CA Magazine
Every article from your latest print edition of CA Magazine
March 2009
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Bank heads face grilling
As well as satisfying to some extent the public’s desire to see the country’s bank bosses humiliated for their role in the financial crisis, last month’s Treasury select committee hearing with the heads of HBOS and RBS brought the dismissal of Paul Moore, HBOS’s head of regulatory risk, to wider attention
SNP drops local income tax plan ‘until after election'
The Scottish Government has dropped proposals to replace the council tax with a 3p local income tax (LIT). The plan – one of the SNP’s highest profile policies – had failed to win enough support in parliament
Insolvencies rise 69% in a year in Scotland
The number of Scottish businesses becoming insolvent has risen by 69 per cent in a year. A total of 347 firms went into insolvency in October, November and December of last year, compared with 206 in the same quarter of 2007, according to analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers
Budget delayed until 22 April
Chancellor Alistair Darling is to deliver his Budget on 22 April – one of the latest dates for it in recent times
2009 job prospects 'alarming'
UK companies are shedding jobs at an ever-accelerating rate, according to a quarterly survey by KPMG and the Chartered Institute of Personnel (CIPD).
Corporates tighten their belt
Nearly 40 per cent of 350 global companies surveyed by Ernst & Young feel there has been a significant deterioration in the business environment in their sectors, with over a third noting competitors withdrawing and a rise in bankruptcies
Arthur Andersen faces last fine
In what could be the last word on former global audit firm Arthur Andersen, the Accountants’ Joint Disciplinary Scheme has fined it £75,000 and ordered it to pay £100,000 in costs for its work on the audit of Durex condom maker SSL
AIM 'facing year of consolidation'
Baker Tilly predicts 2009 will be a year of further consolidation and mergers for companies in the AIM market
Complexity debate call
The need for a debate on making ?nancial reports less complex and speeding the move towards principles-based ?nancial reporting standards is the key conclusion of the ?rst major research project undertaken by the Global Accounting Alliance (GAA), a group of the world’s leading professional accountancy bodies, including ICAS
Fraud nears record levels in 2008
More than £1 billion worth of fraud cases were heard at UK courts last year, the highest level since 1995 and the second highest in the 21-year history of KPMG’s Forensic Fraud Barometer
KPMG staff to sign up to flexible work
More than two-thirds of KPMG staff have signed up to groundbreaking flexible working proposals
Road plan 'black hole' fears
There is not enough financial information in the public domain to show whether the use of private finance for public projects represents value for money, according to a report by academics from Manchester Business School
Exchange rates a bit of a burger
If you’re looking for answers about where volatile exchange rates are likely to turn, maybe the humble hamburger really can provide the answers