The Tax Professionals Podcast

TTPP126: Nov 2025 Budget Rant (Tax): Stop Tinkering and Tackle the Charlatons (with MTD Therapy)

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1007764/open_sms] In this episode of The Tax Professionals Podcast, host Jack Bonehill joined MTD Therapy [https://mtdtherapy.co.uk/], a community for accountants and tax advisors, for an unfiltered discussion — sometimes full-on ranting — about the latest UK Budget. Around the ranting, you’ll hear clear explanations of the key Budget announcements and expert insights into them. Episode show notes [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/ttpp126/] The Tax Lab [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/thetaxlab/]: free webinars to improve your tax skills. Real scenarios, tackled live.   MTD Therapy [https://mtdtherapy.co.uk/] Timings * [00:01:49] First rant * [00:08:07] Start of technical discussions on the announcements * [00:14:22] Pension Salary Sacrifice Changes * [00:20:17] Electric cars * [00:25:56] Writing Down Allowances (WDAs) * [00:29:25] Employee benefits/expenses tax changes * [00:36:45] Working from home expenses * [00:39:21] Tax industry - positive or negative direction? * [00:41:27] Regular payments throughout the year for self assessment * [00:45:18] MTD Guests * Robyn Milstead [https://www.linkedin.com/in/robyn-milstead-cta-89b84427/?originalSubdomain=uk], Director of Tax at LKA Chartered Accountants & Director of Accountants Therapy * Tom Bickle [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-bickle-4b15601a7/], Director of JP Blackmoor & Director of Accountants Therapy * Emma Rawson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-rawson-1610955a/], Director of Public Policy, Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT)

TTPP125: How to Turn Tax Jargon into Plain English Advice that Clients Love

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1007764/open_sms] Your advice is probably full of unnecessary tax jargon without you even realising it. However, you can use simpler language without losing meaning — and your advice will be much better for it. In this episode, host Jack Bonehill identifies the overly complex wording in a real piece of tax advice and shows how the same points can be written in plain English that clients actually understand and will love you for. Episode show notes [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/ttpp125/] The Tax Lab [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/thetaxlab/]: free webinars to improve your tax skills. Real scenarios, tackled live.   The Tax Advice Masterclass [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/tam/]: teaching you a repeatable method to write high-quality tax advice with confidence and less self-doubt. Timings  00:14 – Intro: turning complex tax language into plain English that clients love.  01:11 – Client scenario: husband-and-wife partnership selling business units.  03:15 – Simplifying “income tax implications.”  06:13 – Simplifying “capital disposal” and removing jargon.  10:18 – Explaining rollover relief in plain English.  13:17 – Breaking down business asset disposal relief (BADR) simply.  15:45 – Using examples and numbers to make advice tangible.   Similar episodes: TTPP124: Two Questions That Make Your Tax Advice Instantly Better in Your Clients’ Eyes [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/ttpp124/] TTPP83: Improve Your Tax Advice Skills – Stories and Tips of 2 Tax Professionals [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/ttpp83/]

TTPP124: Two Questions That Make Your Tax Advice Instantly Better in Your Clients' Eyes

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1007764/open_sms] You might be giving technically perfect tax advice — but if it’s too long or too complicated, it won’t land well with clients. In this episode, Jack Bonehill shares a real story where two simple questions helped turn a colleague’s advice from technical to client-friendly. You can use these questions to instantly make your advice clearer, shorter, and more valuable from a client’s perspective. If you want to deliver better advice that clients truly value — this episode is for you. Show notes: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/TTPP124 [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/ttpp124/] The Tax Lab (real scenarios, tackled live:  https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/thetaxlab/ [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/thetaxlab/] Masterclasses for tax professionals: https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/masterclasses/ [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/masterclasses/] Timings * [00:00:25] Story: reviewing a colleague’s draft of tax advice and simplifying it with two simple questions * [00:02:13] Example: how we tend to overcomplicate advice with unnecessary detail * [00:03:34] Why cutting complexity throughout a report makes advice stronger overall * [00:04:38] How to make your advice more client-friendly * [00:06:22] A two-step method — draft first, refine later using the two key questions * [00:07:41] Exercise: how to apply the two questions in your next piece of advice * [00:09:29] Upcoming sessions and future topics in The Tax Lab The Tax Lab Sharpen your skills as a tax advisor by seeing exactly how I think and approach real scenarios that we encounter as tax professionals, with The Tax Lab. The Tax Lab gives you a glimpse inside my mind — my thoughts and my approach — as I tackle real scenarios live, so you can refine your own way of working. Sessions of The Tax Lab are free to attend. Sign up so I can invite you to all future sessions. Sign up here [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/thetaxlab/]

TTPP123: Scaling Claritas Tax From 0 to 100 People: The Story by Founder Iain Wright

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1007764/open_sms] Claritas Tax started in 2012 as a one-person venture. Today, it’s a 100-strong firm with eight offices across the UK. In this episode, Iain Wright, founder of Claritas, shares the journey from leaving a safe career path to building arguably the UK’s fastest-growing specialist tax firm. We talk about the first business plan, the earliest hires, how Claritas scaled, the challenges of competing without a big brand, and the trust it takes to let go of work in order to grow.  Show notes: thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/TTPP123 [thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/ttpp123] The Tax Lab (real scenarios, tackled live:  https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/thetaxlab/ [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/thetaxlab/] Timings * (1:00) Intro to Iain, Claritas Tax, and time-based billing story * (8:00) Iain's options immediately before starting Claritas Tax, back in 2012, and his thought process * (11:00) The business plan Iain drew up prior to starting Claritas - the plan and vision * (13:40) The first hire - was it senior or junior? * (18:02) How did Iain scale the business to 100 employees? * (22:52) What challenges did the business run into as it started to get bigger (past 11 or so staff) * (26:29) How Claritas solved the "lack of brand" awareness problem/challenge * (29:24) The differences between running a small firm and a larger one * (32:33) What's Iain's role like now? * (36:03) The importance of trust * (38:57) Stand out lessons to Iain from his journey - what he wished he knew when he started * (41:01) What's been the hardest part of the journey for Iain? The Tax Lab Sharpen your skills as a tax advisor by seeing exactly how I think and approach real scenarios that we encounter as tax professionals, with The Tax Lab. The Tax Lab gives you a glimpse inside my mind — my thoughts and my approach — as I tackle real scenarios live, so you can refine your own way of working. Sessions of The Tax Lab are free to attend. Sign up so I can invite you to all future sessions. Sign up here [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/thetaxlab/]

TTPP122: My 5 Step Process for Tax Research That I Use Every Time

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1007764/open_sms] Want to get better at tax research? In this episode, I share my five-step process to always get to the answer — and show you how it worked in a tricky but real client case so you can start using it yourself.   Tax Research Masterclass: Go to thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/trm for details and to enrol. Show notes: https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/ttpp122/ [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/ttpp122/] Timings [00:00] Introduction — why tax research feels overwhelming [00:00:22] My 5-step process in action: real-life client story [00:07:34] My 5-step tax research process explained [00:08:31] Deep dive into each of the five steps [00:10:47] Typical challenges tax professionals face during tax research [00:13:30] Exercise: try the 5-step process yourself [00:13:59] How the Tax Research Masterclass would help you Resources TTPP60: Improving Your Tax Research Skills - Stories and Tips of 3 Tax Professionals [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/ttpp60/] Croner-I's Online Tax Research Platform: Free Trial [https://thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/croner] Subscribe https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/subscribe/ [https://www.thetaxprofessionalspodcast.com/subscribe/]