We recently asked Mark Hunt a few questions about the latest edition of his book UK Taxation - A simplified taxation guide for students 2025-26:

1. Firstly, a bit about the book. What motivates you to write this book? Who do you write this book for?

The book is aimed at university students studying tax for the first time as part of an accountancy, finance, business or law course. It is definitely not a planning guide. The contents broadly follow the key topics on the main accounting bodies tax modules.

2. What is new in this edition of the book? What inspired these changes?

Tax changes every year, so the book always has to be updated. So far this Government seems to be slowing down the speed of changes but we will wait for the November budget. As for the book, I decided this year to rethink how I have use the book in workshops and as a result I removed the true or false questions and instead have included a short number of multiple choice questions to immediately test the learner's knowledge after each chapter.

3. You are a self-proclaimed “tax nerd” – what interests you most about taxation? Is there one myth or common misconception that you would like to dispel about taxation?

I have worked in tax since walking out of my A levels after a few weeks and joining the Inland Revenue on a 6-month training scheme. At that time I knew nothing about tax at all. I had the good fortune to land a tax trainee position and moved into the accountancy profession. Tax keeps you on your toes – there is always something new to learn. The other tax trainee became my wife after a few years working together so I couldn’t escape tax at home either!

So having been involved with tax since the 1980s, I still find the mechanics of our tax system interesting as well as the economics and politics that go with it.

4. What is your favourite thing about teaching your students about taxation? Do you have a fondest/funniest/most interesting moment from your time teaching?

My favourite part of teaching is using stories from my 28 years in the accounting profession to bring topics to life. It is great when you are hinting at something and you look around at your students and you gradually see them realise where the story is going and pick up on the tax issues involved. I also do work at BCU to help other students starting up micro businesses to make sure that they have a basic understanding of tax and meet any deadlines.

Every Budget day, I ask for some student volunteers. We watch the Budget speech live together and I get them working together to write up a short summary of the changes for distribution to the university academics. Every year I have sent the report out within 5 hours of the end of the budget speech.

5. What’s one non-tax book that influenced the way you write or teach?

Nothing springs to mind immediately, but I firmly believe that stories are the key to bringing any teaching to life.

6. Outside of taxation and law, what is something else you might like to write a book about one day?

I am an armchair historian, so there could be a book in there somewhere but no specific plans as of yet. Perhaps that’s one for when I retire!