What next for BR in the UK?

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has just published a very interesting report on how they view the development of better regulation in the UK, undoubtedly one of the pioneers and currently the most advanced country in this field. In the introduction, ACCA describes its purpose: “At a time when the regulatory reform agenda in Britain and abroad is facing increasing skepticism from both its supporters and its detractors. Written with the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in mind, Coming of Age: What Next for the UK Regulatory Reform Agenda? draws on the experience of ACCA’s members, on the views of our respected and influential SME Committee, on ACCA’s own experience as a (self-)regulator and on an extensive review of the literature on regulatory reform in Europe and beyond.” The approach is also presented as “Based on a template of regulation-as-taxation, it builds on first principles to discuss the fundamental shortcomings of the UK’s Better Regulation programme and how it can be reformed in order to deliver better outcomes for small and medium-sized enterprises”. A most valuable contribution to the discussion, with both lessons learnt from past BR programmes and conceptual advances. Our thanks to E. Schizas from ACCA.