The Winter Taxation Essentials 2025 - Series 3
Registering for part 3 of The Winter Taxation Essentials Series at CPD Fest 2025 couldn’t be more straightforward. We have three packages for you to choose from – 8 hours, 16 hours and 24 hours of CPD – allowing you to customise the event to your own specific needs. Once purchased, pick ‘n’ mix the topics of most interest and relevance to you from any of the sessions running across the week of CPD Fest 2025.
CPD Fest Packages:
The 12 Gifts Of CPD Fest
Over the coming weeks we are going to give you advance access to hugely valuable extracts from the note packs The CPD Fest & The Essential Advisors’ Mix.
With The 12 Gifts of CPD Fest you will get guides, financial statements, checklists, tools, tax papers, letters of engagement and reports all the way up to and including the kitchen sink!
Registration for The 12 Gifts Of CPD Fest is free, quick and straight forward and you can do so here:
Event Details:
Session 1: The Impact of Valuation Dates on Gifts and Inheritances
Time: 09:00 – 10:40
Speaker: James Bradley – James Bradley & Co
Understand how valuation dates affect inheritance and gift tax outcomes.
This session will cover:
- How valuation dates determine tax timing and liability
- Key differences between gifts and inheritances
- Special rules for joint tenancies, life interests, and revocable gifts
- Common pitfalls and practical examples from real estate cases
This session will be of particular interest to accountants and tax advisors.
Course Level: Intermediate
Session 2: Agri Tax Update - Income and Capital Taxes
Time: 11:00 – 12:40
Speaker: Declan McEvoy – Declan McEvoy Tax
With farm incomes reaching highs in 2024 and 2025 projected to be another strong year for most sectors, managing the resulting tax liabilities has become a critical concern for farmers and their advisors. This, combined with soaring land and stock prices, has added significant complexity to farm transfers and succession planning. This webinar is essential for any professional advising clients in the agricultural sector. Attending will provide a comprehensive overview of the key income and capital tax issues impacting farmers today, empowering you to deliver proactive advice, mitigate tax burdens for your clients, and ultimately enhance the value and expertise of your practice.
Declan McEvoy will cover the following topics during this webinar:
- Income Tax Planning: A deep dive into maximising reliefs within the farm gate, including the strategic use of accelerated capital allowances, stock relief, and income averaging.
- Stock Valuations: An essential guide to the importance of accurate stock valuations, common pitfalls, and their significant impact on a tax liability.
- Farm Business Structuring: An analysis of using partnerships and limited companies not only as a tool for tax efficiency but also as a cornerstone of a robust succession plan.
- Succession and Transfer Planning: A holistic review of the tax implications of passing on the farm, navigating the interactions between Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT), Capital Gains Tax (CGT), and Stamp Duty.
- VAT for Farmers: A practical look at ongoing issues and recent clarifications, with a particular focus on common problems encountered with the VAT 58 procedure.
By attending this session you will be able to:
- Effectively utilise the full range of income tax reliefs available to your farming clients to manage their liabilities.
- Understand the critical importance of correct stock valuation and identify potential issues in farm accounts.
- Advise clients on the most appropriate business structures (sole trader, partnership, or company) for their specific circumstances.
- Navigate the complex interplay of CAT, CGT, and Stamp Duty in the context of farm succession.
- Identify and resolve common VAT issues and confidently guide clients through the VAT 58 claim process.
This session will be of most interest to accountants, tax advisers, agricultural consultants, and solicitors who work with clients in the farming and agribusiness sector.
Course Level: Intermediate / Advanced
Session 3: Self-Administered Pension Schemes: What You Need to Know for Tax Planning and Investing
Time: 13:40 – 15:20
Speaker: Aengus Burns – Grant Thornton Pensioneer Trustees Limited
Pension structures bring many benefits to Tax Efficiency, Investing, Retirement planning, Personal Wealth and Inheritance. They are a key piece of Tax planning infrastructure. Significant changes to regulatory and tax treatment of pensions have required accountants to adapt and tailor advice to a different pension landscape.
This course will assist accountants with the up-to-date position in pension planning, what activity is visible in the market and what current trends are manifesting.
In this session Aengus Burns, Pensioneer Trustee, will cover the following topics;
- End of the SSAP
- Self-Administered Pension Structures
- Property and Pensions
- Pension Contributions and Funding
- Pension Planning
- Non-standard PRSA’s
By attending this session, you will be able to provide a more coherent and up to date advice around the use of pension structures for tax planning, tax efficient investing and succession planning.
This session will be of most interest to Accountants, Tax Advisers & Business Owners.
Course level: Intermediate
Session 4: Getting Ready for Auto-Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme - December 2025
Time: 15:40 – 17:20
Speaker: Yvonne Clarke, Patrick Keegan, Mary Byrne – RBK
During this webinar Yvonne Clarke, Patrick Keegan and Mary Byrne will share insights on upcoming Automatic Enrolment and how its implementation is going to impact your business.
Ireland is introducing an Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme in Q1 of 2026. This scheme is being introduced to help increase the level of retirement savings in the country, at present there are over 800,000 employees without a private pension in Ireland. This scheme is mandatory to join for any employee not already in an active pension scheme who is over the age of 23, under the age of 60, earning more than €20,000.
This session will examine the upcoming Pension Auto-Enrolment changes. Speakers will share key insights for employers, outline the business impacts, and discuss steps you can take to prepare.
Course Level: Intermediate
CPD Course speakers
John Murphy – OmniPro Tax & Legal
As a Director of OmniPro Tax and Legal Limited, John relishes problem-solving to help accountants develop innovative client solutions and sharing his technical knowledge on tax, company law, financial reporting and auditing.
A Chartered Tax Adviser, he advises clients in practice on a range of issues from income tax, tax planning, restructuring to exit planning as well as advising on company law in relation to these and many other matters. In addition, he provides support on financial reporting, auditing and company law; conducts company valuations and advises on pre-sale restructuring. He is also an insolvency practitioner who acts as liquidator in members voluntary liquidations and is a Registered Auditor.
Prior to this John played a key role as a researcher and subject-matter expert in developing OmniPro information products such as the CompaniesAct2014.com and FRS102.com. As a speaker at OmniPro CPD events, he brings these industry-leading insights to accountants participating in our training programmes.
As a Chartered Accountant, John has over a decade’s Big 4 experience with EY and PwC, providing tax and audit services for a portfolio of clients, ranging in scale from SMEs to multinationals.
Lisa Cosgrave - Technical Advisor, OmniPro
Lisa is a key member of our tax technical support team, providing advice on all tax heads in response to queries submitted. In addition, she provides support within the tax department on company/business valuations, tax planning, restructuring and exit planning solutions for a range of clients, liquidations, and company secretarial issues. She also has experience in financial reporting and audit.
A Chartered Certified Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor, Lisa trained and worked in practice for six years prior to joining OmniPro, where she gained experience in financial reporting, tax compliance across all tax heads and audit. She has experience with a range of small and medium sized businesses assisting them with their financial reporting obligations and tax compliance across all areas.
Michael O’Scathaill – Crowe Ireland
Michael is a director in Crowe Ireland tax department. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the NUI and is a Chartered Accountant (FCA) and an AITI Chartered Tax Advisor.
Michael manages a varied and interesting portfolio of corporate and personal tax clients from a range of sectors including food & beverage, retail, insurance, construction and waste management. He has a strong relationship with his clients and works closely with them to deliver a service that meets their commercial as well as their taxation requirements.
His advice covers a full range of tax-heads and includes advising on complex transactions and structures such as:
- Designing and implementing tax-efficient corporate structures and restructuring them where necessary
- Property transactions: advising on structures for holding property as well as complex VAT and CGT issues arising
- VAT planning to minimise VAT leakage and optimise cashflow
- International tax: advising clients in the areas of VAT on cross-border transactions, company residence and employee relocations
Michael also works closely with the firm’s Corporate Finance Department on matters such as:
- Buying and selling businesses: advising on the wide range of tax issues that arise and structuring the transaction as tax-efficiently as possible while also taking account of the client’s commercial requirements
- Raising finance: optimising tax relief on debt and also advising on availing of, and implementing tax-based finance schemes such as the Employment & Investment Incentive Scheme (EIIS)
- Michael also speaks on tax matters to participants on Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers Entrepreneur Development Programme and at various seminars.
He enjoys meeting entrepreneurs, learning about their activities and helping them to make the tax system work for their business.
James Bradley - James Bradley & Co
James is a qualified accountant and tax consultant. He is the principle of his own tax consultancy practice in Cork and deals with clients from all economy sectors and provides professional tax advice under all tax heads to his clients.
James has been lecturing for the Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Institute of Taxation in Tax for more than ten years and has also set tax exams for both Institutes.
James has also been providing continual professional development courses for the Institute of Certified Public Accountants / The Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Institute of Taxation in Tax for 10 years also.
Declan McEvoy - Declan McEvoy Tax
An AITI Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) and Member of STEP-society of trust and estate practitioners, Declan McEvoy was Head of Tax with the Largest Agri Accounts Firm and Stood down at End of 2022.
Declan is taking some time out but keeping in touch by imparting his knowledge to fellow professionals with Technical updates.
Declan has extensive experience and expertise in personal and corporate tax planning, estate and succession planning, tax-based investment and financial structuring for family and farm businesses.
A leading authority on farm taxation, Declan was co-author of ‘Farming in a Limited Company – is it right for you?’
Declan is also an Irish Tax Institute Registered Tax Consultant and frequently speaks at national seminars and client workshops for professional bodies, farm organisations, banks, farm groups.
Aengus Burns - Grant Thornton Pensioneer Trustees Limited
Aengus joined Grant Thornton in 2002 and is a partner in the Financial Services Advisory team based in Galway and Dublin. He has extensive Restructuring, Insolvency and Corporate Finance experience. He heads up the Corporate Simplification team at Grant Thornton and is responsible for Members’ Voluntary Liquidations of Special Purpose Vehicles and Funds in particular. In addition, Aengus leads the Grant Thornton Pensioneer Trustee Services team which manages Self -Administered Pension Schemes on behalf of clients.
His Financial Services Advisory experience includes:
- managing solvent winding down operations of financial services companies;
- creating restructuring strategies for manufacturing and retail companies;
- acting as receiver over property assets and corporate entities;
- acting as examiner and liquidator to various companies;
- corporate finance advisory and transaction services; and
- pensioneer trustee services to private clients.
Yvonne Clarke - RBK
Yvonne is MCIPD Accredited, with an MSc in HRM Leadership and she is also a Certified Workplace Mediator (The Mediators’ Institute of Ireland). Yvonne has a personal and practical approach and is experienced in working collaboratively with clients managing multiple, disparate activities, projects and transformation programmes ensuring people strategies are aligned with Business Strategic direction and Business Needs.
With over 22 years’ experience in all areas of Human Resource Management, she has worked in business areas such as Logistics, Manufacturing / Recycling, Not-For-Profit/Charity, Health and Social Care, Education and Corporate Functions such as Finance, IT, Quality & Corporate Governance and Strategic Planning & Development.
Patrick Keegan - RBK
Patrick is a Certified Financial Planner™ with an MSc in Financial Services. He is also a Specialist Investment Advisor, Retirement Planning Advisor, and Qualified Financial Advisor. Patrick’s focus is on helping clients achieve financial independence. His expertise includes retirement planning, pension drawdown and review, protection planning, and investment strategy. He also works with corporate clients on pension and risk scheme design, corporate investments, business protection, and shareholder succession planning.
Mary Byrne - RBK
Mary is a Payroll Specialist with more than 17 years’ experience. She is a qualified Payroll Technician and holds a Diploma in Payroll Management with IPASS. At RBK, Mary manages payroll for more than 350 clients, delivering weekly, fortnightly, and monthly payroll services for businesses of all sizes. She also handles a wide range of client enquiries concerning social welfare and taxation matters on behalf of a broad range of businesses and their employees.
Daragh O’Shaughnessy - O’Shaughnessy Tax
Daragh has provided expert tax advice to a diverse range of Personal and corporate clients, from sole trades to High Net Worth investors and SMEs to Multinationals for 15 years.
Daragh’s CPD lectures and articles view tax issues from a practical perspective that can put to immediate use in attendees’ day-to-day business, as well as using technical analysis for a deeper understanding of the issues.
Brendan Allen - Landlords Tax Returns
Brendan is a Chartered Tax Adviser, Chartered Certified Accountant, and a Certified Public Accountant
He specialises in property related taxes and is the principal at Allen & Co a practice based in Tullow Co Carlow
Brendan has lectured on taxation and accountancy matters in Ireland and abroad.
Brendan was served as President of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland in 2007/2008.
Brendan was Chair Irish region of Taxation Institute in the UK
Brendan was Chair of British regional society in UK
Brendan served on CCAB -I company Law Committee
Brendan served on the Taxation committee of the CPA
Brendan represented the IPOA at housing committee in Dail Eireann along with other members of the committee.
Rose Tierney – Tierney Tax Consultancy
Rose Tierney is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser in both the UK & Ireland. She previously worked as a director with a Big Four firm in Dublin and prior to that several years were spent in London advising businesses on tax planning and transactions.
In 2004, Rose established an independent Tax Practice, Tierney Tax Consultancy and has since then been advising clients in the SME sector and their accountants and solicitors on various aspects of Irish and UK taxation.
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