Do accountants have a duty of confidentiality to clients?
If an accountant does your books, for example, then it turns out that you have not paid tax for 4 years or something, would they have a duty to rat you out to HMRC - just for example...
Other - Business & Finance - 3 Answers
People Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
Accountants have no obligation to confidentiality the way doctors & lawyers do, no. But a good accountant would be able to help someone who "not paid tax for 4 years or something" get their tax accounts straight with HMRC...
Answer 2 :
A good accountant will ensure you have not made enough profits to pay taxes for the last 4 years! Legally, of course!
Answer 3 :
Accountants do not have a requirement to tell the IRS or government agencies if you have not paid taxes but if they are questioned by the IRS, there is no client privilege like with lawyers.
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