Its already in my Amazon basket waiting for a version to be sold off cheaply by someone.
I cannot comment on the book that you mention but I do have Revenue Law: Principles and Practice (13th ed) by the same author from the same series. They are large, very grown up CTA level texts similar in many ways to the style of Tolleys tax manuals or the annual PWC manual of accounting.
I would highly recomend the series BUT don't expect something at Melville type level. As an acid test. If you are happy reading legislation and accounting standards in original rather than abreviated form then these books will work well for you.
These books are much more detailed than the advanced level texts for professional level accountancy qualifications. They are very much aimed at FCA's and CTA's.
HTH,
Shaun.
p.s. I've also got the HMRC investigations handbook in my basket from the same author / series. If the one that I have had not impressed me I would not be looking to buy the others.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
Yes that certainly does give a useful insight into the book, together with the series in general.
With books like Melvilles taxation, I think we will both agree, together with the majority of people who have read the book, that it is extremely good.
However -
The book will leave you still wondering about other situations -
That it a pretty obvious, schoolboy statement from myself considering the book is circa 600 pages, made up with various questions for the reader to answer.
Now, going up against over 17000 pages of tax legislation I can see why!! It's like trying to find a tear drop in the sea.
Again F6, Closely matches Melville level, in my opinion -
P6 also is another great book - again this doesn't answer all questions.
Which would leave ATT - Now I'm unsure if ATT is more F6, P6 - Or Higher, as I've never read a ATT book. I would assume that the ATT would be more advanced, due to the need to have tolleys yellow and orange books - Of course I could be reading too much into that.
As you say, the book I mentioned is a part of a series written by CIOT members - I would hope, or assume that it is a natural progression from the style of P6. I do strangely find an interest in reading the legislation, admittedly, some of it is harder to read than other parts!!!
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Johnny - Owner of an overly-active keyboard.
A man who can read, yet doesn't, is in no way wiser than a man who can't.
a man after my own heart on the reading standards in original form.
I would say that ATT is really just different to ACCA.
With ACCA you have to learn all aspects of tax where with ATT it is modulerised so you know going into an exam you are not going to get questions on (say) inheritance tax embedded in a group tax planning scenario. However, the lesser individual paper scope comes at a cost of needing to have increased depth of knowledge.
Swings and roundabout. I certianly think that ATT would compliment ACCA nicely.
I'm too busy at the mo but my intention is to take ACCA paper P6 as I didn't take that one amongst my options when I was doing the qualification (you can do papers you missed after qualifying as CPD). I might also do F6 again at some stage as that one's more about nuts and bolts where P6 is about tax planning.
The one warning about those bloomsbury books is that they will cosume a lot of your time and you come away from them realising how little we really know.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
I see the logic behind your response, from where I questioned the comparison of ACCA tax and ATT tax.
ACCA does mix up different taxes in their exams, (from reading the textbooks / past exam papers) as an oppose to the ATTs format of individual tax units - personal - business - corporate etc.
Have you not considered the direct route to the CIOT? Would you not be eligible with being a member of ACCA?
As you know from my other thread - CIMA vs ACCA - My interest is being chartered, one route is possible, the other highly unlikely.
Now having looked at CIMA, I think it is fair to say the tax aspect within, is not even close to ACCA F6/P6.
Which leaves an option of 'trying' to complete ATT at the same time as CIMA - not sure that is humanly possible --
You see, It may sound strange but I don't wish to know more about tax than accounting, or vice versa at the same point in time - I also don't want to forget the basics of bookkeeping either lol!!!
Then having said all that, I'm hardly doing the books for Tesco, the tax return for Google, or looking after the largest Debtors list in the UK - HMRC.
Knowledge is power as they say, together with - forewarned is forearmed!
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Johnny - Owner of an overly-active keyboard.
A man who can read, yet doesn't, is in no way wiser than a man who can't.
Now having looked at CIMA, I think it is fair to say the tax aspect within, is not even close to ACCA F6/P6.
Hi Johnny,
nor is their financial reporting... But... CIMA's approach to management reporting seems to give greater exposure to skills needed for businesses analysis and project management. For example, with ACCA one has to know about things such as six sigma and Prince2 but with CIMA the use of the methods seem to be better tested rather than merely identifying the right tools for a given situation.
The emphasis on different areas of accountancy is I feel quite reflective of Cima being aimed predominantly at industry where ACCA assumes mid level and up management roles in industry or work in practice so there is less practical application of project development methodologies.
Many people start out with AAT and move on to CIMA so very much have the full spectrum of skills from two qualifications. As you have already done AAT I do not see going the CIMA route will cause you issue although I will say that if you want to work for others in practice the expectation seems to be that at that level you will be ACA or ACCA.
You already have AAT, ATT would be a natural progression and you could link that with the purchase of the kaplan or BPP revision texts (the ones that just bring old exam questions up to date) for an alternating cycle of ACCA papers F3 and F7 every year as the F (skills) level papers are very much aimed at the skill set that one needs for SME businesses where for the most part the P level papers are aimed towards the knowledge required for servicing larger enterprises.
Once you have ATT under your belt you could add alternating F6 in with that list.
Of course, that doesn't get you chartered status which is what you are looking for but looking at the two options you have ACCA which will restrict what you can do on a self employed basis or Cima where you may get frustrated that so much of what you are studying is not applicable to where you intend to be (and of course ACA is unobtainable without a training contract).
That does however leave one other option in that you could go CIOT once you have achieved ATT. Its chartered and its a title as sought after as ACA... But it would mean specialising in tax and as I know that you've peeked inside the Tolleys tomes you know how much there is to taking that path.
It does seem that there is an issue with every route which really seems to be placed there by the professonal bodies to try and force everyone into suitable training contracts pre self employment... Unfortunately, if one is not straight out of school or uni employers don't want to know which really restricts one's options to get into this field.
on the CIOT question. Yes, I could go for it but I simply don't have the time that would require of me. I am happy with the letters that I have. Couple more years I should be in practice and a year after that I get to FCCA... And that will be me happy with where I am. Maybe if I were 15 years younger I would consider adding CTA but for me, an FCCA with a practice certificate is my goal.
And then once I've achieved that its on to a career as a Lion tamer...
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
I definitely see the quality ACCAs F papers offer.
As mentioned previous to now, I'd have loved at least F4/5/6/7 - Being self employed - ACCA is a no, less I fancy expulsion from a professional body!!
CIOT would be a hell of a certificate to hang up - combined with buying ACCA F paper texts to use as further reading - without becoming a student.
I think ATT will be the path - then aim for CIOT -
Trouble is, I don't know anybody who has attempted CIOT exams so it's hard to gauge what it takes.
I'm assuming it's along the lines of becoming a barrister in regards to the depth of the subject studied.
I want to increase my knowledge as best as I can. I made an initial mistake at the beginning of this career path - as seen in another thread lol - I wish to make no more errors.
Even if one is to fail CIOT after ATT, I'm sure there is a mass of knowledge to be gained from attempting such exams.
There is too much choice!!!! Easier to be a lion tamer!!
I think you read too much to not start on CIOT!!!
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Johnny - Owner of an overly-active keyboard.
A man who can read, yet doesn't, is in no way wiser than a man who can't.
