Tribute to Robin Williamson CTA (Fellow)

The Chartered Institute of Taxation and Low Incomes Tax Reform Group are deeply saddened by the news of the death of Robin Williamson CTA (Fellow).

Robin was an early LITRG volunteer, playing an instrumental role in setting up the charity Tax Help for Older People in 2001 after which he went on to become LITRG’s first Technical Director, serving in the role from 2003 to 2018.

Before working for LITRG Robin trained as a solicitor and worked as Senior Technical Editor for tax publishers CCH. He wrote and lectured extensively on personal tax matters throughout his career. After leaving his role at LITRG he worked as a senior policy adviser for the Office of Tax Simplification, as well as remaining an active LITRG volunteer on the Group’s advisory panel alongside his wife Jane Moore. They were a tax couple, as Jane was technical director at TaxAid and latterly editor of ICAEW’s TAXline magazine.

In 2015 Robin was awarded the MBE in recognition of his work for low income taxpayers. In 2020 he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement award at the Tolley’s Taxation Awards.

CIOT President Susan Ball has paid tribute to Robin and his legacy, saying:

“Robin was a hugely effective communicator and campaigner for taxpayers on low incomes: standing up for ‘digitally excluded’ taxpayers, fighting for safeguards to protect those in tax debt, achieving reforms which have benefited disabled people and carers. These are just three of the many areas in which Robin made an impact for low income taxpayers, recognised with the MBE he was so deservedly awarded in 2015 and the Lifetime Achievement award just two years ago.

“Robin will be hugely missed but his legacy lives on, in the reforms he helped pass and the ongoing work of the LITRG team, which he did so much to develop and encourage.”

Current Head of LITRG Victoria Todd also paid tribute to Robin, saying:

“The whole LITRG team of staff and volunteers are deeply upset by this news. I know that LITRG held a special place in Robin’s heart, not only because he was utterly dedicated to the cause, but also because it was where he met his wife Jane in 1999. Robin and Jane celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in July this year.

“There isn’t enough space in one article to list all of Robin’s remarkable achievements in his career. He was widely known as a tax technical expert, but he had knowledge about so many other areas like classics, languages, history and theology. He was also an accomplished amateur viola player and I remember fondly our conversations about his music as he attended his annual orchestra camp. What I will remember most though is his kindness and unwavering support. Robin took great pride in the team he built at LITRG. He once said that the foundations of his own career in tax were laid by one of his law lecturers. To me, Robin was that law lecturer who encouraged me to move from welfare rights to tax and sit my ATT exams. I will forever be grateful for the impact Robin has had on my career and it is because of him that I was able to follow him into the role as Head of LITRG.

“We will greatly miss Robin, but all of us at LITRG will honour his memory by continuing to work hard to tackle issues on behalf of low income taxpayers as Robin himself did.”