Paul Boyle
Blow to CCAB registration plan
13 Mar 2008, Penny Sukhraj, AccountancyAge
http://www.accountancyage.com/aa/news/1758535/blow-ccab-registration-plan
Plans to protect the term ‘accountant’ would increase red tape and may not be cost-effective, Financial Reporting Council chief Paul Boyle has warned.
Registering the term ‘accountant’ with the Privy Council has become increasingly important for the institutes within the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies as they attempt to prevent people who are not sufficiently qualified from using the term.
The ICAEW has even gone so far as suggesting that the profession be stratified in order to convince the Privy Council to protect the term.
Boyle said he had ‘sympathy’ with the work the profession was doing to register the term. ‘It would be very interesting to see what cost benefit analysis the institutes could produce on this proposal. By definition they can’t have power over non-members, so who is going to do this, and who is going to pay for it?’ he said.
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Visitor comments
Protecting the term accountant
Whilst most 'qualifieds' would applaud the CCAB for raising this issue again, I do think that they are going the wrong way about it. Even if they succeed in protecting the term 'accountant' the unqualifieds/struckoffs will simply rebadge as 'tax consultants', 'business advisers' etc and carry on as before. The place to start on this issue is for a very small piece of legislation to require that anybody who offers accountancy/tax services to the public (we already have this defined in money laundering law and require everybody to be registered) shall be required to be a member of a prescribed institute. We can then grandfather in the existing unqualifieds and start weeding out the bad apples. This seems a very agreeable and easy way to resolve the issue with minimal red tape.
Posted by: Jon Griffey , 13 Mar 2008 | 00:00
Ditch 'accountant'
There are too many people calling themselves 'accountants' to expect them to change. Why not come up with a new term, just for CCAB members, and promote that heavily to the public as the new 'gold-standard'?
Posted by: S Lawes , 13 Mar 2008 | 00:00
Only worth protecting the WORTHY ACCOUNTANTS
I only support the protecting of WORTHY ACCOUNTANTS, ie ONLY and ONLY those who pass competent exams equivalent to CCABs.
Any associations, be it "international or universal accountants" they prefer to call themselves should REMOVE unqualified accountants from the WORTHY ACCOUNTANTS lists.
Eg are those who are admitted by experience, those qualified by exams of lower-grade as perceived by many, those holding qualifications lower than CCAB standards and admitted into memberships.
The properly qualified ones, ie by exams equivalent to degree or CCAB should rightfully belong to the 1st tier WORTHY ACCOUNTANTS qualified by examinations.
CPA Member
Posted by: CPA Member , 22 Apr 2008 | 00:00
A simple solution
Instead of trying to get too complicated, why not approach the problem from the other end and let anyone who does not have a formal accountancy qualification trade as "unqualified accountant". It would be a criminal offence not to use this designation if unqualified.
Posted by: Jon Ransom , 13 Mar 2008 | 00:00
Accountant Name
I think its the public which are being short changed by non qualified accountants. The public, by and large, can not distinguish between qualified and non qualified accountants. To ensure that the public is protected from non registered accountant, it is the governement's duty to ensure the name 'accountant' is protected.
Posted by: M S , 18 Mar 2008 | 00:00
Protect the term accountant
I have never understood why our profession has not protected the use of the word accountant. Solicitors, doctors and even chiropractors have this protection from unqualifieds.
Its about time for a change
Posted by: Sarah Fletcher , 13 Mar 2008 | 00:00
What's wrong with the current system?
At the moment, the CCAB & co qualifieds are allowed to call themselves 'Chartered Accountants', which clearly distinguishes themselves from the rest. What's the problem with leaving it as it is (other than the bullying attitude and control freak tendencies of some the CCAB orgs?)
Posted by: jonW , 04 Apr 2008 | 00:00
Membership cards
The professions, ACCA, ICEW, CIMA and the rest others should be issuing membership cards to all qualified members. These bodies only issue registration cards once you register with them which doesn't distinguish between qualified and non qualified. Other than the certificates and the awards to the qualified there is nothing to show like a photo ID of being qaulified.
Posted by: Landing Koli , 10 Jul 2008 | 00:00
A joke!
CCAB is simply trying to protect the interests of it's members to the exclusion of all others. 'Accounting' is a very wide spread term and covers a vast range of professional skills and competencies. Many people practice what could be considered 'accounting' and they are very competent at it.
Accounting activities are already heavily regulated since the introduction of the Money Laundering Regulations and anyone practising accounting related activities needs to be registered and regulated. Protecting the title 'accountant' (which it is obvious will be CCAB member's only!) will only further hamper the little man who wants to practise his profession.
Posted by: Kevin Fisher , 19 Jul 2008 | 00:00