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Paul de Voil
Paul de Voil
Paul de Voil died on 9 August 2002. I first met Paul in 1972 when he was writing the original commentary for the work which will always be associated with his name: De Voil on Value Added Tax. Douglas Willson who had retired as the solicitor to Customs in 1970 and was then working with me, had been asked by the publishers to review the material and he asked me to assist him in this task. I was astonished that anyone whose experience had previously been confined to direct tax should be able to grasp and understand so quickly the novel concepts of this new form of taxation. But Paul had an exceptional intellect.
Certainly, Paul enjoyed a distinguished career which included a period working for Arthur Young, and he also served as a Special Commissioner and a part-time chairman on the VAT and Duties Tribunals.
During the years between 1975 and 1995, I shared the platform at VAT conferences and seminars on many occasions with Paul, and he never ceased to amaze me with the depth of his knowledge and understanding of indirect taxation together with his ability to impart that knowledge to his audience.
A man of many parts, Paul was a classicist, a wit and a man of immense compassion for his fellow men. He was also an ordained minister of the Church of England, and honorary chaplain to the Company of Tax Advisers. His untimely death will sadden all who knew him besides being a great loss to the tax profession.
Contributed by Hugh Mainprice
