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Making Tax Digital (MTD) is one of the most transformative – and contentious – changes to hit the accounting and bookkeeping profession in decades. But is it a step forward in digital efficiency, or a compliance burden disguised as progress?

Join Rebecca Benneyworth and Carl Bayley as they go head-to-head in a no-holds-barred debate and open discussion, bringing their decades of industry insight, experience with clients, and strong opinions to the virtual stage. Whether you're still figuring out your MTD strategy or you're knee-deep in implementation, this is the session you don’t want to miss.

Meet the Speakers

Rebecca Benneyworth

Rebecca is an ICAEW Chartered Accountant. She is a lecturer, writer and consultant on a variety of taxes, lecturing extensively throughout the UK, to accountants, business people and also to HMRC and the Treasury.

She has her own accountancy practice based in Gloucestershire, with a variety of small business and personal tax clients. During the last two years this has become a 100% digital practice.

She is Chair of the HMRC Digital Advisory Group, providing help and support to HMRC in understanding the challenges that Making Tax Digital presents to small businesses and their advisers.

She is also a member of the Admin Burdens Advisory Board, an independent advisory group to HMRC monitoring the burdens the tax system impose on businesses.

Rebecca is a past Chair of the Tax Faculty of the ICAEW, and serves on the Tax Faculty Board. She is ICAEW council member for the West of England and was awarded an MBE for services to the tax profession in 2012.                

Rebecca’s Perspective:
“MTD is a necessary evolution. It’s about future-proofing the tax system – we just need to support practices through the change.”

Carl Bayley

Carl Bayley is the author of a series of ‘Plain English’ tax guides designed specifically for the layperson and the non-specialist (available from www.taxcafe.co.uk). His particular speciality is his ability to take the weird, complex world of taxation and set it out in the kind of clear, straightforward language taxpayers themselves can understand. Carl takes the same approach when speaking on taxation, a role he frequently undertakes with great enthusiasm, including his highly acclaimed annual ‘Budget Breakfast’. He has spoken on taxation on radio and television, including the BBC’s ‘It’s Your Money’ programme and BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Show.

Carl is a past chairman of the Tax Faculty of the ICAEW and former member of the institute’s governing Council and Board. Aside from his tax books, Carl is an avid creative writer and is looking forward to the publication of his first novel, Trinity of Souls, in January 2024. When he isn’t working, he takes on the equally taxing challenges of hill walking and horse riding: his Munro tally is now 106 and, while he remains a novice rider, his progress is cantering along nicely.

Carl lives in the Scottish Borders, where he enjoys spending time with his partner Linda. He has three children and his first grandchild arrived in April 2021.

Carl’s Perspective:

” There is nothing wrong with digital record-keeping and dealing with your tax affairs digitally - I'm all in favour of it. But MTD is a gigantic government white elephant - the way it has been designed places unnecessary burdens on small businesses and landlords, with no benefit to them or the exchequer.”

Webinar Agenda

• Real-world impact of MTD on accountants in practice.
• What HMRC got right (and wrong) in the MTD rollout.
• Benefits vs. burdens: Is MTD living up to its promise?
• Audience questions addressed by both speakers.

Course level: Need to know