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ICAEW tax reform

How to build a better tax system

The UK tax system is failing, weighed down by decades of accumulated complexity. ICAEW has identified five pillars critical to creating a system fit for the future.

The pillars Latest developments

Why the tax system needs rebuilding

It’s time to rebuild the UK’s tax system
The tax system is creaking under the weight of decades of accumulated complexity. Ed Saltmarsh, Indirect Tax Technical Manager, explains how ICAEW is focusing its work on rebuilding the tax system to make it fit for purpose.
The UK's failing tax system needs rebuilding, says ICAEW
  • Article
The UK tax system is creaking under the weight of decades of accumulated complexity. ICAEW is working to diagnose what is wrong and set out what good looks like.
Looking up the front of the Bank of England towards a blue sky.
Principles, pillars, and priorities
  • Thought leadership report
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.
Empty office
The Ten Tenets: revised for 2026
  • Thought leadership report
ICAEW's Ten Tenets for a Better Tax System outline the key characteristics against which tax systems and tax policies can be evaluated. The Tax Faculty has updated the tenets to reflect the modern tax system.

Latest developments

Katherine Ford, Tax Technical Manager, ICAEW
Tax Track podcast:

How to build a better tax system

  • Podcast
  • 10 Nov 2026
  • ICAEW Tax Faculty
In this episode, we draw on ICAEW’s latest campaign – How to build a better tax system – to identify what is going wrong with the UK’s tax system, why it matters and how to fix it.
Listen now
Ed Saltmarsh, ICAEW's Indirect Tax Technical Manager, outlines why a coherent digital infrastructure is vital to build a better tax system in the UK.
Pillar: Digital Infrastructure

Building shared foundations, not separate initiatives

  • Thought leadership report
  • 05 Nov 2026
The government is digitalising the tax system one initiative at a time and not giving enough thought to how it fits together, explains ICAEW in this paper on how to build a better tax system.
Read more
Pillar: Tax Profession

Help to reshape the system

  • Video
  • 29 Sep 2026
ICAEW wants members to help refine and prioritise proposals to improve the UK tax system. Chief Executive Alan Vallance urges the people who work with the system every day to help ICAEW make the strongest possible case for change.
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ICAEW CEO Alan Vallance explains how ICAEW members and other tax professionals can help ICAEW build a better tax system
Pillar: Tax Profession

A proportionate approach to ensuring quality tax advice

  • Thought leadership report
  • 29 Sep 2026
In the this paper on building a better tax system, ICAEW explains the important role played by the tax profession and sets out how the tax advice market could be improved.
Read more

The pillars

Find out more about the five institutional pillars that ICAEW believes are needed to ensure the proper functioning of the UK tax system. Read in-depth papers, TAXline articles or watch explainer videos.

We want to hear from you!

Expertise has been really invaluable in helping us to work out what needs to be fixed. We really want to hear from members about what the problems are, but more importantly what the solutions are. This is a collaborative project. We want to hear from everyone about how the tax system should work for them.

Get in touch Take a survey