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Building a better tax system

Revising the ten tenets

The Tax Faculty has launched a major new programme of work looking at what the UK tax system should look like.
Read more about tax reform See the revised ten tenets
Woman in yellow top doing accounts
Paper 1

Building a better tax system: principles, pillars, and priorities

  • Thought leadership report
  • 07 Apr 2026
A well-functioning tax system is not just a tool for raising revenue; it is a piece of national infrastructure - as vital as roads, energy, or broadband. In the UK, where economic resilience, fairness, and long-term investment are critical to national priorities, the strength of the tax system has never mattered more.
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TAXwire

Building a better tax system

  • Article
  • 07 Apr 2026
  • ICAEW Insights
The UK tax system is creaking under the weight of decades of accumulated complexity. ICAEW is launching a major programme of work to diagnose what is wrong and set out what good looks like.
Read more
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Exclusive TAXline

ICAEW’s ten tenets: why we are changing them

  • Article
  • 07 Apr 2026
  • Ed Saltmarsh
ICAEW has published revised tenets for a better tax system – the first update in 26 years – to sit alongside a new framework of institutional pillars. Ed Saltmarsh walks through what has changed, what has stayed the same, and why the revisions matter.
Read more
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Useful resources

Displaying 1-5 of 5 results
2026 Tax Representations
  • Listing
  • 14 Jan 2026
We publish our responses to consultation exercises by the revenue departments as tax representations.
Ten Tenets for a Better Tax System
  • Article
  • 25 Jan 2018
The Tax Faculty’s Ten Tenets for a Better Tax System comprise ten key characteristics against which to evaluate tax systems and tax policies. First published in October 1999, the Tenets were revised in April 2026.
How to fix VAT
  • Hub page
  • 18 Nov 2024
ICAEW explores the challenges and opportunities offered in reimagining VAT and it's application. Read about the history of VAT, the lessons that can be learned from outside the UK and the potential of digitalisation.
Tax technical committee contacts
  • No content type
  • 25 Apr 2012
ICAEW Tax Faculty technical committee.
Prepare for 2026/27 tax year
  • Listing
  • 05 Feb 2026
ICAEW's Tax Faculty looks at the key tax changes applying from April 2026. Guidance includes five changes affecting employers, what individuals need to know, as well as updates for companies and businesses.
Displaying 1-5 of 5 results