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On 19 March, HMRC announced that the telephone helpline (although not the Agent Dedicated Line) would be closed from 8 April until 30 September.

In my early years at the CIOT, when describing to people what we do, I would say that we try to make the tax system better.

This is my last ‘welcome’ column as President, so I want to use it to reflect on the last twelve months and to thank everyone who has made this a hugely rewarding and highly enjoyable term.

This was definitely not the only major announcement, though.

In March, we had the Spring Budget, which was designed to be attractive to the electorate and was as a result blissfully quite short.

There is always an opportunity to network and this can be invaluable, sharing ideas and opinions with fellow professionals.

Late in February, along with the ICAEW, we spoke to nearly 800 HMRC staff about Professional Conduct in Relation to Taxation (PCRT) (see tinyurl.com/59ja5dr7

Our technical teams took advantage of the pre-Budget consultation period to set out some of the things we would like to see in the Red Book.

All of our students are a perennial source of pride for the Institute, and it is heartening to see their hard work and dedication pay off.

One thing about January when you work in tax is that you miss the start of all the new TV series and dramas that begin in that month.