European tax professionals gather in London for annual assembly

More than 100 leading tax professionals from across Europe are gathering in London today for one of the biggest events in the European tax calendar.

The annual General Assembly of CFE Tax Advisers Europe brings together representatives of tax professional bodies from 24 European countries, including the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) and the Tax Faculty of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) from the UK. The General Assembly takes place tomorrow (Friday) in the City of London but assembly members will attend a welcome reception hosted by CIOT at the Tower of London this evening and a gala dinner at ICAEW’s Chartered Accountants Hall tomorrow, as well as committee meetings throughout the two days.

Commenting, CIOT President Ray McCann said:

“We are delighted to welcome the CFE to London once again. The issues facing tax advisers across Europe have a lot in common. From the role of technology in tax administration to the rise of the digital economy it is increasingly important for tax professionals in different countries to talk to each other, to exchange information and to contribute together to consultations on tax law by international institutions such as the EU and OECD.”

Commenting, ICAEW President Paul Aplin said:

“Whatever the final shape of Brexit might be, ICAEW is firmly committed to maintaining a strong relationship with our colleagues from across Europe. There is a compelling need to address accountancy and audit issues in an eventual future UK-EU27 agreement, particularly in terms of mobility of talent, mutual recognition of qualifications and mutual recognition of regulatory frameworks. These matters are critical given the role of financial information for the stability of markets and the extensive degree of market inter-dependency between the UK and EU. ”

Notes for editors:

1. CFE Tax Advisers Europe

CFE Tax Advisers Europe (formerly Confédération Fiscale Européenne) is a Brussels-based association representing European tax advisers. Founded in 1959, it brings together 30 national organisations from 24 European countries, representing more than 200,000 tax advisers. There are two UK member organisations – the Chartered Institute of Taxation and the ICAEW Tax Faculty.

Most but not all of the CFE’s representations are to EU institutions. Not all CFE member organisations are from within the EU. For example, there are member organisations from Russia, Ukraine and Switzerland.

At its meetings CFE discusses international tax developments which are of interest to its member institutes.

The General Assembly is the governing body of CFE Tax Advisers Europe, in which each member state is able to be represented by up to six delegates, and observer countries by up to two delegates. The primary responsibilities of the General Assembly are to decide on the acceptance of members and observers, to approve amendments to the governing statutes, to adopt the business report of the Executive Board and to approve the accounts and budget for the CFE.

The General Assembly meets annually. As well as the General Assembly there will be meetings of CFE’s Fiscal Committee and Professional Affairs Committee.

Contacts:

George Crozier (CIOT Head of External Relations) – 020 7340 0569; gcrozier@ciot.org.uk

Caroline Florence (ICAEW Senior Media Relations Manager) – 020 7920 8564; caroline.florence@icaew.com