The landscape of tax advisory professions is very broad and diverse in Europe, according to a survey published on Wednesday 15 March by the German Federal Chamber of Tax Advisers (Bundessteuerberaterkammer or BStBK), a member of the European Tax Adviser Federation (ETAF).
This study, conducted on the regulation of the tax advisory professions in Europe, brought together 23 professional organisations from 21 different countries. In many of them, there are more regulatory systems than is often thought. The regulatory approaches studied range from voluntary membership of a professional organisation, which usually requires a certain level of training and compliance with a professional code of conduct. They may also extend to the protection of a title or licence by law and the restriction of tax advisory activities to a certain profession.
As far as sanctions are concerned, they are exercised by the professional organisation in most cases. They start with a reprimand or a fine and can go as far as a temporary suspension and a ban from the profession.
For its part, the European Commission is working on the ‘SAFE’ initiative, which addresses the role of intermediaries in enabling tax evasion and aggressive taxation. It will be presented on Wednesday 7 June (see EUROPE 13043/33).
To read the study: https://aeur.eu/f/5u5 (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)