Who knows what the Emergency Budget will bring – there is no shortage of speculation – and I will be watching with interest to see if the chancellor has taken heed of IFA concerns that changes to Capital Gains Tax could act as significant disincentive to entrepreneurs, at a time when the country most needs them to create jobs and wealth.
 
Just 48-hours after George Osborne’s very big day, the IFA will be having a very big day of its own, when it announces the results of its annual Business Barometer Survey. Members have their own views on the steps that the government should take to support the small and medium enterprises that are the engine room of the UK economy, and you will be able to learn more about them from Friday 25 June, by visiting here and in the next issue of Financial Accountant.

Earlier in the month, the IFA also had a big day in Russia, when it co-organised an international conference on Financial Management Trends and Practice in Small and Medium-Sized Businesses, along with the Russian Collegiums of Auditors. Speakers included myself, the IFA president Professor David Hunt, James Kong the head of the IFA in Hong Kong, along with representatives of the ICAEW, and Zenit Bank.

The international profile of the IFA is being raised by events such as this, and the institute’s associate membership of the International Federation of Accountants, which has requested input from IFA members for its global survey to assess the need to align risk management and internal control guidelines (being run by IFAC’s Professional Accountants in Business Committee), and you can take part here.

Last, but not least, for all those members who have been waiting with baited breath for its arrival, I am pleased to announce the availability of the new IFA Members’ Handbook. It will tell you all you ever wanted to know, and perhaps a bit more, about your membership, and you can find it here, in the Members Only section of the IFA website – but don’t forget that this section requires a members’ login