CCH Wins Contract to Become Appointed Partner for Fee Protection for ICAEW Member Firms

Feb. 10, 2012 - PRLog -- CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business and the leading global provider of tax, accountancy and audit information, software and services (http://www.cch.co.uk), has secured a three-year contract to become the  exclusive appointed partner for fee protection for members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

The contract extends the long and fruitful relationship between the two organisations. CCH Fee Protection provides cover for accounting firms against the cost of  their clients being investigated by HMRC, and CCH has been the exclusive partner of ICAEW providing this service to its members since 2005. The relationship initially began as a three year arrangement before it was renewed for a further four years.

Mark Summers, CCH’s head of Fee Protection, says: “This is great news for ICAEW members, their clients and CCH. We have seen a huge spike - 48% - in the number of claims being filed with us over the 2010/11 tax year compared to the previous year. HMRC is increasingly flexing its new-found muscle. As its targeted approach gains ever more traction, it is more important than ever that accountancy practices and their clients are protected.

“People are finally waking up to the fact that HMRC investigations can be highly disruptive and costly - putting a tangible strain on client relationships. Making clients aware of the very real and increased threat of investigation, and being able to offer them fee protection as an extra service, is sound and prudent business practice.”

His sentiments were echoed by Sharron Gunn, Executive Director at ICAEW, who says: “We look forward to continuing our partnership with CCH, a company whose culture, aims and customer-facing ethos mirror that of the ICAEW.

“The fee protection service stood out for us in many ways, not least the sheer breadth of the offering CCH can provide, and the additional benefits this product exclusively gives ICAEW member firms. This relationship helps strengthen our position as a world leading membership organisation.”

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Notes to editors:

CCH Fee Protection

CCH’s fee protection service offers professional advice and practical support:

- CCH advice lines offer general advice in all areas of direct and indirect taxes and access to this service is included with a CCH fee protection scheme. In 2010 CCH consultants received over 120,000 calls.
- CCH tax and VAT consultants can provide technical support during an HMRC intervention. All its consultants are former HMRC officers.

CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business, is the leading global provider of tax, accountancy and audit information, software and services. It has served tax, accountancy and business professionals since 1913. In the UK CCH provides online information, books, software, magazines, professional development and fee protection.

Wolters Kluwer (http://www.wolterskluwer.com) is a market-leading global information services company with annual revenues (2010) of €3.55 billion and maintains operations in over 40 countries across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Wolters Kluwer is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. Its shares are quoted on Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices.

Follow CCH UK and Wolters Kluwer UK on Twitter: @cchvoice, @wolterskluweruk

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Wolters Kluwer UK, incorporating CCH and Croner, is a provider of business information and consultancy services to help make businesses more effective and profitable; from software and online information, to books, journals, training and consultancy.