UK Opinion Supports The Need For Professionally Qualified Accountants

by Amanda Banks, for LawAndTax-News.com, London

17 July 2008

A recent petition posted on the Government’s Number 10 website by a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) - Alan Shooter - has resulted in over 4,000 signatures.

Alan Shooter FCCA FCA, who practices in London, submitted the petition to the Number 10 website because he feels strongly about unqualified accountants, tax and financial advisers providing services to the public and to businesses.

Mr Shooter commented:

“Lawyers must have professional qualifications, but anyone can currently provide services calling themselves accountants or consultants without qualifications. These people need to be regulated.”

Mr Shooter was impressed with the number of signatures the petition picked up, suggesting that:

“There is a real groundswell of opinion about this issue and I am very pleased with how this petition has developed. Judging from the numbers of ACCAs and FCCAs who have signed up, this is a subject that matters to those of us who take our training and professionalism seriously. 4,134 signatures is a very respectable number of signatories, proving there is a momentum for change to happen.”

Andrew Harding, managing director of finance and operations, ACCA added:

“ACCA has watched Alan Shooter’s petition with interest. We are pleased to see it has done so well. We recently encouraged Vince Cable, Liberal Democrat’s Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor to table an Early Day Motion (EDM) in the House of Commons to call for the term accountant to be legally recognised. They say this is necessary in order to protect customers from unqualified and incompetent financial advisers, very much echoing Alan Shooter’s petition."

“Working with the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB), ACCA is keen to protect the term accountant. This is a very important issue for ACCA members and students alike.”

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