The 20:20 Innovation team delivered a series of timely and relevant tax updates during the Accountex Summit Manchester 2025, where professionals from across the accountancy and finance sector came together to discuss the future direction of the industry.
Sharon Cooke, Technical Director at 20:20 Innovation, presented to a full audience in Theatre One, addressing the most significant tax challenges currently facing practitioners and their clients.
Her seminar highlighted four main areas for firms to prioritise as they plan ahead into 2026:
- Issues relating to business and employer taxation, particularly compliance hurdles with PAYE/NIC and evolving changes to R&D tax reliefs.
- Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax, with practical guidance on preparing for the 2026 launch, piloting voluntary adoption, and designing advisory-driven service models.
- Inheritance tax and wealth transfer planning, focusing on forthcoming legislative changes from April 2026 and 2027 and ways to help clients reduce exposure through pensions, gifting, and succession strategies.
- Budget forecasts ahead of Budget 2025, including expectations of extended freezes, possible reforms to pensions and ISAs, and closer examination of reliefs such as Business Asset Disposal Relief and Private Residence Relief.
The presentation offered both practical recommendations and forward-looking analysis, giving attendees clear strategies to transform potential risks into new advisory opportunities and practice growth.
Sharon said, “We’ve had a fantastic day at Accountex Summit Manchester. I was delighted to speak in Theatre One where we covered four topical areas: business and employer tax issues, Making Tax Digital, inheritance tax, and a little bit of budget forecasting too. It was a really well-attended session, and the engagement from delegates showed just how important these topics are right now.
“At 20:20 Innovation, we’ll continue these conversations through our monthly tax updates and our Budget Update later this year. Talking tax – it’s what we’re all about.”
Delegates left the session with practical steps, from identifying clients affected by inheritance tax planning to considering automation within MTD. Many continued discussions at the 20:20 Innovation stand (D11) and the Ross Martin Tax Consultancy Limited stand (C11), where further resources and tools were made available.
20:20 Innovation now turns its focus to the upcoming Practice Excellence Annual Conference in Birmingham this October, where the team will continue to support firms with actionable insights, CPD opportunities, and forward-thinking strategies as the tax landscape continues to evolve.
