Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Colin Collins on Facebook


The popular cartoon character from the back cover of Accountancy Age has his own profile page on Facebook*. Full marks to whoever conceived his work description:

Accounting isn't the dull, boring job it's cracked up to be, ooooooh no... we have computers and calculators and pda's and blackberries and everything. Sometimes I pretend I'm batman and put it all on my belt... not the computer though, that would look silly.

*If readers are interested I have established a group for Ambitious Professionals on Facebook. Please join me there.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Newton's Laws of Accounting

1. For every accountant, there is equal and opposite accountant.
2. Both of them are wrong.

Friday, July 20, 2007

The oldest accountancy joke?

Recently, in an archeological excavation in the middle east, a large stone tablet was unearthed. Scholars determined that it was an ancient audit report, complaining about the use of papyrus scrolls by the scribes. It was clear that such scrolls lacked the evidential integrity of stone and clay tablets.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Accountancy quotes

Accounting: A bunch of numbers running around looking for an argument.

If you need accounting to prove it, it was probably not true in the first place.

Obviously accounting pays, otherwise there would be no accountants.

There is nothing more permanent than temporary account.

Accounting will prove anything, even the truth.

Accounting is economics without assumptions.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Laws of accountancy

1. Trial balances don’t
2. Working Capital does not
3. Liquidity tends to run out
4. Return on investments never will
5. Bottom line is only the tip of the iceberg.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Darling

Another story courtesy of Paul Aplin, Chairman of the ICAEW Tax Faculty at the start of the Wyman Symposium last week:

He had been explaining that the relationship between HMRC and the professional bodies was something like that of a marriage and that perhaps what was required was some relationship counselling. In this context he recalled being advised that this often involves both parties being told that they must 'listen' as well as 'talk'.

Paul was at pains to point out that despite being married for many years he had no first hand knowledge of relationship counselling. Apparently this nearly changed recently when his wife noticed a new folder on his computer. She hadn't seen it before and thus doubted it had anything to do with her. And yet it was called 'Darling'.

Paul's wife only calmed down when the contents of the folder were revealed to be letters to our new Chancellor!

Friday, July 13, 2007

Yellow pages

At the start of the Wyman Symposium last night, Paul Aplin, Chairman of the ICAEW Tax Faculty explained that he had initially baulked at the idea of being an 'Intermediary' which is HMRCs preferred word to describe accountants and tax agents.

He changed his mind after looking up Tax Adviser in the Yellow Pages and finding it wedged between Tatooists and Taxidermists!

HOW strong is HMRC's case?

Years ago a senior official was talking about HMRC prosecution policy. He mentioned an occasion when he had lost a case and went back to his...