Gordon's travels show no signs of abating as summer approaches
Dear reader,
May began with the postponed joint lunch of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) and Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) in Edinburgh. I was pleased to be seated with a Member of the Scottish Parliament and to discuss current Scottish issues.
This was followed by a welcome break in my Presidential duties before a brief visit to Leeds for the first day of the IRRV Spring Conference, bringing together the former Welfare Benefits and Enforcement Conferences. I gave my presentation on tax avoidance before visiting the exhibition to be photographed on every exhibition stand.
The next day, Carla-Maria and I were preparing to head off to Estoril in Portugal for the European Valuation Conference and the Spring General Assembly of The European Group of Valuers’ Associations (TEGoVA). This now comprises 74 valuers’ associations from 37 countries, including the three latest new members.
The Assembly reminded me of the United Nations, with everyone seated behind a plaque showing their national flag and organisation. On this occasion the IRRV held the proxy for the Russian Society of Appraisers (RSA) and hence we were sitting behind both the UK and Russian flags. Fortunately there were no controversial votes!
Automated Valuation Methods (AVMs) remain very topical with the launch of TEGoVA’s publication, ”Assessing the Accuracy of Values of Individual Properties Estimated by Automated Valuation Models”, by Professor George Matysiak. The IRRV Council’s Roger Messenger gave a well-received presentation on “The Fallacy of the Tick-Box Bank Valuation Reports”.
David Magor, with our partner from Ireland, Patrick Davitt (IPAV), reported on the completion of the Erasmus plus project, “Resources for European Valuation Standards in Europe” (REVASE), providing training material to complement TEGoVA’s “blue book” on European Valuation Standards.
The IRRV will be paid for the work on REVASE from European Union funding under the Erasmus plus programme for education, training, youth and sport. Erasmus is probably best known for enabling young people to study abroad. The IRRV is bidding for two more projects, but our access to EU funding after “Brexit” must be in doubt. For the IRRV this will have budget implications.
Back in London, the next day I was pleased to have been invited by the Chartered Institute of Taxation to an address by the Rt. Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, Chair of the House of Commons Treasury Committee. It was a fascinating account of the work and powers of the Select Committee and interesting to hear that it is more powerful when no party has an overall majority in the Commons.
Yours,
Gordon
Gordon Heath BSc IRRV (Hons) is President of the Institute
