AIA news

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

AIA AGM 2020

The AIA held its 88th AGM on 2 September 2020. The AGM was held as a virtual event, and members were given the opportunity to use online voting, to protect our members and staff and in line with revised requirements of the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020. All the resolutions of the AGM were passed and the following members were re-elected to Council: Venetia Carpenter, Michael Chow, Mohd Noh Jidin, Koon Sang Jong and Maggie Timoney, who reflect the AIA’s global strengths as members from the UK, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. 2018-2019 was the first year of delivering the AIA strategy that takes the organisation through to 2024, with developments that will support the AIA through a period of many fundamental changes. From the very first signs of Covid-19, AIA implemented contingency plans with two defined priorities: protecting employee health and safety; and doing everything it could to ensure business continuity. AIA President Les Bradley said: “Despite the crisis and through the exceptional efforts of our employees and partners, AIA has persisted in consolidating its strategy and is committed to securing its long-term viability by fast-tracking new initiatives and services for students and members. We continue to use our expertise, technical ingenuity and global network to help our members and businesses recover from the impact of Covid-19.” Full details including the President’s full statement, voting results and AGM recording at: www.aiaworldwide.com.

AIA

NEWS

CONSULTATION

AIA calls for greater legal protection for accountants and tax agents

AIA has called for greater legal protection for the professional titles “accountant” and “tax agent” in its response to the HMRC consultation “Raising standards in the tax advice market: call for evidence”. The consultation seeks to explore ways to raise standards and increase transparency in the tax advice market. AIA has campaigned to highlight the benefits of using qualified accountants and tax agents, who are trained to a high standard in both ethical and professional conduct; and throughout the response has provided clarity and guidance on how AIA works to uphold standards of tax advice issued by its members in practice. Within the scope of the consultation there is a wider public interest argument in place for expansion of the role of professional bodies within the remit of improving “good agents” and how they can add value. AIA argues that the government should work to promote the effectiveness of good agents by recognising that additional safeguards and public interest concerns are met by consumers undertaking the services of a regulated individual to conduct their tax affairs, with proper recourse to advice if things go wrong and an independent complaints system. All the options set out within the consultation require careful consideration against the public interest – ensuring a continuation of the availability of tax advice to members of the public, whilst recognising the benefits of greater scrutiny over the competence of tax agents to bear down on bad behaviour and agents. It must be recognised that any option that increases the burden and cost of regulation may result in tax agents leaving the regulated sector and acting with a lower level of scrutiny which would not result in a net benefit position. Read the full response on the AIA website, www.aiaworldwide.com, under “Consultations”.

WEBSITE

AIA launches its new website

We are very excited to announce the launch of our newly designed website, www.aiaworldwide.com. As leader in the accountancy profession, it’s important for us to make information regarding our services, membership, qualifications and thought leadership easily accessible for our current and prospective members. We endeavour to provide our members with the most accurate, up-to-date information and share our knowledge and expertise in the field of accountancy. We wanted to make the new website faster, easier to navigate and more user-friendly. We have now segmented the website so that students, members and the public see the information most relevant to them.

what’s new for visitors?

Our goal for the new website is to provide our visitors with a clean and user-friendly way to learn about AIA qualifications, membership and services and to browse information based on their own circumstances and career objectives. The new website gives better access to: ● About AIA: our work, governance, strategy and branches; ● Join Us: our membership options, qualifications, entry requirements and member benefits; ● News; and ● Events.

It also contains integrated social media buttons to foster improved communication and we will be updating our content with helpful information, news, events, announcements and promotions. Users can join AIA using the online applications and track the progress of the application using their online account or contact the AIA Team directly with any questions you may have through the Live Chat function.

what’s new for members?

As well as access to AIA information such as consultations, news and events, the members section is designed to allocate resources depending on membership type and includes: ● Continuing Professional

Development: You can access online CPD, review the AIA CPD

requirements, record your CPD activities and submit your annual declaration. Guidance and Resources: The latest technical guidance, practice and membership resources, and information on regulatory requirements and member benefits can be found in this section. Document Library: Access to AIA documents, membership guides, technical resources and upgrade information. Member Benefits: AIA collaborates with strategic partners to give you discounts on a range of products and services. Details can be found in this section.

News, Events and Publications:

The latest AIA news, events and publications are available via your online account. Members in Practice: Members that choose to hold an AIA practising certificate also have access to specific resources such as practice guidance, marketing materials, document templates, access to additional recognition, Tolley Tax Library and AML Compliance software. My AIA: Your personal online account that allows you to update your work and contact details and make payments for subscriptions, events and membership applications or make additional purchases through the AIA shop.

what’s new for students?

When an AIA student logs in to the AIA website, they will have everything they need to help and support them on their AIA journey to becoming a qualified accountant. In addition to everything that is publicly available, students will view a specific interface that includes: ● Initial Professional Development: Review the IPD requirements, update your record online and, when the time is right, apply for full membership as an Associate. ● Exams: Review the exam timetable and regulations, enter exams online and track your exam progress. ● Study Resources: Everything you need to get started and revise for the professional exams, including paper specific guidance, past exam papers and examiner feedback. You can also register for the AIA’s distance learning programme, purchase additional study materials or sign up for events. ● News and International

Accountant: The latest news and all published issues of International

Accountant magazine are accessible to students. ● My AIA: Your personal online account that allows you to update your work and contact details and make payments for subscriptions, exams and membership applications or make additional purchases through the AIA shop.