With Christmas and New Year fast approaching, the AccountingWEB team reunites for their final podcast of 2024, reflecting on the year’s biggest stories.

They kick off with the 20-year Post Office scandal, which gained renewed attention in 2024 after the ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. The team discusses ongoing lessons and why it’s important to keep this issue in focus.

Next, they tackle HMRC’s pattern of U-turns, including this year’s reversals on double cab pickups and helpline cuts, sharing what these shifts reveal about HMRC’s direction.

The conversation turns to major anti-money laundering (AML) failures, such as Metro Bank’s £16.7m fine and the accountant who faked being an auditor for 34 years. The team questions why AML continues to be an issue and whether things will change.

General election highlights and two budgets – Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget and Rachel Reeves’s inaugural Autumn Budget – also feature, with their impact being examined.

Finally, Richard Hattersley and Tom Herbert share bold predictions for 2025, exploring where the accounting profession might head in the coming year.