steering Group. Tracy became a member of the Association in 2025, and is also a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser. Tracy has worked as Head of Tax for Aldermore Bank PLC and at Macmillan Publishers Group. Having qualified with KPMG, and having spent many years in advisory roles, she has experience across the full range of taxes and benefits, from both in-house and consultancy perspectives. She has also served on advisory boards for start-up businesses, and volunteers with the National Trust.
## **Banin Oozeerally**
Banin joined Council in 2021. She is Chair of the London Branch, Interim Chair of the Member and Business Development Steering Group, and serves on the Technical Steering Group. Banin became a member of the Association in 2015. She is also ACCA and CTA qualified. Banin has a keen interest in workplace technologies. She works as a tax advisor at Harbottle & Lewis, a law firm which specialises in creative and entrepreneurial clients. Prior to this, she spent several years in public practice where she developed a broad accounting and
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## **ANNUAL REPORT 2025 BIOGRAPHIES OF COUNCIL MEMBERS**
mixed-tax background at boutique firms which focused on a similar client base.
## **Toyin Oyeneyin**
Toyin joined Council in 2021. She chairs the CIOT/ATT Future of Tax Professionals Committee and also serves on the Tax Adviser Magazine Committee. Toyin became a member of the Association in 2012 and is also a Chartered Tax Adviser. Toyin has experience across practice and industry, accounting, tax, and finance. She is a Tax Specialist and Product Manager for Octopus Investments, having joined Octopus from her previous role as a Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
## **Jonathan Stride**
Jon joined Council in 2016. He is Chair of the Technical Steering Group and also a member of the Somerset and Dorset Branch Committee. Jon became a member of the Association in 2005 and was appointed a Fellow in 2016. He is also a Fellow member of the AAT and holds the ACCA CAT qualification. Jon is an Accounting and Tax Senior with a firm in Dorset.
## **Thomas Wallace**
Tom joined Council in 2024. He is Vice Chair of the Association's Technical Steering Group and serves on the CIOT/ATT Online Branch Committee. Tom became a member of the Association in 2022 and is also a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners after starting his career in HMRC. Tom is now in private practice specialising in HMRC investigations and private client tax planning, and is a regular commentator on tax matters in the industry press.
## **Connor Whelan**
Connor joined Council in 2024. He serves on the Exam Steering Group and also sits on the CIOT/ATT Future of Tax Professionals Committee. Connor is a Tax Manager at Porsche Cars GB, with experience across all taxes following varied tax roles with the Mercedes-Benz Group, Costa Coffee, and Deloitte. Connor completed his AAT and ATT studies with first time passes, and recently became a fully qualified Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA).
## **Jonathan Yeomans**
## **Eleanor Theochari**
Ele joined Council in 2023. She is the Association’s Vice President. She is Vice Chair on the Joint Professional Standards Committee and also serves on the Joint Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. Ele became a member of CIOT in 2020 and a member of ATT in 2023. Ele is a Corporate Tax Adviser, specialising in R&D Tax Credits. She leads the R&D tax function as a partner at Blick Rothenberg, where she is responsible for overseeing the delivery of all clients’ R&D claims. Ele was a finalist in Tolley’s Taxation Awards 2022 and 2023 in the Taxation’s Rising Star category and was awarded a coveted place in the 2022 Accountant’s Age’s 35 under 35.
Jon joined Council in 2025. He serves on the Joint Professional Standards Committee. He is a former HMRC Senior Tax Inspector and spent 32 years with HMRC and previously the Inland Revenue. Since leaving HMRC, he has specialised in R&D tax relief matters. Jon now leads Avalon Tax Ltd, supporting businesses and advisers with R&D tax enquiries, and RD Reliance Ltd, which provides R&D tax claim services. Jon first became a student member of the ATT in 2010. He holds a Master’s degree in Taxation and Fiscal Policy and has had several articles published in the tax press.
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 BIOGRAPHIES OF COUNCIL MEMBERS**
## **Chief Executive: Jane Ashton**
Jane became a member of the Association in 1993 and was appointed a Fellow in 2011. She is a member of the Association of Project Managers, a Member of the Institute of IT and she is a former member of the Association's Council. Jane was previously
with HMRC where, over a 30-year period, she held various posts gaining considerable experience in tax, tax technical and soft skills training, internal audit, marketing and communications, online services, tax policy, business architecture and project management.
P a g e | **78**
**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NEW MEMBERS ADMITTED DURING 2025**
**Aamir** Hina **Abdi** Khaalid **Abrahall** Laura **Adams-Beattie** Georgina **Adamson** Joshua **Adamson** Clare **Afonso** Anzia **Agrawal** Soumya **Ahmed** Abir **Ahmed** Muhammad **Ahmed** Zeinab **Ahmed** Abdulbasit **Ajid** Fuad **Aksay** Zeynep **Alberts** Claudene **Ali** Maimuna **Alimahomed** Humaira **Allison** Mozeed **Altaf** Janita **Amusan** Olugbemga **Anderson** Liam **Arberry** Daniel **Aristidou** Emily **Armour** Kimberley **Ashraf** Mohammad Ali **Atif** Maheen **Awunor** Alexandria **Aygin** Sonay **Ayodele** Oladipupo **Bagas** Rafik **Bain** Matthew **Baker** Isobel **Bali** Neesha **Bannister** James **Baral** Poshan **Barker** Harry **Barrell** Joshua **Barry** Alyson **Barter** Adam **Bassi** Simran **Batey** Brooke **Baxendale** Craig **Beattie** Tanya **Begum** Ambia **Begum** Siddika **Begum** Anisha **Beisley** Shannon **Bekker** Ruzanna **Bell** Sam **Bell** Cameron
**Bell** Lara **Benns** Amelia **Berry** Sophie **Beswick** Thomas **Bharadwa** Chetna **Bhatti** Aliya **Bibi** Zahira **Billah** Khawja **Binti Nasran** Sara **Birkenshaw** Jonathan **Biswal** Emma **Bjeirmi** Ryan **Blackhurst** Emily **Blackwell** Hannah **Blade** Megan **Blandford** Thomas **Blow** Charles **Boniface** Hannah **Boota** Ubaid **Bouamar** Sophie **Boulby** Alexandra **Boyce** Joshua **Brailey** Sarah **Bree** Rachel **Brierley** Emma **Briscoe** Amy **Brogelli** David **Brooks** Eleanor **Brooksbank** Reece **Brown** Tessa **Brown** Emma **Bruce** Emma **Brutti** Laura **Brydges** Emma **Buckley** Amelia **Bukhari** Syed Musa **Burch** Alexandra **Burton** Matthew **Burzynska** Paulina **Buschhold** Nathan **Byford** Nathan **Byrne** Oliver **Campbell** Sophie **Cargill** Daniel **Carr** Jack **Chadha** Soumya **Chadwick** Emily **Chaloner** Andrew **Chambers** Tom **Charles** Elliot
**Chaudhry** Layla **Chen** Jing-Ying **Cheung** Charlotte **Cheung** Wai-Yee **Chhaya** Taru **Chidell** Raymond **Child** Sophie **Chow** Lisa **Churcher** Duncan **Ciocan** Erica **Clibbens** Charlotte **Coombes** Sonny **Corbett** Matthew **Cornejo** Julio **Cowdell** Bethany **Cowe** Clare **Cox** Gillian **Coyle** Hannah **Cozens** Raine **Cracknell** Isaac **Croll** Robbie **Crowther** Jason **Cruz** Abegail **Cuerdo** Ashraf **Cumins** Laura **Curtis** Rhodri **Curtis-Bennett** Emily **d'Arcy** Serena **Darnell** Grace **Daughtery** Ronan **Davis** Connor **Dawodu** Apphia **Dawson** Jamie **Day** Catheryn **de Boer** Lee-Ann **De Oliveira** Andreza Aparecida **de Villiers Kuun** Sebastian **Degnan** Mitchell **Dennis** Victoria **Denwood** Toby **Devlin** Eimhear **Devsi** Priya **Dhaliwal** Simran **Dhillon** Amar **Dilley** Isaac **Dimitrijevic** Alexander **Dodd** Ashley **Doherty** Sarah **Dollah** Emily **Dorrington** Simon
P a g e | **79**
**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NEW MEMBERS ADMITTED DURING 2025**
**Dowd** Jasmine **Dowling** Danny **Doyle** Edward **Doyle** Monika **Drummond** Ben **D'Souza** Kimberley **Dubb** Ramanjit **Dunster** Ben **Duong** Kelly **Dwyer** James **Earley** Peter **Edwards** Tara **Edwards** Roman **Edwards** Thomas **Egginton** Thomas **Ellen** Christopher **Ephrem** Nehemiah **Escritt** Olivia **Eustace** Samantha **Evans** Edward **Fage** Nicholas **Fairman** Alfie **Faragher** Lucy **Farquhar** Sakinah **Fell** Ellen **Fernandez** Noel **Field** Felicity **Fisher** Jake **Fisher** Chris **Fisher** Alice **Fletcher** Michael **Forbes** Robert **Foster** Abbey **Fountain** Stefania **Fourie** Luke **Frank** Clifford **Franklin** Grace **Freeman** Jack **Freestone** Ruth **French** Alyson **Fry** Daniel **Fung** Damon **Furooq** Uzma **G** Dilraj **Gabinska** Marta **Gair** Benjamin **Gallacher** Ava **Gallagher** Ryan **Gamulescu** Andreea **Gardner** Nicholas
**Garlapati** Midhun Sai Lakshman **Genshaft** Aleksandr **Georgiou** Rico **Geraghty** Eleanor **Ghani** Idris **Ghinita** Oxana **Gibson** Matthew **Gibson** Bethany **Gilbert** Joe **Glaister** Sophie **Glean** Shane **Goldring** Nicholas **Goncalves Gouveia** Beatriz Regina **Goodall** Mercedes **Gorkina** Jekaterina **Gosselin** Jordan **Grabowski** Jakub **Green** Harry **Griplas** Alexander **Gunes** Sule **Gupta** Satvik **Gurung** Raju **Gurung** Priyana **Gurwara** Disween **Haigh** Jacob **Hanamapure** Varsha **Hann** Caroline **Harding** Jack **Harris** Daniel **Hartley** Albert **Harward** Adam **Hateley** Hannah **Hawes** Matthew **Hayes** Kirsty **Haynes** Claire **Heley** Flynn **Henderson** Joe **Henwood** Joseph **Hepsworth** Olivia **Herd** James **Heuerman-Williamson** James **Heywood** Joshua **Hinton** Henry **Hocker** Michael **Hockin** Danny **Hodgkinson** Jack **Hodgson** Ruth **Hopp** Eloise **Hornsby** Joseph **Hudson** Sophie
**Hughes** Ben **Hughes** Gemma **Hui** Ka Wai **Hunt** Hannah **Huque** Mohammed **Hussain** Sameer **Huyton** Sarah **Hynard** Adam **Iguchi** Joe **Iqbal** Owais **Irabor** Jade **Isaacs** George **Ishaque** Sabrina **Jabir** Haniah **Jackson** Rachel **Jackson** Zoe **Jayaram** Nikhil **Jeffery** Thomas **Jessa** Safia **Jiang** Jennifer **Jiang** Scott **Jiao** Yuxingqiao **Jindal** Anuj **Johnson** Eleanor **Jones** Paul **Jones** Yvette **Jones** Harry **Josiek** Anna **Judge** Ben **K** Sanjay **K T** Suneed **Kal** Julia **Kanakamedala** Lakshmi **Keal** Harry **Kelly** Sean **Kennedy** Paul **Kennedy** Emma **Kerr** Daniel **Khaled** Nazifa **Khan** Shakeel **Khan** Sajid **Khan** Raqeeb **Khan** Farhat **Kilgariff** Ben **Kim** Samuel **Knowles** Luke **Koppany** Anna **Kourkoulos** Antony **Kowalczyk** Mateusz **Krishna** Ashwini
P a g e | **80**
**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NEW MEMBERS ADMITTED DURING 2025**
**Krishnakumar** Sushmitha **Kudhail** Arun **Kumar** Natasha **Kumordzie** William **Kupiec** Milena **Lackey** Samuel **Lambert** Joel **Lancaster** Spencer **Landberg** Emmy **Langridge** David **Last** Toby **Lawler** Sammy-Jo **Lawson** Kris **Lee** Benjamin **Leonard** Francesca **Leung** Tung Yu **Leung** Yik Yu Valerie **Lewis** Jonathan **Lewis** Marcus **Lewis** Tracy **Li** Xiaoye **Lilley** Thomas **Lim** Annie **Lindberg** Tim **Lindsell** Charlotte **Littleboy** Charlotte **Liu** Yixuan **Liu** Amy **Lo** Chi Leung **Lockyer** Fiona **Loescher** Grant **Logan** Claire **Loi** Monica **Long** Hannah **Long** Jacob **Longaron Ranera** Roger **Lorenzetti** Marco **Lougher** Lowri **Love** Ewan **Lovely** Chloe **Lowe** Joshua **Lowrie** Reece **Luker** Lydia **Lynch** Connor **Mackay** Fraser **Macpherson** James **Macrae** Alice **Magee** Laura **Maguire** Daniel **Malcova** Lenka
**Malhotra** Signe **Malhotra** Nidhi **Malik** Moeez **Mandadi** Lohith **Manirambona** Melvin **Manning** Charles **Marks** Kelsey **Masani** Karishma **Mason** Angela **Masood** Sehar **Massie** Freya **Mathews** George **Matthews** George **Matthews** Leon **Mayor** Daniel **McAnulty** Niamh **McCaffrey** Chloe **McCallum** James **McConnell** Thomas **McCranor** Josh **McGookin** Hannah **McGregor** Debra **McKenzie** John **McKinlay** Victoria **McKinnon** Callum **McLellan** Brodie **McLoughlin** William **McNicholas** Emma **McWilliam** Joe **Meggs** Louise **Mei** Dantong **Melling** Oliver **Miah** Ajim **Micele** Michael **Middleton** Harry **Miles** Deborah **Millar** Erin **Miller** Olivia **Mills** Robert **Mincher** Matthew **Modha** Puja **Mohanty** Monali **Montgomery** Jack **Moody** Emily **Moore** Joseph **Moore** Dale **Moorman** Maddison **Morgan** Rosemary **Morgan** Alexander **Morris** Thomas
**Mulla** Yusuf **Mulloy** Susan **Munasinghe** Eleesha **Munn** David **Murphy** Autumn **Mushtaq** Zaheer **Mustafayev** Murad **Mwamba** Ahn **Myall** Harry **Myneni** Swetha **Naeem** Mahnoor **Nandagiri** Harini **Nash** Madison **Nash** Daniel **Nassoro** Rahma **Nathani** Rumaisa **Neale** Elizabeth **Nelloru** Subramanyam **Ness** Mor **Newton** Natasha **Ng** Pui Man **Nicholson** Sam **Noaks** Oliver **Norman** John **Norton** Claire **Nozu** Kimiko **Nunn** James **Nunoo** Stephanie **O’Brien-Young** Christine **Oakes** Caitlin **Okonkwo** Paschal **Ola** Myles **Oldfield** Adam **Oliver** Grace **Olubokun** Olutoye **O'Neill** Laura **Osei-Agyemang** Jessica **Owen** Daniel **Ozdemir** Burcu **Pain** Aimee-Louise **Palmer Acosta** Dante **Pant** Mayank **Parikh** Priyank **Parker** Michelle **Parkins** Farren **Partington** Julie **Patch** Molly **Patel** Shray **Patel** Nabil **Patel** Aaminah
P a g e | **81**
**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NEW MEMBERS ADMITTED DURING 2025**
**Paterson** John Liam **Paxton** Adam **Paxton** Claire **Payas** Munguntsetseg **Pearce** Luke **Pearman** James **Pearman** Callum **Pearson** Niall **Penson** Andrew **Phelps** Madison **Phillips** Raeane **Pipicz** Nora **Pittman** Michael **Poddar** Kushal **Popiel** Natalia **Popplewell** Jacob **Prajapati** Ravi **Preston** Charles **Price** Victoria **Probert** Hannah **Purdy** William **Quantrill** Joshua **Quinn** Kieran **R** Nisha **Rajah** D Jaivatti **Rajan** Deepika **Ram** Amrita **Ramesh** Akash **Reddin** Joshua **Redpath** Benjamin **Redwood** Matthew **Richards** Joshua **Rintoul** Euan **Robertson** Millie **Robinson** Kirsty **Robinson** Kirsty **Robinson** Nicholas **Robinson** Sabinah **Rodger** Elizabeth **Rogers** Abigail **Rogers** Zak **Rooprai** Ashwinder **Roper** Kelly **Rosser** Katy **Rouse** Poppy **Rye** Alex **Sabin** Ellie **Sabir** Waleed **Sachdeva** Daniksh **Sahi** Praveen
**Sanderson** Joshua **Sandford** Joseph **Sandhu** Kierrenjit **Santosh** Namita **Sanyaolu** Sodirat **Savic** Stefan **Savory** Chloe **Sawtell** Anne **Scanlon** Daniel **Scott** Byron **Seddon** Antony **Senior** Rebecca **Senol** Ersan **Setterfield** Georgia **Shah** Kreesha **Shah** Sachin **Shahid** Sami **Shankari K** Kanchana **Shanks** Rebekah **Shapley** Oliver **Sheehan** Demi **Shepherd** Rachel **Shepherd** Scott **Shoker** Amrit **Siddiqui** Syeda Tahira Batool Tahir **Sieradzki** Iwona **Sims** Richard **Singh** Aditya **Singh** Ramandeep **Singh** Harnoor **Sivachelvan** Baheera **Skirmantas** Vilius **Smith** Rowan **Smith** Sophie **Smith** Lauren **Smith** Jack **Smith** Beverley **Smith** Lauren **Smith** Amy **Snell** Joseph **Solberg** Charlene **Spannagl** Bernhard **Spence** Thomas **Srivastava** Rini **Steer** Joshua **Stettner** Alexandra **Stewart** Lesley **Stickley** Lillian **Stringer** Christopher **Suthakaran** Sobika
**Sydenham** Cameron **Sydney** Beverley **Tan** Joshua **Taylor** Holly **Taylor** Michael **Taylor** Cavan **Thakrar** Avisha **Thangaraj** Surya **Thatcher** Jamie **Thatcher** Rebecca **Thevathasan** Christalin **Thomas** Justin **Thompson** Ben **Thornton** Bene **Thornton** Emanuel **Till** Sally **Traynor** Hannah **Trivett** Grace **Tubman** Aron **Tuffill** Charlotte **Udell** Stephanie **Uglow** Toby **Urminska** Veronika **Vadera** Siddharth **Vahey** Alexander **Varsani** Delayna **Vass** George **Veale** Robert **Venkatesh** Pavithra **Venugopal** Rekha **Venzon** Francis **Veriah** Charmaine **Volker** Patrick **Walker** Debra **Walker** Max **Wallace** Gabriella **Walsh** Sean Kelly John **Wambua** Irene **Ward-Jones** Nate **Wardle** Joshua **Warner** Martin **Warren** Sarah **Watson** Max **Watson** Christopher **Weir** Taye **Wellington** Helen **Weston** Max **Whale** Thomas **White** Archie **White** Louise
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NEW MEMBERS ADMITTED DURING 2025**
**Wilkinson** Mandy **Williams** Imogen **Williams** Kieran **Williams** Luke **Williets** Matthew **Wilson** Cara **Wilson** Laura **Wilson** Francesca **Wilson** Lauren
**Wise** Megan **Wolley** Liam **Worthington** Niamh **Wright** Bradley **Wright** Cameron **Wright** Sophie **Wybrow** Beth **Yang** Peiyi
**Yasin** Aukasha **Yeung** Kwan Yat **Young** Kirsten **Young** Amber **Young** Megan **Yu** Lihan **Zhang** Hua **Zhang** Nan
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**ANNUAL REPORT 2025 NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING**
## **Notice is hereby given that the thirty sixth Annual General Meeting of the Association of Taxation Technicians will be held on Thursday, 09 July 2026 at 14:00.**
**This meeting will be held in-person at 30 Monck Street, London SW1P 2AP, and will also be livestreamed for virtual attendees.**
**To register to attend either in-person or via live-stream, please visit: www.att.org.uk/agm2026**
## Ordinary Business
**1.** To receive and adopt the Report for Council for 2025.
**2.** To receive and adopt the audited Financial Statements of the Association for the year ended 31 December 2025.
**3.** Re-election of Council members who retire under Regulation 43:
- **3a.** Barry Jefferd
- **3b.** Banin Oozeerally
- **3c.** Toyin Oyeneyin
**4.** Re-election of Council members who retire under Regulation 38:
- **4a.** Paul Bartlett
- **4b.** Mehran Iqbal
- **4c.** Tracy Lewis
- **4d.** Jonathan Yeomans
**5.** To appoint UHY Hacker Young as the auditor of the Association.
By order of the Council
## **Jane E C Ashton**
Chief Executive 30 Monck Street London SW1P 2AP
## **30 April 2026**
- **Notes** : a) A person entitled to attend and vote is entitled to appoint a proxy or proxies to attend and on a poll to vote instead of him or her. A proxy must be a Member of the Association.
- b) A person who has appointed a proxy may nevertheless attend the meeting and vote, in which case any votes cast by the proxy will be superseded.
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