Each year, ICAEW's Tax Faculty invites a leading member of the tax profession, or a prominent figure involved in taxation, to present the Hardman Lecture at Chartered Accountants’ Hall. Established in 1993 to honour the memory of Philip Hardman, the lecture series explores aspects of the UK taxation system and current issues facing the profession.
Who was Philip Hardman?
John Philip Hardman (1936–1993) was a leading figure in the world of tax. He grew up in Bolton and served his articles locally, being awarded the fifth Certificate of Merit in his final ACA examination in 1960, together with the William Quilter Prize and Plender Prize for papers in taxation and auditing. He joined Grant Thornton the following year and became Senior Tax Partner in 1967.
Hardman chaired ICAEW’s UK Taxation Committee for many years and played a major role in establishing the Tax Faculty in 1991. He was also a highly respected government adviser and a committed campaigner for a simpler tax system. His publications included the widely used Hardman’s Tax Rates and Tables, which continues to be published today in digital form as Hardman’s Key Data.
Hardman was also a prominent broadcaster, appearing regularly as the BBC’s resident tax expert on television and radio. He was greatly admired not only for his technical knowledge, but also for his panache, humour and ability to make complex taxation issues accessible to the general public.
Explore past Hardman lectures
Information on each of the Hardman Lectures held since 1993 is listed below. Links to articles are also provided, together with lecture transcripts where available.
To access items held within the Library collection, please contact the Enquiry Team on +44 (0)20 7920 8620, by email at library@icaew.com or via webchat.
2020 to date
| Year | Lecture subject/title, speaker, date and articles/transcripts |
|---|---|
| 2026 | The role of tax simplification in closing the tax gap How can accountants help to simplify the tax system? (ICAEW Insights, 6 July 2026) |
| 2025 | No lecture held |
| 2024 | Regulation of the tax profession – The wrong solution to the wrong problem? Hardman Lecture shines tax regulation spotlight on shadow advisers (Taxline, 5 December 2024) |
| 2023 | The worst features of the UK tax system Hardman Lecture takes aim at UK’s biggest tax failings (ICAEW Insights, 8 December 2023) |
| 2022 | No lecture held |
| 2021 | Tax and technology: Opportunity, threat or Big Brother? Threats, opportunities and Big Brother (Taxline, March 2022, p.11) Tax Professional 3.0: how we adapt to a fast-changing world (ICAEW Insights, 11 November 2021) |
| 2021 | Making Tax Digital: What does it mean for tax professionals? Jane McCormick (former Global Head of Tax at KPMG), 2 February 2021. Lecture was deferred from 2020 and held virtually. It is time to think about the tax profession of the future (Tax News, 3 February 2021) |
| 2020 | Lecture deferred to February 2021 |
2010 - 2019
| Year | Lecture title/subject, speaker, date and articles/transcripts |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Fiscal challenges facing a UK government and possible policy responses to them |
| 2018 | Brexit and business Brexit and business (Taxline, December 2018, pp.12-14) |
| 2017 | The role of the tax profession in building stronger economies The vital role of the profession in building a world of strong economies (Taxline, December 2017, pp.10-12) |
| 2016 | Working with the profession View Library holdings of the transcript |
| 2015 | Working with HMRC View Library holdings of the transcript |
| 2014 | Tax avoidance – Game over? Jolyon Maugham (barrister, Devereux Chambers), 11 November 2014. View Library holdings of the transcript |
| 2013 | A better tax system? View Library holdings of the transcript and articles |
| 2012 | HMRC: My perspective View Library holdings of the transcript |
| 2011 | The Tax Profession: Creating growth and a better tax system
View Library holdings of the transcript |
| 2010 | An audience with David Gauke MP View a copy of the speech (GOV.UK) |
2000 - 2009
| Year | Lecture title/subject, speaker, date and articles/transcripts |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Tax, transparency and trust View Library holdings of the transcript and articles |
| 2008 | Rights and powers: protecting the legitimate interests of taxpayers. View Library holdings of the transcript and articles |
| 2007 | Can a fair tax system ever be simple? View Library holdings of the transcript and articles |
| 2006 |
Small business taxation – The indefinable in pursuit of the unachievable View Library holdings of the transcript Hardman Memorial Lecture 2006: Small business taxation – the indefinable in pursuit of the unachievable? (Taxline, December 2006, pp.28-31) |
| 2005 | If the trust gap widens, can the tax gap be narrowed?
|
| 2004 | Reforming Britain’s tax administration and policymaking View Library holdings of the transcript |
| 2003 | Honesty is the best policy View Library holdings of the transcript |
| 2002 | VAT compliance in the 21st century |
| 2001 | Employment taxes - where are we going? View Library holdings of the transcript and articles on the lecture |
| 2000 | Simplicity and stability: the politics of tax policy
View Library holdings of the transcript |
1993 -1999
| Year | Lecture title/subject, speaker, date and articles/transcripts |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Simplification of tax or I wouldn't start from here. View Library holdings of the transcript and articles on the lecture |
| 1998 | Disclosure: which cards and when View Library holdings of the transcript and articles on the lecture |
| 1997 | Fiscal sovereignty- fact or fiction View Library holdings of the transcript and articles on the lecture |
| 1996 | International tax: the avoidance of parochialism. |
| 1995 | Between the taxpayer and the executive: law's inadequacy; democracy's failure? |
| 1994 | The Finance Bill process: scope for reform? View Library holdings of the transcript and articles on the lecture |
| 1993 | Tax appeals: the case for reform View Library holdings of the transcript and articles on the lecture |
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