This week's opinion: 16 December 2021

This is the last issue of Taxation before the Christmas break. Normally we would include a look back over the year. We had one ready to go, but the political turmoil of the past week or so and the worrying signs of the spread of the Omicron variant mean that it is probably wise to wait until the year is actually over before offering any thoughts. After all we don’t want to repeat the experience of the famous ‘Dewey defeats Truman’ headline (tinyurl.com/2p8k4htx).

But what certainly will not change between now and the new year is my gratitude to all those who contribute to the magazine. We are exceptionally lucky to be able to call upon a huge pool of experienced and talented writers, who week after week produce articles of the highest quality. 

Some of our best-known writers have been contributing for years and we are extremely grateful for their continued support. But what pleases me even more is the opportunities which we can give to new writers starting to make their mark in the profession. I know from my own experience of being published for the first time many years ago, the huge confidence boost being published in the magazine can provide: it can be a real step forward in your career development. 

Not only are our writers experts but they are a genuine pleasure to work with – always being open to suggestions for new articles or accepting editorial input on their latest work. And they never let us down over deadlines (well, hardly ever!). So thanks to all of them and also to the many regular contributors to Readers’ forum. Readers may not know who they all are because they are happy to share their wisdom under pseudonyms, but I can assure everyone that their collective expertise is unrivalled.