Working with tax agents - HMRC webcast

At the ICAEW Tax Faculty AGM yesterday Dave Hartnett explained that he and Simon Norris would be hosting a live webchat tomorrow. Dave is Permanent Secretary for Tax, and Simon Norris is Head of the Review of HMRC Powers.

The webchat has been promoted quite widely already and follows on from the recent consultation document 'Working with Tax Agents'.

What is a 'webchat' and what do we already know about this one?

Firstly let me stress that different people use terms such as 'webchat' and 'webinar' to mean different things. There is not, in my experience, one standard universally accepted format tied to any of these words.

The HMRC webchat is being hosted on webchats.tv so it's fair to assume that it will be in a similar format to the others on the site. So we can expect:

• to watch a live tv interview with Dave and Simon if you visit the webchat page during the show
• to contribute questions online before and during the show - and some of these may be read out and answered during the show;
• to be able to watch a recording of the show by visiting the webchat page at any time in the future;
• to be able to read a transcript of the show after the event - also on the webchat page. And of course you can cut and paste statements made by Dave and Simon after the event.

NB: Contributions and questions have been encouraged beforehand and Dave mentioned yesterday that they have had hundreds already. He said they ranged from the truly abusive to the profound: "If there is a tax on apples and I only eat oranges, am I a tax avoider" - Dave said he's looking forward to answering that one.

To take part or to submit a question in advance, follow this link to the 'Working with Tax Agents' webchat.