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ACC41070

Academic Year 2022/2023

Ethics and Client Communication Case Study Workshops (ACC41070)

Subject:
Accountancy
College:
Business
School:
Business
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
3
Module Coordinator:
Dr Charles Garavan
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module seeks to provide students with the ability to examine real-life scenarios, to research any potential tax liabilities and reliefs that might arise and to communicate the results of this research in a logical manner to a non-tax technical audience (eg a client).

Students will also learn to identify and resolve ethical dilemmas which can arise when giving tax advice and to understand the difference between tax planning, tax avoidance and tax evasion.

Students will also learn about the basic procedures of Revenue audits and other compliance interventions, the role of the tax advisor in such interventions, the making of disclosures and the consequences of non-disclosure, including publication in the list of tax defaulters, the imposition of penalties and prosecution.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this module, students should be able to:

• Identify potential ethical issues that arise when giving tax advice;
• Outline the types of Revenue compliance intervention and the tax advisor’s role in dealing with them;
• Use tax legislation and other research tools to identify any liability to tax that arises before or during a tax audit in a real-life scenario;
• Identify whether it is necessary or advisable to make a disclosure to Revenue and the consequences of non-disclosure, including publication in the list of tax defaulters, the imposition of penalties and prosecution;
• In a non-Revenue audit context, modify a proposal in order to make it more tax efficient, identify any further information that needs to be gathered in order to be able to give cogent tax advice, and draw up a step-plan to implement the advice given;
• Communicate the results of the research in a non-technical manner;
• Answer non-technical questions regarding the issues raised.

Indicative Module Content:

Case Study 1: Introduction; ethics, tax planning, tax avoidance and tax evasion (using pre-reading material).

Case Study 2: Non-technical communication; client letters: purpose and content, case study examples (using using pre-reading and material covered ACC41090 Research and Technical Communication Case Study Workshops).

Case Study 3: Revenue audit and compliance interventions; disclosures; non-disclosure and consequences; penalties, publication and prosecution (based on pre-reading material).

Case Study 4: Corporation tax case study based on pre-reading and material covered in weeks 1 to 4 of ACC41080 Corporate and Personal Taxation.

Case Study 5: Case study project assessment: approaching the assessment; Corporation tax case study based on pre-reading and material covered in weeks 1 to 5 of ACC41080 Capital and Indirect Taxation.

Case Study 6: Corporation tax case study based on pre-reading and material covered in weeks 1 to 6 of ACC41080 Corporate and Personal Taxation

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Small Group

12

Specified Learning Activities

18

Autonomous Student Learning

30

Total

60


Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The module is delivered primarily through interactive workshops. The material draws on the material covered in ACC41080 Corporate and Personal Taxation, which is taught in parallel. Students are provided with pre-reading for each workshop, and as the workshops progress are required to do more independent tax research in advance of the workshops themselves. Students work in groups in the workshops, teasing out technical issues, researching and collating research sources, identifying further information needed in order to give conclusive tax advice, and, where appropriate, examining more tax efficient alternatives. Students will also work in groups identifying ethical considerations in the case studies. The workshop facilitator moves from group to group answering questions and guiding the research and analysis. At the end of each workshop, two groups of students are invited to present their findings and answer non-technical questions posed by the workshop facilitator.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Project: Client letter based on research of case study problem Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Alternative non-linear conversion grade scale 50% No

100

No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Name Role
Dr Charles Garavan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer