cta prospectus 2012

7/30/2019 CTA Prospectus 2012

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Prospectus 2012

The professional body for Chartered Tax Advisers

AdvisoryAwarenessApplication


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Contents

2

Introduction and Benefits of Membership 1

Key information 2Registration, Confirmation of Eligibility and Credits 3

Qualifications which entitle you to Confirmation of Eligibility 4

Credits 6

Examination centres and other information 8

Dates, Fees and Examination Withdrawal Policy 9

The CTA Examination 10

The Examination Structure 11

Advisory 12Awareness 13

Application and Interaction 13

E-Assessments in Professional Responsibilities & Ethics and Law 14

Notes 15

Syllabus notes 16

Medals and Prizes 17

Membership 18

Branches Network and Fellowship 19

Frequently Asked Questions 20-22


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1

Introduction

The Chartered Institute of Taxation is the leading

professional body in the United Kingdom concerned solelywith taxation.

The Institutes primary purpose is to promote education

in and the study of the administration and practice of

taxation. Members of the Institute have the practising title

of Chartered Tax Adviser. Membership of the Institute is

open to individuals from all disciplines who are competent

and qualified to advise on taxation matters. The Institute

deals with all aspects of direct and indirect taxation and is

a member of the Confdration Fiscale Europenne, the

umbrella body for taxation advisers in Europe.

Benefits of Membership

the right to describe yourself as a Chartered Tax

Adviser

the status attaching to membership of a professional

body dealing solely with the subject of taxation

use of the descriptive letters CTA for Members or CTA

(Fellow) for Fellows

use of the Institutes badge

the monthly journal Tax Adviser which includes

articles, current tax notes, digests of tax cases and

news from the Institute

an annotated copy of the annual Finance Act

an annotated copy of other tax Acts as Council maydecide appropriate

CCH news service for CTA members (weekly e-mail

update)

opportunity for attendance at the Institutes Residential

and one-day conferences

opportunity for participation in technical and social

activities organised by the branches

use of the Institutes library and research including

access to the theses, dissertations and bodies of work

as written by successful candidates for Fellowship and

to a number of on-line information databases

discounts on a range of publications and courses

a counselling service to assist members experiencing

difficulties (not a technical helpline)

opportunity to participate in the corporate display

advertisements in all Yellow Pages directories at a

special rate

opportunity to gain direct access to tax counsel

an entry in the on-line Directory of Chartered Tax

Advisers


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2

Key information

Admission to membership of the Chartered Institute of

Taxation (in this document the Institute or CIOT) requiressuccess in the Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) examination

held every May and November, together with the ability

to demonstrate three years relevant recent professional

experience.

You must be registered with the Institute for six months

prior to sitting your first written examination. You must

register as a student via the CIOT website.

You will be eligible to sit the two E-Assessments following

acceptance of your registration as a CIOT student and

subject to a 21 day period for your profile to be created in

the E-Assessment system.

For the May examinationsitting

For the November examinationsitting

End of October: The latest date to register online as a

student if you wish to enter for the May examination

End of April: The latest date to register online as

a student if you wish to enter for the November

examination

End of February: The closing date for examination

entry and student online re-registration (if registration

has lapsed) for the May examination

Examination candidates must hold a valid Confirmation

of Eligibility

End of August: The closing date for examination entry

and student online re-registration (if registration has

lapsed) for the November examination

Examination candidates must hold a valid Confirmation

of Eligibility

March/April: One day Student Training Conferences September: One day Student Training Conferences

May: Examinations are held at centres around the

country

November: Examinations are held at centres around

the country

July: Students are notified of May examination results January: Students are notified of Novemberexamination results

Law manual

Students will need to purchase the Essential Law for the

Chartered Tax Adviser manual, seventh edition, which is

available to purchase from the Institute at a cost of 40.

An order form is available from the Institutes website

(www.tax.org.uk).

The seventh edition is examinable until 29 February

2012.

A new manual, jointly badged with the Association

of Taxation Technicians (in this document the ATT) is

available for purchase at a cost of 45. This 1st edition

is examinable from 1 March 2012.

Registration fees

Registration fee is 200 (150 for registration; 50 for Confirmation of Eligibility). ATT students/members who have passed the

required ATT Certificate papers (and E-Assessments from 1 March 2012) will automatically be issued with Confirmation of Eligibility.

2012 Exam fees 2012 Credit fees

Tax papers 120 each 120 per credit

E-Assessments 65 per test 30 for ATT students/members who have passed Paper

7 for the credit on the E-Assessment in Professional

Responsibilities & Ethics


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3

Registration, Confirmation

of Eligibility and Credits

Minimum time period of studentregistration

You must be registered for at least six months before you

are allowed to enter for a written examination. You will be

eligible to sit the two E-Assessments following acceptance

of your registration as a CIOT student and subject to

a 21 day period for your profile to be created in the

E-Assessment system.

You are strongly recommended not to sit an examination

unless you have been registered as a student for more than

the minimum six month period. Experience indicates that

12 to 18 months study is often necessary for examination

success.

You should be registered by 31 October for the examination

in the following May and by 30 April for the examination in

November.

Please note that if you pass the ATT Certificate papersto achieve eligibility for the CTA examination, you must

in addition transfer any remaining portion of your ATT

registration to the Institute, re-registering as a student if

necessary, before your examination entry can be accepted.

The transfer of registraton can be done online. No fee is

payable for transfer of registration.

Code of Conduct

You are expected to maintain the same professional

standards and are subject to the same disiplinary

processes as members. You must follow the Institutes

Code of Conduct, which is entitled Professional Rules and

Practice Guidelines. The material can be accessed via this

link http://www.tax.org.uk/Standards/Professional+Rules.

Students should note that the Professional Rules and

Practice Guidelines is updated from time to time.

The version that is examinable is available through

the link http://www.tax.org.uk/students_qualifications/

Currentctastudents/eassessments. Students who breach

the rules and guidelines could face disiplinary action.

Refusal of registration

Council reserves the right to refuse or cancel any

application for registration as a student without assigning

any reason to the refusal or cancellation.

Confirmation of Eligibility and Credits

If you have passed the Institutes former Intermediate

examination you are not required to pay any fee on

applying for Confirmation of Eligibility. Once you have

passed the ATT examination in the required Certificate

papers (and E-Assessments from 1 March 2012) you will

automatically be issued with Confirmation of Eligibility

and are not required to pay this element of the fee.

Qualifications which entitle you to Confirmation of Eligibility

and Credits are shown on pages 4, 5 and 6.

Registration is valid for three years but Confirmation of

Eligibility is valid indefinitely once the initial application and

fee have been received and approved. You can renew yourregistration by making a further application and paying a

further fee. Notification of the granting of Confirmation of

Eligibility will be by letter; no other documentation will be

issued.

Credits can be applied for online. The fees are listed on the

website. See page 5 for full information on Credits.

Council may accept registration as a student in advance

of application for Confirmation of Eligibility in certain

circumstances. Fees are only refundable if the applications

are not accepted.

Tax Adviser the journal of theInstitute

All registered students receive, without charge, the monthly

journal Tax Adviser, which includes articles, current tax

notes, digests of other cases and news from the Institute.


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4

Qualifications which entitle

you to Confirmation of

Eligibility

1. If you have passed the four required ATT Certificate

papers (or from 1 March 2012 three required

Certificate Papers and two E-Assessments) or passed

the ATTs previous examination structure or the former

Intermediate examination of The Institute of Taxation.

If you have registered with the ATT and have

completed the exams and wish to register as students

of the CIOT you may apply to transfer the unexpired

period of your registration to the Institute. The only

requirement is to transfer your registration using

the online facility. No fee is payable for transfer of

registration.

You should be aware that the Institutes registration

period is three years as opposed to the ATTs five year

registration period.

2. If you have completed (by passing the examinations)any of the following qualifications:

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England

and Wales

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland

The Association of Chartered Certified

Accountants

The Association of International Accountants

The Chartered Institute of Management

Accountants

The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and

Administrators

The Association of Corporate Treasurers

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and

Accountancy

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of

Scotland

The Institute of Indirect Taxation

The Irish Taxation Institute

Inland Revenue FT2 or CPT examination, or

successful completion of HM Revenue & CustomsIDP or ITS2

HM Revenue & Customs VAT Legal and Technical

Training examination.

3. If you are a Solicitor or Barrister or Advocate in the UK

or Republic of Ireland.

4. If you have had three years relevant VAT experience in

the employment of HM Revenue & Customs (other VAT

specialist experience may be taken into consideration

at the sole discretion of Council). You should contact

the Education Team to discuss this before applying.

5. If you have completed a BA (Hons) Accounting and

Taxation, LLB (Hons) Business and Revenue Law, LLB

(Hons) Law and Taxation or LLB (Hons) Revenue Law

from Bournemouth University.

6. If you have passed the BCL/MJur from the University of

Oxford having taken two of the following three courses:

1. Dissertation on a tax topic

2. Personal Taxation

3. Corporate and Business Taxation

7. If you have completed the previous Intercollegiate LLM

(Tax) from the University of London or the LLM (Tax)

from Queen Mary or Kings (both University of London).

8. If you have passed the MA in Taxation at the Institute of

Advanced Legal Studies, School of Advanced Studies,

London University.

9. If you have completed the CIOTs Advanced Diploma in

International Taxation (ADIT).

10. If you have completed The Chartered Insurance

Institutes Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning.


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Qualifications which entitle

you to Confirmation of

Eligibility

5

11. If you are engaged under a training contract with an

employer and are following that employers tax training

programme which has been approved for this purpose

by the CIOT. As a minimum this will require preparatory

training and examinations in UK taxation, accounting

and law of a standard at least comparable to the

examinations of the ATT.

12. If you hold a qualification from a body which the

Council of the Institute recognises as being a similar

body (to the CIOT) in the European Community, the

European Economic Area or Switzerland you will be

considered for Confirmation of Eligibility and partial

credit, at Councils discretion. Please contact the

Education Team for a separate application form.

Credits are also available for certain qualifications. Please

see page 7.


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6

Credits

Applying for Credits

Credits from one or more of the papers are available to those

who meet the criteria as set out below. You may apply for a credit

separately. If you fail a paper you cannot retrospectively claim a

credit for that paper.

You must apply for your credits before the closing date for

your final written paper if you are sitting in a modular way or all

papers at one sitting.

If you fail any CTA paper or E-Assessment you are prohibited

from claiming a credit from that paper retrospectively. In addition

if your credits lapse you cannot re-apply for them. Council may,

at its sole discretion, consider an extension to the period of

validity of credits in exceptional circumstances.

The maximum period of validity of a credit will run from the time

outlined in the column opposite.

Fees for Credits

For each written tax paper 120

E-Assessment in ProfessionalResponsibilities & Ethics

(For those who have passed ATT Paper 7)

30

Law 60

Criteria for Credits

a) Awarded to those who holdqualifications from otherprofessional bodies

If you have passed the final examinations of the following bodies

you will be awarded a credit (on application but see note under

Validity on page 15) for the Application and Interaction paper:

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and

Wales

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (must have

passed Northern Ireland Tax Papers)

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

(must have passed UK variant P6 Advanced Taxation)

The credit will be valid for ve sittings following your rst

sitting of a CTA written tax paper.

If you have passed former Paper 7 Practice Administration& Ethics of the ATT you will be awarded a credit (on

application) from the E-Assessment in Professional

Responsibilities & Ethics. The credit will be valid for nine

sittings from the date the paper was passed at the ATT

level unless you are a member of the ATT, in which

case there is no time limit on this credit.

If you have passed the two E-Assessments at ATT level on

Professional Responsibilities & Ethics and Law you will be

awarded a credit (on application) from the E-Assessments

on the same subjects at CTA level. The credits will be

valid for nine sittings from the date the E-Assessments

were passed at the ATT stage. There is no fee for this.

If you have passed the CIOTs Advanced Diploma in

International Taxation examinations you will be awarded a

credit (on application) for the Advanced Corporation Tax

Advisory paper providing the UK Option Paper II was sat.

The credit will be valid for ve sittings following your

rst sitting of a CTA written tax paper.

If you have passed the examination requirements to

become a UK Solicitor or UK Barrister you will be awarded

a credit (on application) from the E-Assessment in Law.

There is no time limit on this credit.

If you have passed HM Revenue & Customs examination

requirements for prospective fully trained inspectors

(FT2/CPT/IDP or ITS2) you will be awarded credits (on

application) for the Advisory papers Taxation of Owner-

Managed Businesses and Advanced Corporation Tax.

These credits will be valid for ve sittings following

your rst sitting of a CTA written tax paper.

If you have passed HM Revenue & Customs VAT Legal

and Technical Training you will be awarded a credit (on

application) for the Advisory paper VAT on UK Domestic

Transactions (including SDLT). The credit will be valid for

ve sittings following your rst sitting of a CTA written

tax paper.


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If you have passed the examinations of the Institute

of Indirect Taxation you will be awarded credits (on

application) for the Advisory papers VAT on UK Domestic

Transactions (including SDLT) and VAT on Cross-Border

Transactions & other Indirect Taxes. These credits willbe valid for ve sittings following your rst sitting of a

CTA written tax paper.

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If you obtain a credit as a result of passing a paper inthe Advisory, Awareness and Application and Interaction

papers, this will remain valid for the next five sittings

following the sitting at which the credit was obtained.

However, if you are engaged under a training contract and

following a training programme of your employer which

has been approved by the CIOT the credit retention rules

applicable to the approved training programme will apply. A

credit obtained in the Professional Responsibilities & Ethics

or Law E-Assessments will remain valid for the next nine

sittings.

You will receive a credit when a mark of 50% or more is

obtained in any written paper.

In the E-Assessments you will be required to answer 40 or

more questions correctly (out of 60) in order to obtain a

credit.

b) Resulting from individual passesin the CTA examination

Examination Centres

The standard of the CTA examination

You should be aware that success in the examination

requires the ability to apply tax law to complex information.Although you may have passed other taxation examinations

do not automatically assume that you can readily adapt

to the style of the CTA examination without considerable

application.

Edinburgh

Belfast

LeedsManchester

Birmingham

London

Southampton Exeter Reading

Newport

Please note that arrangements cannot be made for you to

sit the examination outside the UK.

If you wish to sit in the Channel Islands, the Scottish

Islands or the Isle of Man you should contact the Education

Team as arrangements may be possible.

The Institute does strive to provide the best possible exam

conditions for its students. However, the Institute cannot

take responsibility for circumstances or events outside its

control which occur at exam venues during the period of

the exams, for example external noise, climate conditions,

industrial action affecting travel etc.

Extra time and special arrangementsin the examinations

If your personal circumstances are such that it takes

you longer to read or write than is normally allowed for in

the examination and you require additional time or other

arrangements, you need to complete a form and submit

this, together with medical documentation, to support your

application.

This form must be submitted before the closing date for

entry to the examination you intend to sit.

The application will be considered by the CIOT who, at its

discretion, may grant additional time or other such facilities

as it considers fair and reasonable in the circumstances.

Even if you have previously been granted extra time and/

or special arrangements you must contact us to confirm

that you still require these arrangements in subsequent

exam sittings. Your arrangements will not automatically be

applied if you do not contact us.

Applications will only be considered if they are submittedusing the appropriate form.

A copy of the form can be obtained from the Education

Team ([email protected]).

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Examinations are held each year in May and November.

The last date for examination entry (the closing date) is the last

day of February for the May examination and the last day of

August for the November examination.

All examination entries are normally acknowledged and

receipted within 10 working days. Please telephone the

Institute if you do not receive an acknowledgement within

this timescale.

It is the individual responsibility of the student to check that

their examination entry has been received.

In exceptional circumstances Council may, at i ts absolute

discretion, accept an application for late entry on payment of

an additional fee, currently 100, which must be submitted

within one month of the scheduled closing date for entry for the

examination concerned.

If your student registration lapses before the examination, youmust re-register online when you submit your examination entry

form.

Examination fees for 2012

Tax Papers 120 each

E-Assessments 65 per test

Identification in the examination venue

You are required to bring with you to all of the examinations

(including the E-Assessments) a form of identification which

includes both your signature and a photograph. For

example, a passport or driving licence (with photo).

Should you have neither a passport nor a driving licence (with

photo) you should contact the Education Team to discuss

suitable alternative identification.

Dates, Fees and Examination Withdrawal policy

May

1 2 May 2012

8 9 May 2013

November

6 7 November 2012

5 6 November 2013

Examination fees

Examination dates

Withdrawal from the examination

Examination fees are non refundable.

If you withdraw from some or all papers entered before the

examination entry closing date then your full fee will be held

but only until the next examination session. If there has been

an increase in examination fees you will be required to pay the

balance before your new examination entry can be accepted.

If you withdraw from some or all papers entered afterthe

examination entry closing date then your fee will be forfeit. In

exceptional circumstances Council may transfer your fee to the

next examination session. Evidence would have to be provided

together with a written explanation of the circumstances.


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Summary

The CTA examination is a modular examination structure.

There are two sittings of the examination in May and

November of each year.

You are required to sit four papers on taxation. Three

of these are three and a quarter hours in length (this

includes 15 minutes of pre-examination reading time).

Please note the Awareness paper is only three hours in

length and does not include any pre examination reading

time.

The four taxation papers are as follows:

TwoAdvisoryPapers

OneAwarenessPaper

OneApplicationandInteractionPaper

In addition there are two one-hour E-Assessments, oneon Professional Responsibilities & Ethics and one on Law.

Examination pass mark

The pass mark for each taxation paper is 50% of the

total marks. Candidates who receive a mark of 50% in

any paper will be awarded a credit in that paper. It is not

necessary to sit all four tax papers at the same sitting,

(although you may if you wish).

The two E-Assessments can be sat separately. You will be

able to sit the E-Assessments at a time of your choosing

at examination centres throughout the UK.

You will be asked to answer 60 questions on a variety

of multiple choice and multiple response formats, in

some cases related to a practical scenario. Alternative

questions for Scots Law candidates will be provided

where appropriate.

To pass the paper, 40 or more questions out of 60 mustbe answered correctly.

The CTA Examination

Recheck procedure

You may request a procedural review of your marks. This

is not a remark but a check of the processes in arriving

at a result. If there has been an error in the marking

process the script will be reviewed. You must apply in

writing for a recheck within 21 working days of the date

on your results letter. The fee for this ser vice is 25 per

paper, which is refundable if there is a change to your

result for that paper.

Under no circumstances will the Institute enter into

discussion, correspondence or provide a commentary

on your exam performance or the outcome of the

recheck in any of the papers rechecked.


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The Examination Structure

The combination of the Awareness modules and the Advisory papers chosen by you

will ensure that you will be examined in all of the major taxes but at different levels,

dependent on the choices you make. This will mean that you will not have to study

every area of tax in the same level of detail.

Applicationand

In

teraction Taxation of

Individuals,

Trusts & Estates

Taxation of

Companies

Taxation of Owner-

Managed Businesses

VAT & other

Indirect Taxes

You choose one Application and Interaction case study

Awareness

Taxation of

Individuals

Taxation of

Unincorporated

Businesses

Corporation Tax

Inheritance Tax,

Trusts & Estates

VAT including

Stamp Taxes

You choose three modules from the Awareness paper these cannot be the same as the corresponding

Advisory papers chosen or credits awarded for the Advisory papers

Advisory

VAT on Cross-Border

Transactions & other

Indirect Taxes

Taxation of

Individuals

VAT on UK Domestic

Transactions

(including SDLT)

Taxation of Owner-

Managed BusinessesInheritance Tax,

Trusts & Estates

Advanced

Corporation Tax

You choose two Advisory papers

The two E-Assessments, Professional Responsibilities & Ethics and Law, must be

completed before you are able to enter for your last written tax paper.


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Advisory

Objective

The objective of the Advisory papers will be to test the

depth of your technical knowledge at an advisory level,

on the areas of taxation which you choose, in accordance

with the defined syllabus for each paper (available as a

separate document on the Institutes website www.tax.org.

uk).

Detail

Seperate three and a quarter hour papers (including 15

minutes pre examination reading time) will examine each of

the following:

Taxationof Individuals

TaxationofOwner-ManagedBusinesses

AdvancedCorporationTax

InheritanceTax,Trusts&Estates

VATonUKDomesticTransactions(including SDLT)

VATonCross-BorderTransactions&other

Indirect Taxes

You will be required to sit two of the six papers.

The Advisory papers will form the first day of the

examinations and will be divided into two sessions.

The grouping is as follows:

Morning Session

Taxation of Owner-Managed Businesses

VAT on UK Domestic Transactions

(including SDLT)

Inheritance Tax, Trusts & Estates

Afternoon Session

Taxation of Individuals

VAT on Cross-Border Transactions & otherIndirect Taxes

Advanced Corporation Tax

It is considered that the groupings as shown will

accommodate the choices of the majority of candidates

who wish to sit the examination in a single sitting. There is

no restriction on you choosing two Advisory papers from

the same group. In such circumstances, however, you

will not be able to sit both of those papers at the same

examination sitting.

Each Advisory paper is a stand alone paper. If you receive

a mark of 50% or more of the total marks you will receive a

credit in that paper.

You will be expected to answer all questions which make

up the paper.

The questions in each of the six Advisory papers will be for

either 10, 15 or 20 marks each.


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Awareness

Objective

The objective of the Awareness paper is to examine core

areas of the various taxes which you may not deal with on

a daily basis and which do not form part of your chosen

Advisory papers.

Detail

The paper will comprise a single three-hour paper

covering five modules. You will choose three out of the five

modules and you will answer all the questions on each of

your chosen modules. All Awareness modules must be

attempted at the same sitting.

The modules are:

Taxationof Individuals

TaxationofUnincorporatedBusinesses

CorporationTax InheritanceTax,Trusts&Estates

VATincludingStampTaxes

The modules answered at the Awareness level cannot be

the same papers which you have sat, or intend to sit, as

your Advisory papers. In this regard, and for the avoidance

of doubt, if you have decided to sit the Taxation of Owner-

Managed Businesses Advisory paper you are precluded

from choosing the Taxation of Unincorporated Businesses

module at Awareness level.

The format of each module will be 12 short-form questions.

Each question will be worth five marks. To obtain a credit,

you will be required to obtain 50% or more of the total

marks awarded for the whole paper at the same sitting.

There is no a requirement to obtain 50% of the marks in

each individual module.

The Awareness paper will take place on the afternoon of

the second day of the examinations.

Application and Interaction

Objective

The objective of the Application and Interaction paper is

to test the ability to apply to a practical case study the

knowledge gained in sitting the Advisory and Awareness

papers and to demonstrate how the various taxes interact.

Detail

The paper will be in the form of a case study, which you will

have three and a quarter hours to answer (including 15 minutes

pre examination reading time). There will be a choice of four

case studies based on the Advisory papers and Awareness

paper modules, these being:

TaxationofIndividuals,Trusts&Estates

TaxationofLargerCompaniesandGroups

TaxationofOwner-ManagedBusinesses

VAT&otherIndirectTaxes

You will answer one of the four case studies worth 100

marks. The pass mark will be 50%.

The subject matter of the case study may include any of

the items specified at Advisory level for those topics. It

may also include elements of any subject within any of

the Awareness modules. For example, the case study on

the Taxation of Companies will be mainly corporation tax

based but may also include areas such as shareholder

issues, VAT and SDLT. Issues involving consideration of

professional responsibilities, ethics and/or law should also

be expected to feature in the case studies.

This will not be a time pressured case study. The

emphasis will be on allowing you to have time to submit a

complete answer, thus demonstrating your ability to deal

with practical situations.

The Application and Interaction paper will take place on the

morning of the second day of the examinations.


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14

E-Assessments in Professional Responsibilities & Ethics

and LawProfessional Responsibilities & Ethics:ObjectiveThe objective of this E-Assessment is to test your

understanding of the obligations of a Chartered Tax

Adviser in the areas of professional responsibilities and

ethics.

The syllabus (examinable up to and including 29 February

2012) comprises Professional Rules and Practice

Guidelines 2006 and Professional Conduct in Relation

to Taxation 2004. You will also be expected to have an

awareness of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the

Money Laundering Regulations 2007 plus the relevant

anti-money laundering guidance from the CCAB and the

Supplementary Anti-Money Laundering Guidance for the

Tax Practitioner.

All of these documents can be found in the E-Assessments

section of the CIOT website.

(http://www.tax.org.uk/students_qualifications/Currentctastudents/eassessments)

From 1 March 2012 the following material will be

examinable for students taking their E-Assessments:

Professional Rules & Practice Guidelines effective from

31 March 2011, Professional Conduct in Relation to

Taxation effective from 4 January 2011, PII Guidance,

PII Regulations, Continuing Professional Development

Regulations and Guidance 2011.

You will also need an awareness of the Proceeds of Crime

Act 2002, the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 plus the

relevant anti-money laundering guidance from the CCAB

and the Supplementary Anti-Money Laundering Guidance

for the Tax Practitioner.

All of these documents can be found in the E-Assessments

section of the CIOT website.

(http://www.tax.org.uk/students_qualifications/

Currentctastudents/eassessments)

Law: ObjectiveThe objective of this E-Assessment is to test your

knowledge of law within the relevant areas of tax.

Questions will be based on the manual Essential Law for

the Chartered Tax Adviser, seventh edition (examinable

until 29 February 2012), which is available for purchase

from the Institute. If you have studied Scots law you will

be allocated alternative questions compliant with that

jurisdiction, where appropriate.

The first edition of Essential Law for the Tax Practitioner

will be examinable from 1 March 2012 and is available to

purchase from the Institute at a cost of 45.

DetailEach of these E-Assessments will be of one-hour duration

and will be made up of two different question types:

Multiple choice questions where you will be required to

identify one correct response from a choice of four.

Multiple response questions where you will be requiredto identify several correct responses from a choice of up to

six.

Each question type is worth one mark.

You will be allocated 60 questions to answer within the

hour permitted for each E-Assessment. At least 40 of the

responses to the questions must be correct to pass each

E-Assessment. The questions for an E-Assessment will be

randomly selected before you start the test and therefore

each E-Assessment will be unique.

A short section will be provided before the start of the

hour-long E-Assessment in order to allow you to familiarise

yourself with the format of the examination.

Applying for and sitting theE-AssessmentsYou will be eligible to sit the E-Assessments following

acceptance of your registration as a CIOT student and,

subject to a 21 day period to allow your profile to becreated on the E-Assessment system.

You must apply to sit the E-Assessments online; an entry


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Notes

In any paper, questions may demand a discursive

approach, with no single correct answer.

You are expected to have an understanding of accounts

and accounting principles so far as these relate to taxation.

This is especially the case for the Advanced Corporation

Tax paper where an understanding of current accounting

issues relevant to tax such as deferred tax, profit

recognition and share schemes is expected.

The CTA examination requires knowledge of cer tain

aspects of law. The knowledge of law required for the

examination is contained in the manual Essential Law for

the Chartered Tax Adviser, seventh edition, published

by the CIOT. You will be expected to study, and may be

examined on, the whole of the Law manual. The manual

can be purchased from the Institute at a cost of 40 to

registered students. The seventh edition is examinable

up to and including 29 February 2012. The first edition of

the manual Essential Law for the Tax Practitioner will be

examinable thereafter and is available for purchase at a

cost of 45.

Law will primarily be examined in the E-Assessment in

Law although a legal element may occur in any other

paper. Scottish and Nor thern Irish candidates may present

answers based on Scottish and Northern Irish legal

equivalents within the syllabus.

Questions will NOT be set which require knowledge of:

any statute receiving the Royal Assent less than five

months, or statutory instrument made or European

directive adopted less than eight months, before the

examination date;

any case or VAT Tribunal decision reported less than

three months before the examination date;

with the exception of Inheritance Tax, any legislation

repealed or superseded more than five months before

the examination date.

Questions MAY be set on prospective legislation passed

more than five months before the examination date even if

it is not in force.

You are strongly recommended to read the examination

paper carefully before commencing your answers;

Questions may involve matters which are not listed in

the syllabus but which are related (e.g. accountingprinciples for the computation of income);

Questions may require you to apply tax law and practice

to practical problems.

The Institutes website (www.tax.org.uk/e-assessments).

has further details on the E-Assessments. You should read

the information carefully before booking an appointment.

The Institute does strive to provide the best possible exam

conditions for its students. However, the Institute cannot

take responsibility for circumstances or events outside its

control which occur at exam venues during the period of

the exams, for example external noise, climate conditions,

industrial action af fecting travel etc.

Validity

Both E-Assessments must be passed before the

examination entry closing date for the last written tax

paper that you will sit (if sitting in a modular way) or before

the examination entry closing date if you are taking all

the tax papers at the same sitting for example, if you

propose to sit the Application and Interaction paper as

your last paper in May 2012, having sat and passed the

Advisory and Awareness papers in November 2011, both

the Professional Responsibilities & Ethics and the Law

15

and payment facility is available via the Institutes website for

this purpose. It will be possible to sit the two E-Assessments

on separate occasions, or you may sit both back-to-back

at a single session, with a short break between the two

E-Assessments. Provision will be made for you if you areeligible for extra time or require accessibility software. Please

contact the Education Team about this.

Various test centres around the UK will be available for you to

sit the E-Assessments at a time of your choosing. You should

allow at least 10 working days between the time of booking

the E-Assessment and an appointment being available at your

chosen centre, and you should expect slightly longer waiting

times at periods when demand is likely to be high (particularly

in February and August).

Should you be unsuccessful you must allow 72 hours before

booking again.


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16

Syllabus notes

Reference works and calculators

The following may be brought into the written examinations.

Calculators and reference works may not be taken into the

E-Assessments.

Non-programmable calculators (except those with an

alpha-numeric keyboard and/or a printout or graphic word

display facility in any language) may be brought into the

examination.

You are also allowed to bring with you:

Tolleys Yellow Tax Handbooks and Tolleys Orange Tax

Handbook

OR

CCH Editions Ltd Tax Statutes and Statutory

Instruments Red Book, including the index volume,

CCH Green Book (VAT) and CCH Purple Book

(Customs and Duties)

OR

HMSO copies of taxing statutes

AND

Tolleys Customs Duties Handbook

Publications brought into the examination must be bound

copies. They can be underlined, sidelined and highlighted.

Annotating, use of post-its, tagging and folding pages is

NOT allowed.

Please Note: Invigilators have absolute power to confiscate

your exam books in such cases.

You are permitted to write your name on your legislation.

No other written material or calculation aid will be

permitted.

You will be provided with the tax rates and tables required

for the examination.

Dictionaries, in any language, are not permitted in the

examination hall.

Questions and Answers

You need to be aware of the standard of questions set in

the CTA examination. Careful study of past examination

papers, with suggested solutions, is a key element in exam

preparation.

Past examination papers and suggested solutions are

available on the Institutes website (www.tax.org.uk).

The three principal tutorial organisations are listed below,

alphabetically:

BPP Professional Education

Aldine House

Aldine Place

142-144 Uxbridge Road

London W12 8AW

Tel No: 020 8746 4150

E-mail: [email protected]

Kaplan Financial

Tax Division10-14 White Lion Street

London N1 9PD

Tel No: 020 7520 1189


Tolley Tax Training

Halsbury House

35 Chancery Lane

London WC2A 1EL

Tel No: 020 7347 3559


The full syllabus for the Advisory, Awareness and

Application and Interaction papers is available as a

separate document on the Institutes website (www.tax.org.

uk).


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17

Medals and Prizes

Medals and prizes will be awarded as follows, provided

that satisfactory marks have been obtained.

Medals

Awarding examination medals will be at the discretion o

Council.

The Institute Medal

Awarded to the examination candidate with the best overall

perormance attempting the Awareness paper and two

Advisory papers (all at the same sitting).

The Ian Walker Medal

Awarded to the examination candidate with the highest mark in

the Awareness paper.

The Ronald Ison Medal


the Taxation o Individuals Advisory paper.

The Gilbert Burr Medal


the Taxation o Owner-Managed Businesses Advisory paper.

The John Wood Medal


the Advanced Corporation Tax Advisory paper.

The Spofforth Medal


the Inheritance Tax, Trusts & Estates Advisory paper.

The Victor Durkacz Medal


the VAT on UK Domestic Transactions (including SDLT) Advisory

paper.

The Wreford Voge Medal

Awarded to the examination candidate with the highest mark

in the VAT on Cross-Border Transactions & other Indirect Taxes

Advisory paper.

The Avery Jones Medal


the Application and Interaction paper.

Prizes

The LexisNexis Prize

Awarded to the examination candidate with the highest total

marks in two Advisory papers (taken at the same sitting).

The prize is a ree choice rom their range o publications/

services up to an agreed fgure.

The CCH Prize

Awarded to the examination candidate with the highest

distinction mark.

The prize is a ree choice rom their range o publications/

services up to an agreed fgure.


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18

Membership

Admission for membership as a

Chartered Tax Adviser

After passing the examination, admission as a member of

the Institute carries the entitlement to describe yourself as

a Chartered Tax Adviser and to use the designatory letters

CTA. Admission is dependent upon demonstrating three

years relevant recent professional experience.

Those who have successfully completed the degrees from

Bournemouth University as listed on page 4 may count

one year of this course towards their three year experience

requirement.

Applications for membership should be made within

18 months of the later of the notification of successful

completion of the examination or the completion of the

experience requirement. Late applicants, and those who

apply for re-admission if their membership has lapsed, are

required to complete a special application form and also to

meet certain other conditions.

Entrance fee, annual subscription andsponsors

Applications for membership should be made on the

appropriate form, supported by a statement from two

sponsors who have to satisfy the following requirements:

1 the applicant is personally known to them;

2 the particulars given on the application form are, to the

best of their knowledge and belief, true and correct

statements; and

3 they recommend the applicant to Council as a fit and

proper person for election to membership.

Sponsors should be two Fellows or Associates of the

Institute or, at Councils discretion, two persons from the listbelow:

member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in

England and Wales

member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of

Scotland

member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in

Ireland

member of the Association of Chartered Certified

Accountants

member of the Chartered Institute of Management

Accountants

member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and

Administrators

member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers

member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance

and Accountancy

Advocate

Barrister

Solicitor

In the case of applications from bank personnel only, bank

managers and managers of taxation and executor and

trustee departments may act as sponsors. In the case of

applications from past or present HM Revenue & Customs

personnel only, members of the senior civil service within

the Department of HM Revenue & Customs may act as

sponsors.

The application must also be accompanied by the entrance

fee plus a proportion of the annual subscription for the

year of admission. There is a 95 entrance fee for those

who are also members of the Association of Taxation

Technicians. For the following years the annual subscription

is due on 1 January. Applicants will be exempt from paying

the entrance fee if they apply for membership within three

months of passing the examination. Full details will be sent

to applicants on successful completion of the examination.


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19

Overseas members

There are additional requirements for membership if you

are based outside the UK. Your application for membership

will only be accepted if Council is satisfied as to your

professional standing and the extent of your UK taxation

experience during a period of at least three years up to

the date of application for membership. If you do not have

three years experience of UK taxation then please contact

the Institute in writing with details of the experience you do

have.

These additional requirements apply if you are not within

one of the following classes:

1 A person engaged in public practice or as a specialist

taxation adviser in the UK;

2 A partner in, or a person in the direct employment of, a

firm or person within 1 above;

3 A person in the employment of a Government or

municipal office, bank or commercial concern.

Members who wish to advance to Fellowship may do so

by submitting an acceptable dissertation or suitable body

of work. Detailed rules and guidance notes are available

from the Education Team or can be found on the Instituteswebsite (www.tax.org.uk/fellowship).

Fellowship

Membership

Branches Network

There are 35 branches run by members and supported by

the Institutes Membership Committee.

Each branch has its own committee and organises its own

programme of evening meetings, conferences and social

events. They provide an effective means for members to

keep up to date with changes in tax law and practice, and to

exchange views and discuss tax problems.

Australasia

Birmingham & West Midlands

Bristol

Cumbria & South West Scotland

East Anglia

East Midlands

Essex

European

Guernsey

Hampshire

Harrow & North London

HMRC

Hong Kong

Hull

Isle of Man

Jersey

Kent

Leeds

London

Manchester

Merseyside

Mid-AngliaNorth America

North East England

Northern Ireland

Scotland

Severn Valley

Sheffield

Somerset & Dorset

South London & Surrey

South Wales

South West England

Suffolk

Sussex

Thames Valley

Continuing Professional Development

The Institute has a compulsory continuing professionaldevelopment (CPD) scheme for those members who are

engaged in the practice of UK taxation (whether as a

partner, sole practitioner, director or employee) in industry,

commerce or private practice. Members are required to

undertake a total of 90 hours of CPD per annum of which

70 can be reading (20 must consist of structured training).

This may be averaged over two years. Please note records

should be retained until requested by the Institute.

The Tony Arnold LibraryThe library is based in the Maughan Library and Information

Services Centre at Chancery Lane, London. Further details

and opening hours can be found in the members section of

the CIOT website (www.tax.org.uk).


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20

Frequently Asked Questions

The examination is modular but can I sit all the papers

together?

Yes. The examination structure is modular, although this

does not preclude you from taking the requisite papers at

one sitting should you wish to do so.

What are the papers?

There are two written Advisory papers, one written

Awareness paper and one written Application and

Interaction paper, the Advisory and the Application and

Interaction papers lasting three and a quarter hours

(including 15 minutes pre-examination reading time). The

Awareness paper is three hours and will not have any pre

examination reading time. In addition to this there are two

one-hour E-Assessments on Professional Responsibilities

& Ethics and Law. These two E-Assessments can be sat

separately.

What is the pass mark?

The pass mark for each written taxation paper is 50% ofthe total marks. It is not necessary to obtain an aggregate

mark over all the written papers. For the E-Assessments

you will be allocated up to 60 questions in a mixture of

multiple choice and multiple response formats. To pass an

E-Assessment you must answer 40 questions correctly.

How do I choose what options to sit for each paper?

You must choose two Advisory papers from a choice of

six and three from five modules for the Awareness paper.

The modules chosen for the Awareness paper must not be

the same as the Advisory papers chosen. You choose one

Application and Interaction case study from a choice of

four.

Is there a date by which the two E-Assessments must

be passed?

The E-Assessments must be passed before the closing

date for examination entry for your final written tax paper.

Are exemptions available under the current examination

structure?

Exemptions are known as credits. Credits will be awardedto those who have passed the examinations of certain

other professional bodies. These are detailed on page 6.

There will be no credits for the Awareness paper so you will

be obliged to sit this paper.

How long will the credits be valid for?

The majority of credits awarded will be valid for five exam

sessions from the sitting of the first written tax paper.

If you have passed the ATTs former paper in Practice

Administration & Ethics, your credit (on application) from

the E-Assessment on Professional Responsibilities &

Ethics will be valid for nine sittings from the date the ATT

Paper was passed unless you are a member of the ATT, in

which case there is no time limit. If you have passed the

examination requirements to become a Solicitor or Barrister

you will be awarded a credit (on application) for the

E-Assessment on Law. There is no time limit on this credit.

If you have passed the two E-Assessments at ATT level on

Professional Responsibilities & Ethics and Law you will beawarded a credit (on application) from the E-Assessments

on the same subjects at CTA level. The credits will be valid

for nine sittings from the date the E-Assessments were

passed at the ATT stage.

Will a pass in one or more papers count as a credit?

Yes. A credit will be awarded if you obtain a pass in any

of the Advisory, Awareness or Application and Interaction

papers but do not fully complete the CTA examination. The

credit will be valid for the next five sittings. A pass in either

or both of the E-Assessments will be valid for the next nine

sittings.

What type of questions will I have to answer in the two

E-Assessments?

Each one-hour E-Assessment is made up of a mixture of

two different question types.

Multiple choice questions where you will be required toidentify one correct response from a choice of four, for

example:


23/27

Frequently Asked Questions

Which of the following is the capital city of France?

1) Brussels 2) Strasbourg 3) Paris

4) Nantes

Multiple response questions where you will be required

to identify several correct responses from a choice of up to

six, for example:

Which two of the following are Australian states?

1) New South Wales 2) Northern Territory

3) Nova Scotia 4) Queensland

5) New Hampshire

What is the application process for the

E-Assessments?

You will be eligible to sit the E-Assessments following

acceptance of your registration as a CIOT student and

subject to a 21-day period to allow your profile to be

created on the E-Assessment system. There will be various

test centres around the UK and you may sit at a time ofyour choosing.

If I have passed the old ACCA 3.2 Advanced Taxation

paper, am I eligible for the credit in the Application and

Interaction paper?

No. You must have sat the current ACCA syllabus and

passed paper UK variant P6 Advanced Taxation to gain this

credit.

Can I reschedule my E-Assessment appointment?

Yes, you may do so via the reschedule option on the

online booking system, although this will incur a charge as

follows:

If request made more than 29 days before original

appointment date - no charge.

If request made between 5 and 29 days of original

appointment date - 15 charge per E-Assessmentrescheduled.

If request made less than 5 days before original

appointment date - 30 charge per E-Assessmentrescheduled.

Please note that E-Assessment fees are non-refundable if

you choose to cancel your appointment.

Should you fail to present yourself at the test centre for

your appointment without rescheduling then the fee paid is

forfeit. A new booking must be made and the test fee paid

in full again should you subsequently want to attempt the

E-Assessment concerned.

What am I required to bring to the Prometric test

centre?

You must bring one piece of official photographic ID

containing your signature e.g. passport, photocard driving

licence. Failure to provide this will result in entry to the test

centre being refused and forfeiture of your test fee. This

rule will be strictly enforced.

If you do not have permissible ID documents youshould contact the Education Team before booking an

E-Assessment appointment.

What provision is made if my personal circumstances

mean that I need longer than one hour to complete an

E-Assessment?

You should inform the Education Team before booking

the E-Assessments. Please contact us by email at

[email protected], by telephone on 0844 579

6700 or by letter to our normal postal address and we will

send you a form, which you should complete and return to

the Institute with evidence of your condition supplied by a

medical practitioner or other appropriate documentation

(e.g. if you are dyslexic an Educational Psychologists

report). You will then be informed of the extra time and

any other special arrangements that you will be allowed.

You may then book your E-Assessment by phone with

an Education Team member the additional time will be

added when you sit your E-Assessment.

All Prometric test centres have step-free access for

wheelchair users.

21


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25/27

23

CouncilPresident

Anthony D Thomas CTA (Fellow) FCCA ATT (Fellow)

Deputy President

Patrick T Stevens CTA (Fellow) FCA

Vice-President

Stephen D G Coleclough LLB (Hons) CTA (Fellow)

AICPD FRSA Solicitor

Council

Mohammed Amin MA CTA (Fellow) FCA AMCT

John M Andrews OBE CTA (Fellow) FCA ATT

Gary J AshordCTA ATT

Roger Barnard LLM CTA (Fellow) FCA

Keith Bell CTA (Fellow) ATT TEP

Colin V Ben-Nathan MA(Cantab) CTA (Fellow) FCA

Chris M Brydone BA CTA (Fellow) ACA

Emma J Chamberlain BA (Hons) CTA (Fellow) Barrister

TEP

David Collison BSc (Hons)CTA (Fellow) AKC FCA

Paul G Connolly CTA (Fellow)

William J I Dodwell LLB LLM (Cantab) CTA (Fellow) ACANigel A Eastaway CTA (Fellow) FCA FTIHKFCCA FCMA

FCIS FHKSA

Robert B Ellerby MA CTA (Fellow) FCA

C Anne Fairpo MA (Oxon) CTA (Fellow) Solicitor

Keith Gordon MA CTA (Fellow) FCA Barrister

Nick C Goulding BSc CTA (Fellow) FCA

Andrew N Hubbard BMus PhD CTA (Fellow) ATT

Chris G Jones BA CTA (Fellow) ATTFrancesca Lagerberg CTA (Fellow) FCA Barrister

Christopher J Lallemand BSc FCA CTA

Daniel F Lyons Solicitor CTA (Fellow)

Ray McCann CTA (Fellow) ATT

Ian Menzies-ConacherBSc (Econ) CTA (Fellow) FCA

ACIB JP

Natalie A Miller CTA (Fellow) ATT

Paul V Morton BSc CTA (Fellow)

Jenny A Nelder BA CTA (Fellow) FCA

Yvette Nunn CTA (Fellow) ATT MAAT

Vincent N Oratore LLB (Hons) CTA (Fellow) Solicitor

John D Preston BSc CTA (Fellow) FCA

Philip Ridgway BA LLM CTA (Fellow) Barrister

Rosalind E Upton LLB CTA (Fellow) FCA

Also attending Council meetings

Sir Alistair Graham (Lay Public Interest Observer)

Stuart McKinnon (ATT President)

Chief Executive Peter FanningBSc MScSecretary Rosalind BaxterBA ACIS

Auditors

Baker Tilly Chartered Accountants

2 Bloomsbury Street, London WC1B 3ST

Bankers

HSBC Bank plc

The Peak

333 Vauxhall Bridge Road

London

SW1V 1EJ


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How to become a Chartered Tax Adviser 24


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1st Floor, Artillery House

11-19 Artillery Row

London SW1P 1RT

T:+44 (0)844 579 6700

F: +44 (0)844 579 6701

E: [email protected]

www.tax.org.uk

Registered Charity

Number 1037771

Copyright CIOT

cta prospectus 2012

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