Tax Professionals Forum: minutes

22 September 2010

The Exchequer Secretary, David Gauke MP, chaired the inaugural meeting of the Forum for Tax Professionals on the 22nd September. This follows the publication of a discussion document on improving tax policy making, Tax Policy Making: a new approach, at the June Budget. All members of the Forum were present. The discussion focused on two key areas:

role and remit of the Forum; and
emerging issues from discussions with interested parties over the summer on the discussion document.

The Exchequer Secretary opened the meeting. He introduced the discussion document published alongside the June Budget on improving tax policy making. He saw the Forum as a real opportunity to work with tax practitioners, as users of the tax code, to improve the way that tax policy is made. He explained that the Government wants its approach to be informed by the experience of tax practitioners, who are using the tax code on a daily basis and on whom changes to the tax code have an impact.

Role and remit of the Forum

Forum Members agreed that their role was to support the Exchequer Secretary, HM Treasury and HMRC in identifying improvements to the way in which we make tax policy. This will include:

the way in which policy is developed;
the way in which policy and changes in policy are communicated; and
the way in which policy is legislated and implemented.

The Forum will help to prioritise improvements and monitor implementation of these improvements to ensure they have the intended effect. The Forum also has a role in providing real-time feedback on whether the Government’s stated principles and this new approach to tax policy making are being followed in practice: challenging the Government where this is not the case.

The Forum will draw on the experience of previous or current policy development to inform thinking and also share views on further steps that would help deliver the Government’s objectives for greater certainty and stability. It was agreed that the Forum would not be an avenue for resolving or debating specific policy issues.

Emerging themes

Members received a short update on the themes emerging from the consultation on improving tax policy making that has been underway over the summer. These included:

the merits of having an overarching framework for tax policy, which provides a clear direction of travel;
the importance of simplification, and slowing down the volume and frequency of changes to the tax code;
the importance of having tax legislation that was properly scrutinised and tested, against the background of a clear policy objective;
the value of meaningful and early consultation; and
the challenge of keeping track of development in tax policy and legislation, and the benefits of greater predictability as to the timing of announcements/changes.

Members of the Forum agreed with these themes, and the importance of addressing them as part of the work on improving tax policy making. Forum Members stressed their commitment to supporting the Government to achieve this.

Tax Professionals Forum: minutes

Role and remit of the Forum

Emerging themes

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