Accountancy news

• KPMG fined £3.4m over ‘serious failures’ in Rolls-Royce audit

  24-05-2022 13:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Regulator says accountants’ audit of jet engine maker failed to report payments to Indian intermediariesKPMG will pay a fine of £3.4m to the accounting regulator after accepting failures in its audit of Rolls-Royce, the British jet engine manufacturer that paid a £500m settlement after bribery allegations.The accountancy firm received a severe reprimand from the regulator, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), and the firm will have to commission an independent review into the
  
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• KPMG to be fined £14m for forging documents over Carillion audit

  12-05-2022 17:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Regulator confirms tribunal settlement after ‘extremely serious’ misconduct by former staff KPMG will pay one of the largest fines in UK audit history, after former staff forged documents and misled the regulator over audits for companies including the collapsed outsourcer Carillion.The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) – which regulates accountants – confirmed the £14.4m settlement at a London tribunal hearing on Thursday, and said KPMG would also face a “sev
  
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• KPMG to be fined £14m for forging documents and misleading FRC

  12-05-2022 17:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Regulator sets near-record fine after former staff falsified material over audits of Carillion and other firmsKPMG will pay one of the largest fines in UK audit history, after former staff forged documents and misled the regulator over audits for companies including the collapsed outsourcer Carillion.The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) – which regulates accountants – confirmed the £14.4m settlement at a London tribunal hearing on Thursday, and said KPMG would also face a &ldq
  
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• A North Sea oil windfall tax won’t raise much but every little bit helps

  10-05-2022 20:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Tesco’s boss says oil producers are unfazed by a one-off levy to help households pay energy billsTesco chairman John Allan, aside from calling for a windfall tax on North Sea oil and producers, also said this on Tuesday: “I think they [the companies’ boards] are expecting it and I doubt they would actually be much fazed by it.”Since Allan is a well-connected FTSE 100 boardroom heavyweight, it’s safe to assume he’s correct on the first point. And one strongly s
  
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• PwC offers UK staff shorter Friday work hours for summer

  04-05-2022 18:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Accountancy firm extends its flexible-work ‘deal’ to woo staff afterpopular trial last summerPricewaterhouseCoopers has told its accountants and other staff they can finish work early on Fridays over the summer, becoming the latest company to offer flexible work incentives to try to keep employees happy and compete for talent.The accountancy firm has written to its 22,000 UK staff and told them they can knock off at lunchtime on Fridays between 1 June and 31 August, assuming they get
  
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• UK to exclude law from new services ban to Russia following Ukraine war

  04-05-2022 16:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Sanctions on accountancy, consultancy and PR advice will not come into force for several weeksRussia-Ukraine war: latest updatesThe UK has said it will ban the export of services including accountancy, consultancy and PR advice to Russia in the latest attempt to isolate the country’s economy following the invasion of Ukraine – but lawyers will still be able to service Russian clients.The foreign secretary, Liz Truss, announced the “ban on services exports to Russia” in a
  
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• UK lawyers still able to work for Russian clients despite new services sanctions

  04-05-2022 16:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Sanctions on accountancy, consultancy and PR advice will not come into force for several weeksRussia-Ukraine war: latest updatesThe UK has said it will ban the export of services including accountancy, consultancy and PR advice to Russia in the latest attempt to isolate the country’s economy following the invasion of Ukraine – but lawyers will still be able to service Russian clients.The foreign secretary, Liz Truss, announced the “ban on services exports to Russia” in a
  
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• Accounting watchdog investigates Deloitte over Go-Ahead audits

  12-04-2022 10:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Deloitte says it will cooperate with FRC investigation after Go-Ahead was embroiled in accounting scandalOne of the UK’s biggest accounting firms, Deloitte, is under investigation by regulators for its audits of Go-Ahead, after the bus and rail operator was embroiled in a scandal for wrongly withholding £50m of taxpayers’ money.The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said ithad opened an investigation in relation to Deloitte’s audit of Go-Ahead’s annual financial acco
  
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• Share price of Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital fall again after auditor delay

  31-03-2022 12:35 via theguardian.com
  
  PwC’s postponement of financial audit without reason fuels further fall after 36% slump on WednesdayThe share price of Sir Martin Sorrell’s advertising business has fallen further after a surprise delay from its auditors caused the postponement of financial results and a dive in the company’s valuation.S4 Capital’s share price dropped by 36% on Wednesday afternoon after it announced the delay by the auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers without outlining a reason. On Thursday m
  
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• Share price of Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital slumps again after auditor delay

  31-03-2022 11:29 via theguardian.com
  
  PwC’s postponement of financial audit without reason fuels dramatic fallThe share price of Sir Martin Sorrell’s advertising business S4 Capital has slumped further after a surprise delay from its auditors caused the postponement of financial results and a dive in the company’s valuation.S4 Capital’s share price dropped by 36% on Wednesday afternoon after it announced the delay by auditors PwC without outlining a reason. On Thursday morning it dropped by a further 4.2% to
  
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• Big four accountancy firms cut off businesses in Russia and Belarus

  07-03-2022 17:26 via theguardian.com
  
  EY and Deloitte join KPMG and PwC in separating Russia operations in response to Ukraine invasionUkraine-Russia war – latest updatesEY and Deloitte have followed their rivals and fellow big four accountancy firms KPMG and PwC by cutting off businesses in Russia and Belarus.The businesses will not necessarily close down but they will be legally separated, in the latest example of multinational firms responding to the invasion of Ukraine by pulling out of Russia.Continue reading...
  
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• KPMG, PwC and EY to cut off businesses in Russia and Belarus

  07-03-2022 11:15 via theguardian.com
  
  Response to invasion of Ukraine by three of big four accountancy firms puts pressure on DeloitteUkraine - Russia war: latest updatesEY has followed its rivals and fellow big four global accountancy firms, KPMG and PwC, by cutting off businesses in Russia and Belarus, piling pressure on Deloitte, which has yet to pull out.The businesses will not necessarily close down but they will be legally separated, in the latest example of multinational firms responding to the invasion of Ukraine by pulling
  
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• KPMG and PwC to cut off businesses in Russia and Belarus

  07-03-2022 09:43 via theguardian.com
  
  Two of big four accountancy firms are latest multinationals to respond to invasion of UkraineUkraine - Russia war: latest updatesKPMG and PwC, two of the big four global accountancy firms, have said they will cut off businesses in Russia and Belarus, in the latest examples of large multinational firms responding to the invasion of Ukraine by pulling out.The businesses will not necessarily close down but they will be legally separated – piling pressure on rivals Deloitte and EY to follow su
  
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• UK-based financial tech firms won sevenfold funding rise last year to $37bn

  07-02-2022 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  KPMG data shows London fintechs received more investment than Europe, the Middle East and Africa Investment in financial tech firms in the UK grew sevenfold last year to $37.3bn (£27.5bn), according to KPMG, with London attracting more fintech funding than the rest of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) put together.The investment total was boosted by 601 deals that were finalised in the UK in 2021, the financial services firm said, up from 470 the year before. Continue reading...
  
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• KPMG being sued for £1.3bn over Carillion audit

  03-02-2022 19:47 via theguardian.com
  
  UK official receiver brings action as part of its duty to try to maximise returns for creditors of collapsed firmKPMG is being sued for £1.3bn by government officials liquidating the collapsed contractor Carillion, in a unprecedented legal action against one of the big four auditors.Carillion’ collapsed in January 2018 with £7bn in debts, resulting in 3,000 job losses and chaos across government and private-sector projects ranging from building hospitals, schools, roads and eve
  
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• KPMG fined £3m for ‘serious failings’ in Conviviality audit

  19-01-2022 12:56 via theguardian.com
  
  Accountant also reprimanded severely for failing to check firm’s claims in latest blow to reputationKPMG has been fined £4.3m for failures during its audit of the Bargain Booze owner Conviviality and severely reprimanded in the latest blow to its reputation.The accounting regulator, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), found “a serious lack of competence” in KPMG’s 2017 audit of the company, which collapsed within nine months of the accounts being signed off. The
  
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• KPMG fined £4.3m for ‘serious failings’ in Conviviality audit

  19-01-2022 11:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Accountant also reprimanded severely for failing to check firm’s claims in latest blow to reputationKPMG has been fined £4.3m for failures during its audit of the Bargain Booze owner Conviviality and severely reprimanded in the latest blow to its reputation.The accounting regulator, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), found “a serious lack of competence” in KPMG’s 2017 audit of the company, which collapsed within nine months of the accounts being signed off. Cont
  
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• Carillion tribunal: KPMG ex-partner denies forging documents

  18-01-2022 19:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Evidence focuses on KPMG’s ‘misleading’ disclosures about audit of company that collapsed in 2018An ex-partner of KPMG sought to portray himself as negligent because it was the “lesser of two evils”, a tribunal heard today, as former employees of the big four accounting firm gave evidence about its audit of collapsed outsourcer Carillion.The tribunal is investigating claims made by the Financial Reporting Council, which regulates accountants, that KPMG and its staff
  
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• Carillion tribunal: Former KPMG staff turn on each other

  11-01-2022 19:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Ex-partner blames junior colleagues for misleading regulators as tribunal investigates alleged misconductThe former KPMG partner in charge of auditing Carillion’s accounts before its collapse has blamed his more junior colleagues for misleading regulators, as former team members turned on each other during a tribunal hearing allegations against the firm and six individual auditors.KPMG, one of the “Big Four” accountants that dominate the sector worldwide, on Monday admitted mis
  
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• KPMG says accounting regulator ‘was misled’ over Carillion audits

  10-01-2022 17:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Chief executive apologises for ‘unacceptable’ misconduct as disciplinary tribunal beginsKPMG has apologised for misconduct and misleading the UK’s accounting regulator over audits including that of Carillion, the major government contractor that collapsed four years ago.Jon Holt, the chief executive of KPMG UK, said it was “clear” that misconduct had occurred, in a statement published to mark the start of a disciplinary tribunal on Monday. Continue reading...
  
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• Carillion fell quickly, but the auditing profession is now dragging its feet

  09-01-2022 01:05 via theguardian.com
  
  The 2018 insolvency led to years of agonising by accountancy firms, with as yet no explanations or ways to avoid a repeatBankruptcies happen gradually, then suddenly, an Ernest Hemingway character famously deadpans in The Sun Also Rises. Yet the aftermath of insolvency can play out painfully slowly, as observers of Carillion’s collapse, four years ago this week, can testify.Carillion had its fingers in a lot of pies, to the point where it is difficult to explain what its main business was:
  
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• Trevlyn D’Cruz obituary

  24-12-2021 17:49 via theguardian.com
  
  My father, Trevlyn D’Cruz, who has died aged 83, was an accountant who became managing director of the publishing company New English Library (NEL) in 1974. His years there read like a primer of 70s culture: he distributed Bob Guccione’s Playboy magazine rival, Penthouse, was involved in the launch and distribution of the feminist magazine Spare Rib, and published Richard Allen’s hugely popular youth culture novels, including Skinhead and Suedehead.He also worked closely with a
  
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• KPMG used ‘untruthful defence’ in Silentnight inquiry, says watchdog

  13-10-2021 17:53 via theguardian.com
  
  Report reveals unprecedented rebuke of ‘big four’ accountant after senior partner found to have liedOne of KPMG’s senior partners lied in an investigation into the scandal over bed company Silentnight’s insolvency, according to an unprecedented rebuke of a “big four” accountant from the regulator.The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said KPMG and David Costley-Wood, a partner at the firm, used an “untruthful defence” in an investigation into the s
  
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• Patisserie Valerie auditors fined £2.3m over ‘serious lack of competence’

  27-09-2021 10:30 via theguardian.com
  
  FRC says Grant Thornton ‘missed red flags’ and failed to question information from managementThe auditor of Patisserie Valerie has been fined £2.3m and accused of a “serious lack of competence” over its role in the accounting scandal that led to the collapse of the cafe chain.Grant Thornton, which served as Patisserie Holdings’ auditor from 2007 until the company’s collapse in early 2019, accepted there were failures in the audit work, including statemen
  
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• August’s jump in house prices is further proof stamp duty holiday was a mistake | nils pratley

  01-09-2021 20:29 via theguardian.com
  
  The 2.1% rise cited by Nationwide was likely to be due to cheap loans and a desire to get out of citiesMore evidence that Rishi Sunak’s pandemic freebie for homebuyers was a waste of money: even when the stamp duty holiday was partly removed, house prices continued to fly. The 2.1% rise in August, on the Nationwide’s readings, was the second largest monthly increase in 15 years.It all suggests the 13% rise in house prices since the start of the pandemic had little to do with Sunak&rs
  
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• UK regulator issues complaint to KPMG over Carillion and Regenersis audits

  01-09-2021 10:18 via theguardian.com
  
  Firm accused of providing false and misleading information to Financial Reporting CouncilThe Financial Reporting Council has issued a formal complaint against KPMG and several of its current and former employees for allegedly providing “false and misleading information” relating to its audits of the outsourcing firms Carillion and Regenersis.The accounting watchdog’s allegations of misconduct relate to documents provided to the FRC during its inspection of audits carried out on
  
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• EY fined by UK accountancy watchdog over Stagecoach audit failings

  25-08-2021 11:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Penalty of more than £2.2m imposed after firm did not properly challenge transport group’s bosses EY has been fined more than £2.2m by the UK accountancy watchdog for failing to properly challenge Stagecoach bosses when auditing their accounts for 2017.The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has also sanctioned Mark Harvey, EY’s auditing engagement partner, fining him £100,000 for his role reviewing Stagecoach’s financial statements. Continue reading...
  
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• A post-Covid crash is looming – and Britain's auditors are asleep at the wheel | Richard Brooks

  09-08-2021 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  As Covid-related state support for precarious firms winds down, much-needed audit reform remains worryingly remoteLike a tedious household repair job, fixing the accounting for Britain’s largest and most important companies is always put off until it’s too late – and then bodged anyway, with often calamitous results.As Covid-era government support for some of the country’s most precariously positioned companies winds down, accounting for their finances remains trapped in
  
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• KPMG fined £13m over sale of Silentnight to private equity firm

  05-08-2021 20:42 via theguardian.com
  
  Near-record fine and reprimand for blue chip accountants that helped push client towards insolvencyKPMG has been fined a near-record £13m and severely reprimanded by an independent tribunal for misconduct, in a long-running case relating to the the sale of bed-maker Silentnight to a private equity group in 2011 .The tribunal determined that one of KPMG’s partners helped push Silentnight, which was a client of the blue chip accounting firm, towards insolvency so that the private equit
  
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• Mike Ashley will make big decisions at Frasers even if he’s not chief | Nils Pratley

  05-08-2021 19:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Handing the gig to his prospective son-in-law looks a transfer of power in name onlyMike Ashley is “transitioning” out of the job of chief executive at Frasers and handing the gig to his prospective son-in-law, Michael Murray. That, at least, was the Sports Direct firm’s summary of next year’s switch. The critical line, though, was the one at the end. Ashley will “remain on the board as an executive director”. He isn’t even adopting the formal back-seat
  
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• FTSE 100 firms face growing revolt on executive pay amid Covid crisis

  02-07-2021 18:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Deloitte’s remuneration analysis reveals shareholders want executive pay to reflect wider workforceMore than twice as many FTSE 100 companies have faced shareholder rebellions over executive pay this year compared with last year, despite an overall drop in pay packets, as investors took a harder line on pay fairness during the Covid pandemic.This year, the number of FTSE 100 companies receiving “low votes” – with less than 80% of shareholders in favour – on their an
  
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• Greensill: watchdog opens investigation into auditors including PwC

  28-06-2021 12:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Inquiry involves Saffery Champness and PwC’s audit of the Sanjeev Gupta-owned Wyelands BankBritain’s accounting watchdog has opened investigations into PwC and a smaller rival over audits conducted for Greensill Capital UK and the bank owned by one of its largest borrowers, the metals magnate Sanjeev Gupta.The Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) investigations – launched on 15 June but only made public on Monday – add to a growing list of investigations linked to Gr
  
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• Greensill scandal: Watchdog opens investigation into auditors including PwC

  28-06-2021 12:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Inquiry involves Saffery Champness and PwC’s audit of the Sanjeev Gupta-owned Wyelands BankBritain’s accounting watchdog has opened investigations into PwC and a smaller rival over audits conducted for Greensill Capital UK and the bank owned by one of its largest borrowers, the metals magnate Sanjeev Gupta.The Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) investigations – launched on 15 June but only made public on Monday – add to a growing list of investigations linked to Gr
  
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• Deloitte’s UK employees to decide ‘when, where and how they work’

  18-06-2021 16:39 via theguardian.com
  
  Accounting firm embraces ultra-flexible working with staff able to choose if they come into office at allDeloitte will allow its 20,000 UK employees to choose how often they come into the office, if at all, after the pandemic, making it the latest firm to throw out the rulebook and embrace ultra-flexible working.The accounting firm said it would let staff decide “when, where and how they work” following the success of remote working during the Covid crisis. While the company has offe
  
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• John Waddington obituary

  31-05-2021 18:29 via theguardian.com
  
  My brother, John Waddington, who has died aged 83, after contracting Covid-19 in hospital, was a friend to many, a brilliant accountant, supporter of charities, patron of music and a collector of vintage motorcars.He was a man who gave much and had many friends from every part of his life. He went to Christ’s College, Cambridge, with an open scholarship in classics in 1956 from University College school, north-west London, claiming that this was due to inspiring teaching, from Aubrey Morle
  
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• EY staff to work from home at least two days a week after lockdown eased

  24-05-2021 19:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Latest move to hybrid working for accountant’s 17,000 UK employees suggests that pandemic has changed office life permanentlyWorkers at accountancy firm EY will be expected to work from home for at least two days a week even after coronavirus restrictions lift, in the latest sign of the pandemic changing office life.The company, formerly known as Ernst & Young, on Monday told UK employees via video call that 17,000 staff will move to a “hybrid working model” that mixes work
  
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• 14 major UK employers join socially focused Purposeful Company scheme

  10-05-2021 18:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Bosses of FTSE 100 and accountancy firms promise new focus on wellbeing of staff and local communitiesThe bosses of 14 big organisations, including Capita, Unilever and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), have pledged to put the wellbeing of staff, local communities and broader society higher on the boardroom agenda, after concluding it will enhance the long-term profitability of their businesses.The Purposeful Company, a not-for-profit organisation, said it had brought together business leaders from
  
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• What did Greensill Capital actually do? | Adam Leaver

  15-04-2021 10:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Behind David Cameron’s lobbying lies a surreal web of ‘supply chain financing’ and ‘factoring’The focus on David Cameron’s role in lobbying for Greensill Capital’s involvement in NHS payment systems has obscured a less glamorous question: how did a firm involved in such a mundane part of the financial services ecology became so significant, so quickly?Greensill Capital, which entered administration last month, provided payment services including “f
  
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• PwC's UK staff to split office and homeworking after Covid crisis

  31-03-2021 15:46 via theguardian.com
  
  Flexible return will allow staff to personalise working day and finish early on Fridays in July and AugustCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePwC is rolling out a flexible working policy that will allow its 22,000 UK staff to split their time about half and half between their home and office after the pandemic.The accounting firm expects staff to spend 40-60% of their time with colleagues – either in the office or out on client visits – once restrictions
  
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• Accounting heads confirm hybrid working adoption

  23-03-2021 14:00 via accountancyage.com
  
  Professional services firms aim to implement a hybrid office space as restrictions ease this spring but adopting this new working space will require a combination of client and employee needs, according to market participants.
  “There’s a real desire for hybrid,” says John Taylor, chief operating officer at RSM. “I don’t think most people want to go back travelling daily into offices on a five day a week basis. That’s what we’re working towards. We’
  
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• Big business, accounting and accountability | Letter

  18-03-2021 19:02 via theguardian.com
  
  David Selby argues for a less cozy relationship between large companies and their auditorsAs a very small shareholder in a few companies, I have been conducting a one-man campaign for many years, by voting against the motion on most AGM agendas to retain the services of the current auditors. Ever since the fall of Enron, I have always felt that there is self-interest in both parties wishing to maintain this close relationship.Enron was not mentioned in your article (Bonus reforms ‘biggest
  
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• New working environment triggers tax compliance challenges

  08-03-2021 11:34 via accountancyage.com
  
  Despite a surge in vaccinations around the world, the pandemic continues to infiltrate our lives and is set to change our working environment forever.
  Having witnessed the benefits of remote working, organisations are now looking at their workplace through a different lens. Whether the future of business will be marked by remote working or flexible workplace, only time will tell, but for now each decision taken by employers will need careful consideration as new working environments will present
  
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• Chancellor extends furlough and widens cash grants access for self-employed

  03-03-2021 17:32 via accountancyage.com
  
  The Chancellor’s decision to extend support programs including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is essential to keep businesses alive and protect jobs ahead of lockdown restrictions being eased, according to market participants.
  “They went a bit further than what was anticipated – that it goes until the end of September rather than the end of June or July,” says Ian Goodwin, partner at Mazars. “This will
  
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• No more fomo: top firms turn to VR to liven up meetings

  20-02-2021 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Companies splash out on new tech and office design to cut commuting and usher in the new dawn of post-lockdown hybrid workingStaff at accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers have been holding meetings in odd places: the top of skyscrapers, inside swanky penthouse apartments and even luxury ski chalets. All without leaving the comfort of their own homes.That is the new normal for a growing number of workers at PwC, which is buying thousands of virtual reality headsets to help battle Zoom fatigue
  
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• Peter Smith obituary

  16-02-2021 19:18 via theguardian.com
  
  My husband, Peter Smith, who has died aged 84, worked in public finance as a local government accountant for councils in the north of England and then served as the chairman of an NHS Trust in Gateshead.He was born in Huddersfield to Frank Smith, a chauffeur, and his wife, Annie (nee Sunderland), who was in service. After attending Rastrick grammar school he began work as a trainee accountant in the treasurer’s department at Huddersfield council, where he began to climb the public finance
  
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• As KPMG’s boss has learned, caring about employees is now cool

  13-02-2021 01:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Bill Michael, UK chair of the accountancy firm, had to step down amid protests after he told staff to ‘stop moaning’Millennials are flexing their power in the workplace. From women’s rights to demands for tougher action on climate change, younger staff are forcing the pace.Last week the boss of KPMG stepped down amid protests from staff about his behaviour during an online meeting. Continue reading...
  
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• KPMG's Bill Michael: from hosting the Queen to abrupt resignation

  12-02-2021 13:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Australian’s blunt style became his undoing after he tells staff to stop moaning about CovidLess than two months ago, Bill Michael welcomed the Queen on a virtual visit to KPMG’s new innovation hub during the accounting firm’s 150th anniversary celebrations.One imagines his comments during the video call with the monarch were less blunt than those he made to staff during Monday’s virtual town hall meeting, which have now prompted his resignation. Continue reading...
  
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• KPMG's Bill Michael resigns after telling staff to 'stop moaning'

  12-02-2021 10:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Firm’s UK chair apologises for comments in virtual meeting about Covid crisisKPMG’s UK chairman, Bill Michael, has resigned after telling staff to “stop moaning” during a virtual meeting about the coronavirus pandemic and the impact of lockdown on people’s lives.Michael, who has headed the company since 2017, was speaking at a virtual town hall meeting on Monday with members of the firm’s financial services consulting team when he made the comments. Continue r
  
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• 'Unconscious bias is utter crap': KPMG staff share shock at UK chair's Zoom comments

  11-02-2021 18:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Accounting firm investigates as more details emerge of meeting where Bill Michael told staff to stop moaningNew details have emerged of controversial comments by the UK chair of KPMG, who has stepped aside while the accounting firm investigates what he said to staff during a virtual meeting.A video of the Zoom meeting was published on Thursday, in which Bill Michael describes the concept of unconscious bias as being “complete and utter crap for years”. In the video, obtained by Mail
  
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