CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak has appointed Taunton tax expert and former Gazette business columnist Paul Aplin to the board of the Office of Tax Simplification.

The OTS was established in 2010 to provide advice to the Chancellor on simplifying the UK tax system and was made a permanent, independent office of HM Treasury in July 2015.

OTS chairman Kathryn Cearns said: "I am delighted to welcome Paul as a member of the board.

"He brings a wealth of experience and understanding of tax and related technological developments which will broaden and deepen the expertise available to the board."

Paul, who has the OBE, is also a member of HMRC’s Administrative Burdens Advisory Board and in 2018 served as president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which has 180,000 students and members in 150 countries around the world.

He retired as a partner of A C Mole & Sons last year.

Paul said: "The UK has one of the most complex tax systems in the world and striking a balance between simplicity and fairness is a daunting task, but one in which the OTS has a vital role to play.

"I am delighted to have a chance to play a part in this process and to bring to bear 40 years’ experience of advising West Country businesses and a belief that technology can be used to help navigate tax complexity."