Why it’s essential that vendors get the facts right
This summer has felt a bit strange, hasn't it?
We were juggling holidays, inboxes still pinging, and decisions waiting on hold. Yet even in that pause, the momentum toward the MTD IT (Making Tax Digital for Income Tax) rollout doesn’t ease up. For accountants and bookkeepers, the stretch between the tax year-end and full on self assessment season is a fleeting window, and what they hear now shapes the next few months.
That is why vendors, who are mostly well meaning, must be precise in what they say and not just because accountants deserve world class vendors.
One slip can ripple widely
There is a flood of updates from HMRC, professional bodies, the accounting press, and vendors alike. Helpful? Yes. But not if facts get jumbled. In several recent webinars, speakers confused the VAT threshold with the MTD IT threshold or even suggested the VAT threshold would drop to £20,000. That is speculation, not fact. In another, someone wrongly said firms must use the same software for quarterly updates and final tax returns. For practices trying to plan or change systems, that is not just misleading, it is paralysing.
September, October and November are big, big months for those with MTD products to share. After summer and the completion of all the December year ends work, it will give many practices the space to look seriously at what their approach is going to be.
There’s also going to be noise. Lot’s of it. From every angle, including HMRC who will recommence their marketing out to those impacted. It’s therefore absolutely imperative that your message cuts through, and leaves no doubt.
Trust does not just erode, it fractures in a sentence.
Accuracy is not optional
The profession needs clarity, not noise. When messages come with fuzzy terms, missing qualifiers, or plain inaccuracies, doubt seeps in. And once trust erodes, it is hard to reclaim. Vendors bear the responsibility of being clear, dependable, and correct every single time.
Again, because accountants deserve world class vendors.
Time, vision, trust and the reward of clarity
At Principle Point, clarity has been our mission since the beginning. “Many years of inquiry, discovery and building connections in the accountancy market means our work is grounded in knowledge, insight and wisdom.” That is not window dressing, it is proof of what constant listening and thoughtful communication builds.
This ties back to a recent newsletter we published reflecting on nearly 18 years of planting a vision for the cloud and trusting that one day we would get there. Trust is not built solely in a blog or webinar. It grows through consistent, authentic insights, through every misstep avoided and every clear lesson shared.
Raising the standard together
Many firms are likely all over the place right now, in that they are still working things out, both internally, with their clients and what software they plan to use for MTD IT. Some are still evaluating options, others are knee-deep in software changes or process planning. That means they need information that is precise, plain, and actionable. No ambiguity, no guesswork.
If you are a vendor or supplier working in this space, remember your choice of words, clarity of definition, and the accuracy of your message matter. Your reputation and the profession’s ability to act confidently rests on it.
The Accountants 101 training course is designed to help vendors understand accountants, their language, workflows, and challenges, so that every conversation can strengthen trust rather than chip away at it. We’re also here to help review, and where needed, create content that can have impact, but also help reward your brand.
Because in the end, facts are not just details. They are the foundation of your reputation.