I don't think he is with any, but I know he is an accountant since over 20 years and register with HMRC for ML.
When you say "he is an accountant since over 20 years" in the same breath as admitting that "he isn't a member of any professional body", I have to wonder what kind of qualifications he has to describe himself as an "accountant".
Unless you are referring to the "turf accountant" variety...
Well if he is not a member of a professional body there is no professional body that can issue him with a practising certificate. So the question of applying for a practising certificate in order to practise as a member of a professional body doesn't seem to arise!
Thank you all for sharing your view specially to Basil for the direct answer, I am sure he will take your advise, but again on his behalf thank you all.
EDIT. My above post was typed before I saw the 5.34 post !! - perhaps "frustratedwithhmrc" is one of the accountants referred to in my third paragraph !
Yea Verily was it forever thus.
Just like I don't let my milkman perform my coronary bypass surgery, I don't think my surgeon is qualified to do my taxes.
Experience is great and I know some great bookkeepers with great in-depth knowledge but no formal qualifications, until they've demonstrated this knowledge before an approved and recognized body, they aren't accountants in my book, and quite rightly, shouldn't be out on the streets on their own pretending to be proper accountants.
There should be a specific offence of "impersonating an accountant".
This is not about accountancy becoming modern day guilds, it's about professional responsibility.
Why would your milkman want to perform coronary bypass surgery?
He didn't say his milkman wanted to perform coronary bypass surgery. I think you might have misread the comment. Not quite sure what has made you so angry though.
Just like I don't let my milkman perform my coronary bypass surgery, I don't think my surgeon is qualified to do my taxes.
Do you think you are qualified to deliver milk?
I reckon with a bit of practice you might get the hang of it and without going to milk college and acquiring a qualification. Like it or not, that is the modern perception of accountancy as a profession. Your surgeon deals daily with life or death matters. What we do might seem like life or death, but it's trivial in comparison.
George or (my friend) was register with one of register bodies for the last few years, then this year he didn't send the membership fees on time, so they send him a letter telling him that his tax certificate is no longer valid, and they continue as he quote “If you are found to be working in practice, unregistered, you will be reported to the Disciplinary Committee, This will be the case even if you have a Practicing Certificate with another (non-CCAB) body,….”
In my book this is black mail.
And after he received this letter he decide not to pay the fees at all, and stop his membership with this so called professional body.
George or (my friend) was register with one of register bodies for the last few years, then this year he didn't send the membership fees on time, so they send him a letter telling him that his tax certificate is no longer valid, and they continue as he quote “If you are found to be working in practice, unregistered, you will be reported to the Disciplinary Committee, This will be the case even if you have a Practicing Certificate with another (non-CCAB) body,….”
In my book this is black mail.
And after he received this letter he decide not to pay the fees at all, and stop his membership with this so called professional body.
I wonder what you will do if it happened to you.
No, I don't think this is blackmail.
What this means is that if a person chooses to remain a member of the professional body, then they must abide by the rules, such as having a practising certificate if they engage in public practice work.
However, if that person chooses to resign their membership or gets chucked out for non-payment of fees, then they are free to do whatever they like so long as they are not calling themselves a Chartered Accountant / Chartered Tax Consultant, etc. or breaking the law by working in a regulated activity such as audit work.
When a person leaves a professional body then that professional body no longer has the power to discipline the former member.
It will appear to your clients you have all the qualifications. You can even put their designatory letters after your name on a business card to give that air of respectability.
ICPA give you permission to call yourself Independent Certified Practising Accountant (really good of them).
This what I would have done, if I had known many years ago.
So many accountants on here compare themselves to Doctors, surgeons and the like.
it is a silly comparison to accountancy. I think the work done by the average motor mechanic is far more important to health & safety, and more likely to result in potential death if they do the job wrong.
Many motor mechanics are not qualified, but they don't do work on Rolls Royce jet engines, just the same as unqualified accountants won't do the tax/accounts for big players, or major companies, but are competent at what they do.
Still, I suppose a really large tax bill might cause a coronary or two. ;)
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What professional body is he a member of?
I don't think he is with any, but I know he is an accountant since over 20 years and register with HMRC for ML.
Hmmm...
When you say "he is an accountant since over 20 years" in the same breath as admitting that "he isn't a member of any professional body", I have to wonder what kind of qualifications he has to describe himself as an "accountant".
Unless you are referring to the "turf accountant" variety...
Well if he is not a member of a professional body there is no professional body that can issue him with a practising certificate. So the question of applying for a practising certificate in order to practise as a member of a professional body doesn't seem to arise!
Thank you all for sharing your view specially to Basil for the direct answer, I am sure he will take your advise, but again on his behalf thank you all.
Yes
Yea Verily was it forever thus.
Just like I don't let my milkman perform my coronary bypass surgery, I don't think my surgeon is qualified to do my taxes.
Experience is great and I know some great bookkeepers with great in-depth knowledge but no formal qualifications, until they've demonstrated this knowledge before an approved and recognized body, they aren't accountants in my book, and quite rightly, shouldn't be out on the streets on their own pretending to be proper accountants.
There should be a specific offence of "impersonating an accountant".
This is not about accountancy becoming modern day guilds, it's about professional responsibility.
Why would your milkman want to perform coronary bypass surgery?
Stupid comment, ergo stupid commentator.
Sense of humour failure, perhaps?
As Ken Dodds defending barrister George Carman, QC famously said in his defence "Some accountants are comedians, but comedians are never accountants".
If the use of comic juxtaposition is beyond you, then you may be more suited to accounting than lion taming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMOmB1q8W4Y
Misread the comment.
He didn't say his milkman wanted to perform coronary bypass surgery. I think you might have misread the comment. Not quite sure what has made you so angry though.
But . . .
Do you think you are qualified to deliver milk?
I reckon with a bit of practice you might get the hang of it and without going to milk college and acquiring a qualification. Like it or not, that is the modern perception of accountancy as a profession. Your surgeon deals daily with life or death matters. What we do might seem like life or death, but it's trivial in comparison.
I just found out the resound for this question.
George or (my friend) was register with one of register bodies for the last few years, then this year he didn't send the membership fees on time, so they send him a letter telling him that his tax certificate is no longer valid, and they continue as he quote “If you are found to be working in practice, unregistered, you will be reported to the Disciplinary Committee, This will be the case even if you have a Practicing Certificate with another (non-CCAB) body,….”
In my book this is black mail.
And after he received this letter he decide not to pay the fees at all, and stop his membership with this so called professional body.
I wonder what you will do if it happened to you.
Leaving a professional body
No, I don't think this is blackmail.
What this means is that if a person chooses to remain a member of the professional body, then they must abide by the rules, such as having a practising certificate if they engage in public practice work.
However, if that person chooses to resign their membership or gets chucked out for non-payment of fees, then they are free to do whatever they like so long as they are not calling themselves a Chartered Accountant / Chartered Tax Consultant, etc. or breaking the law by working in a regulated activity such as audit work.
When a person leaves a professional body then that professional body no longer has the power to discipline the former member.
wind up
I think this post is a wind up.
Look at OP's name
No qualifications
Just join http://www.icpa.org.uk/
It will appear to your clients you have all the qualifications. You can even put their designatory letters after your name on a business card to give that air of respectability.
ICPA give you permission to call yourself Independent Certified Practising Accountant (really good of them).
This what I would have done, if I had known many years ago.
I agree, Andy
So many accountants on here compare themselves to Doctors, surgeons and the like.
it is a silly comparison to accountancy. I think the work done by the average motor mechanic is far more important to health & safety, and more likely to result in potential death if they do the job wrong.
Many motor mechanics are not qualified, but they don't do work on Rolls Royce jet engines, just the same as unqualified accountants won't do the tax/accounts for big players, or major companies, but are competent at what they do.
Still, I suppose a really large tax bill might cause a coronary or two. ;)