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TaxZone contributors win LexisNexis Taxation awards

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25th May 2005
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"It's a triumph for AccountingWEB," said John Newth minutes after being named Tax Writer of the Year at the LexisNexis Taxation Awards on Tuesday night.

Also celebrating was practitioner Kevin Salter, whose 'Tax Tips & Tools' CD-ROM beat software heavyweights IRIS and Digita to the Best Tax Software prize.

Compered in acerbic style by Rory Bremner - with cameo appearances by Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and a Ukranian Eurovision Song Contest judge - the LexisNexis awards attracted everybody who's anybody in the world of tax to the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane for an Oscar-style ceremony.

The awards were keenly contested, with raucous cheers rising from the tables of nominated teams. Last year's Personality of the Year winner John Whiting was visibly disappointed that after being shortlisted eight times, his colleagues in the PwC Knowledge and Innovation Team were the firm's only award winners, in the Best Big Four Tax Team category.

But it was a night for the little guys - particularly those who have associations with AccountingWEB.

After being shortlisted in 2003 and 2004, it was third time lucky for John Newth. Mentioning John's TaxZone Newthwire with a raised eyebrow, Bremner removed his tongue from his cheek long enough to pass on the judges' comments that after 20 years of writing about tax, "The range and depth of his writing showed John Newth to be a worthy winner."

After retiring as deputy editor of 'Taxation' magazine, John launched the fortnightly Newthwire in May 2002. The wire is received by more than 560 TaxZone members and ranges across topics from settlements law to practice management issues, money laundering regulations and employment taxes.

His work now also includes deputy editorship of the ICAEW Tax Faculty's 'TAXline' newsletter.

Clutching his spike-like award and flanked by his wife Elizabeth and secretary, Pam Gardiner, John confessed to a "Victor Meldrew moment" after the ceremony: "I can't belieeeve it!"

The other shortlisted writers were the late Philip Martin and CIOT personal tax committee chair and former Ernst & Young tax partner Anne Redston. Having lost out to Newth in the writer category, Redston's night took a turn for the better when she was named Tax Personality of the Year.

"More like oxymoron of the year," quipped Bremner, before mentioning Anne's role as an adviser to Geoff and Diana Jones of Arctic Systems fame and her CIOT article about the case, "Eye of the storm".

Faced with competition from two of the industry's major software houses, Kevin Salter's success was one of the evening's big surprises.

In between his day job as a partner with Glover Stanbury and membership of the ICAEW IT Faculty committee, Salter finds time to write and develop Excel-based tools for The 2020 Group. The 'Tax Tips & Tools' CD includes 62 calculators, spreadsheets, checklists and letters for £249+VAT.

"The judges were impressed with the range of tools," Bremner told the audience. "I guess you really need those tools."

Afterwards in the bar, Salter was beginning to display signs of emotion, but little in the way of triumphant rhetoric. "I'm speechless," he said.

Digita managing director Jeremy Rihll - who invited AccountingWEB along for the evening - swallowed his disappointment at losing out to Salter and 2020/BBS.

"I'm glad Kevin won it," Rihll said. "At least the prize has gone to a loyal Digita user."

John Stokdyk

LexisNexis 2005 Taxation Award winners

Best Stamp Taxes Team - Deloitte Stamp Tax Consultancy
Small Practice Tax Team - Rabjohns
Best Tax Software - 2020/BBS Tax Tips & Tools
Large Practice Tax Team - Reeves + Neylan
Best Tax Website - Low Incomes Tax Reform Group
Best Big Four Tax Team - PwC Knowledge & Innovation Team
Best In-house Tax Team - Standard Chartered Bank Global Taxation Team
Tax Writer of the Year - John Newth
Best International Tax Team - Deloitte Employment Solutions Japanese Human Capital Team
Best High Net Worth Tax Team - Smith & Williamson
Tax Lawyer of the Year - Paul Lasok QC
Best VAT Team - KPMG Financial Services Indirect Tax Team
Lifetime Achievement Award - Adam Broke
Tax Personality of the Year - Anne Redston

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