Why are you googling when you have a dedicated accountant on tap? Someone who can give you good quality personalised advice.
Whether it’s ‘my mate at the pub’ or ‘my colleague on the golf course’ there’s nothing more annoying to accountants than their clients taking tax ‘advice’ from unregulated sources.
As a qualified accountant I have to stay up to date with the latest legislation every year, to spend time understanding my client’s circumstances, and to refuse or refer work that I’m not personally qualified and experienced to carry out. But that doesn’t stop ‘Dave at the pub’ from offering his personal insights.
Depending on the advice my usual response is that it’s not applicable to my client’s particular circumstances, not viable, or it may even be illegal. It may even refer to US tax legislation rather than UK! Even HMRC’s own website is so heavily dumbed down to be accessible to lay people that it can not always be relied upon. And it certainly isn’t personalised.
I’m often asked to do live budget commentaries but I always refuse these as I prefer to listen, make notes about the clients each aspect will affect, and then read the full supporting documentation. Only then will I start to offer advice.
I’m very much in favour of HMRC clamping down on unregulated tax advisers. Let’s make sure that accountants offer the best service possible by staying technically up to date and taking time to understand our clients and their financial circumstances.