Paul Gisby, after studying psychology at Manchester University, qualified as a chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser and spent 20 years in the North West of England working in private practice. As a general practice partner, he gained a wide experience of accounting, auditing, and providing financial advice. After moving to Brussels, he joined Accountancy Europe – an international organisation representing nearly 1 million professional accountants through its 50 member bodies, in all sectors of the profession. His primary focus is on tax, and he is a frequent speaker on tax policy and VAT issues. He represents Accountancy Europe’s at the European Commission’s VAT Expert Group and has been a member of the EU Platform for Tax Good Governance. He leads Accountancy Europe’s work on public sector accounting standards and is a member of the Consultative Advisory Group of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board. He also supervises Accountancy Europe’s SME related activities.