Plans to create one of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies have fallen foul of the US government’s tough new stance on corporate tax inversions, after US pharma giant AbbVie abandoned its proposed $54bn (£34bn) takeover of UK drugs manufacturer Shire on the grounds the deal will no longer deliver the anticipated tax benefits

The trend for delayering at firms has meant that there is a shortage of middle management roles for accountants, but there are signs of a recovery in the jobs market, says Tara Ricks, managing director of Randstad Financial & Professional

Two Essex businessmen who evaded £2.5m in corporation tax and VAT in a fraud linked to the supply of labour to the railway industry have been jailed for 10 years after a three-week trial at Southwark Crown Court following Operation Quiver led by HMRC

A proposal from the ICAEW board to introduce changes to its regulations to allow payment of membership fees and subscriptions by instalments has been rejected by Council members at the latest ICAEW Council meeting, despite the institute’s arguments over the benefits to members of offering more payment choices