Charter Tax is very proud to have welcomed renowned taxation expert Ray McCann to the team as a consultant. He brings with him more than 40 years’ experience in UK and international tax issues and is a Fellow and past President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT).
Ray has worked with Jane Hodge in the past and has known Janet Pierce for some time as well.
“Over the years, I have introduced a number of clients to Charter Tax who needed accountancy services and it was those relationships, both personal and client, that led to my involvement with the firm,” Ray explains. “Charter Tax was also attractive to me, as Janet was very receptive to what I wanted to do and, importantly, how I wanted to do it.”
Ray previously worked at one of the Big Four accountancy firms and, prior to that, as an HMRC Inspector. This experience affords him a unique insight into taxation issues and he has particular expertise in contentious tax matters, tax investigation work and HMRC disputes. While at HMRC, Ray led the introduction of DOTAS, as well as setting up the Business Tax Clearance Team and the Avoidance Intelligence Unit.
“I see my role in Charter Tax as building on the longstanding relationship I have had with the firm but in a supporting role to Janet and the other fee earners,” Ray explains. “I have a lifetime of working in tax and a unique experience from working for HMRC, and the Inland Revenue before that, and, since I left the Revenue, large accounting and legal firms, including JHA [Joseph Hage Aaronson], where I was a Partner until I retired last year and continue to provide consultancy support."
He continues: “When I look back, there is almost no client issue that I have not been involved with at some time over the years. I was referred to as ‘Saint Jude’ at a previous firm, due to my ability to find a way of keeping sometimes even the most lost of causes alive! Having almost 50 years of experience comes in handy. I hope that those at an earlier stage in their career might find my presence of value in responding to client issues but also in terms of how they develop their skills and, importantly, provide great client service.”
Ray joined what was then the Inland Revenue in his late teens in Scotland. He says the office was huge with ‘thousands of people’ and the social life, he remembers, was ‘pretty special’.
“It was the mid-1970s and other employment options were not great and set to get worse, in terms of building a career, so I just went for it,” he explains. “As time passed, however, I found that I really enjoyed the work and started studying for what is now Chartered Tax Adviser.”
Ray admits to becoming a bit of a ‘tax geek’ but it served him well.
“As I became more experienced and successful in my Revenue career, the work I was involved with became more interesting, varied and, on occasion, hair raising,” he says. “I also got to travel in the UK and internationally and, since travel is one of my passions, it came together very well.”
After he left the HMRC, Ray grew his involvement with CIOT. Over the years, he has chaired the Professional Standards Committee, has been on the CIOT Council since 2012 and was President in 2018/2019. He currently chairs the Education Committee.
“There is an amazing challenge in tax and it is so varied that you never stop learning,” Ray adds. “No two clients have the same problem and I have lost count of the amazing people I have met, many with really interesting stories to tell. I have never once regretted my career choice.”
In his spare time, Ray enjoys playing the guitar.
“I listen to a lot of music and I read,” he adds. “I really enjoy the theatre and any kind of live event, so the past year has been very hard in that respect. And I like to travel, anywhere works for me but I have been all over Europe, the USA, the Caribbean, and parts of Asia. I also have five grandchildren and they give me a lot of fun but two of them live in the US, so I have not seen them for quite a while.”
