Robin Murray is the Founder and Principal of RJM Accountants, based in Brighouse, West Yorkshire. With more than 40 years’ accountancy experience in both industry and practice, working across sectors like HR, engineering, sales, and logistics, Murray has run his own practice for 13 years.
We spoke with Murray to find out more about his role with the IFA, some of the challenges members in his region are facing, and how the IFA is looking to help accountants work with clients to meet them.
What is your role with the IFA?
Robin Murray: I’ve been regional ambassador for Northern England since 2019 – a bit of a baptism of fire really, as it was just before the lockdowns.
My role as regional ambassador is all about trying to get people to attend the regional meetings, and of course organising the meetings themselves. Other parts of the role include acting as the focal point for our local members, and representing the IFA at other events.
As ambassador for the North of England, I have a very big region to manage. We tend to put on more meetings to give all our members the best chance of attending.
Outside of my work with the IFA I run my own business, and I also paint, read, and play games.
How do the regional meetings work?
Robin Murray: Bringing people together and keeping them engaged … A good way of getting their attention is by posting updates on events in MyCommunity.
MyCommunity is the IFA’s online platform for members to connect, ask questions and network. It’s a great way for members to share thoughts and questions about how the industry is evolving, and keep up to date with others’ experiences and news.
Robin Murray: In terms of the themes we discuss at the meetings, it’s important to us to address big moments through the year like the Budget and the Autumn Statement.
We’ll often have one of the IFA [strategic] partners come along to speak, whether that’s to talk about technical issues, to give feedback on a government consultation, or getting the IFA’s Director of Professional Standards, Tim Pinkney, to keep our members up to date with anti-money laundering (AML).
Pinkney encourages accounting and legal practices to closely monitor the IFA’s AML alert emails, which highlight emerging threats like the misuse of family offices or suspicious property transactions. Staying informed through these alerts helps firms stay in the loop and protect themselves against evolving money laundering tactics.
What are some of the challenges faced by businesses in your region?
Robin Murray: Basically, anybody who’s got more than nine employees [is] likely to start paying a lot more National Insurance from last April. I’ve done some calculations for a couple of clients who were hit by the increase, and just based on the NIC alone, they’re facing a 23% increase in costs …
I think one key thing small businesses need to consider is that if they employ people, they should be registering as limited companies. This can give them some protection, because it separates personal and business liabilities. If at the end of the day something really does go pear-shaped, you’re not personally responsible for business debts, which can make it easier to walk away and start again if necessary.
The other thing members talk about most is getting up to date with the technology and digital services. As accountants, we end up taking that on because most small business clients don’t really know where to start. They may be able to make a really good sandwich, but after that they aren’t always … technically savvy.
The next Making Tax Digital (MTD) deadline is coming up, MTD for Income Tax Self-Assessment (ITSA), which is going to impact the self-employed and landlords whose turnover is above £50,000 and falling to £30,000 for 2027/28 …
We intend to solve the issues for members through accounting software such as QuickBooks, Hammock, TaxCalc, ApariPro and Capium, and optical recognition software [such as] AutoEntry or Dext.
Since 2021 the IFA has run the Tax Series, a quarterly webinar programme. The series provides concise, bite-sized updates on key tax developments, including coverage of MTD ITSA. The recordings for the webinars are available online here.
The next Northern England regional meeting will be held on 22 September.
