Gasette This issue - Government Finance Profession - HM Treasury

Accountancy newsAATPROFESSIONS FOR GOODThe AAT, along with theACCA and ICAEW, hassigned up to an initiative tohelp increase the number ofpeople from non-privileged backgroundsentering accountancy and tax. The SocialMobility Toolkit for the Professions is the firstcommon frameworkto measure theprogress of socialmobility within theprofessions. The52-page toolkitexamines theeconomic, businessand moral case forsocial mobility. It alsoprovides bestpracticeadvice onhow to collect andprocess data onsocial mobility and how organisations candiversify the socio-economic profiles of theirmembers and employees.ACCASAY NO TO PAPERThe ACCA has announced that infuture its UK and Irish students willhave to go online for registration,exam results, exam entry and examdockets. From early 2012 the ACCA stoppedissuing paper for these services. The othercountries who are going down the online-onlyroute are Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia,Australia and New Zealand. The ACCA says that“most students are currently interacting withACCA online and this initiative reflects studentdemand for, and positive feedback on, ouronline services”.CIMABECOME A CGMAThe creation of theChartered GlobalManagement Accountantdesignation is the most significant event inCIMA’s 93-year history, says President HaroldBaird. Earlier this year CIMA officially launchedthe CGMA, which is ‘powered’ by the AICPACIPFA is working in Sri Lanka with the ICASLand CIMA as they build, inpartnership, what willhopefully become thepremier financialmanagement qualification.The CGMA is theculmination of 18 monthswork between the twobodies.RECORD STUDENTRECRUITMENTCIMA recruited a recordnumber of new students in2011, with some 26,500embarking on their journeyto become fully qualifiedchartered management accountants. Last year’sgrowth was consistent across all of CIMA’straditional key markets, including the UK, SriLanka and South Africa. In Russia studentnumbers almost tripled and CIMA had anexcellent year in India with a 38% year-on-yeargrowth. Andrew Harding, MD at CIMA said:“We are delighted to welcome our largest-everstudent annual intake. This shows ambitiousgraduates and school leavers across the worldare taking no chances with their future careers.”CIPFAFIXING THE FOUNDATIONSCIMA President Harold Baird withthe American Institute of CertifiedPublic Accountants’ Gregory J AntonFIXING FOUNDATIONSCIPFA and the Institute of CharteredAccountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL) have agreed towork together to transform the support availableto Sri Lankan public finance professionals. Amemorandum of understanding was recentlysigned in Berlin and the new partnership willnow develop a joint qualification andmembership arrangements. This newpartnership is the first outward sign of CIPFA’snew international prospectus ‘Fixing theFoundations’ in action. The institute wants tobring international public sector bodies togetherto restore confidence in countries’ managementof public finances and to improve standards.CIPFA believes the time is now right for a stepchangein financial management ingovernments. A key component in thisphilosophy is making the CIPFA qualificationmuch more readily available globally.CIoTCTA GOING INTERNATIONALThe Chartered Institute of Taxation(CIoT) has announced that it is tolicense the Irish Tax Institute (ITI) to usethe designations ‘Chartered TaxAdviser’ and ‘CTA’ as the first step indeveloping the CTA brand as an international‘Gold Standard’ in tax. The CIoT is proposing, indefined circumstances, to licensetax bodies in other countries todesignate their members as CTAs.CIoT President Anthony Thomassaid: “While the CTA brand ishighly recognised and very wellrespected in the UK, it is less wellknown elsewhere. With taxbecoming increasingly globalised,and our members travelling to andworking in more and morecountries, we believe it will benefitour members to raise the profile ofthe CTA designationinternationally.”ICAEWBOARDROOM DIVERSITYNews that the European Union is topress ahead with plans for quotas toincrease the proportion of women oncorporate boards, is likely to trigger alively discussion between Brussels and nationalgovernments, said the ICAEW’s Sharron Gunnrecently. However, she felt that the challenge isnot only how to get more women into thesesenior positions, but also how to ensure thistalent is developed and retained. Gunn stressedthat helping women who disengage following acareer break was another key move that wouldhave long-term benefits.ICASSPREAD THE TRUTH, PLEASE!The UK’s national debtis going up and is goingto rise by 61% in thisParliament, explained Allister Heath, editor ofCity AM at a packed ICAS business breakfastmeeting recently. He told the room ofaccountants that they needed to spread thetruth! People seem to believe the national debtis going down, but we could not be further fromthe truth. So, while debt stands at around£950bn by the time of the next election it couldbe nearer £1.5tn. Heath also wondered whethersix years of cuts was politically viable. “Perhapsthey should have gone for something moredrastic in the short-term,” he ventured.The ICAS business breakfast is the first in aseries of meetings planned by the institute southof the border.spring 2012theGASETTE 07