Bean Counters
The Triumph of the Accountants and How They Broke Capitalism
Published on 7. March 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-78649-031-5 (ISBN)
Description
'A devastating expose.' Mail on Sunday
They helped cause the 2008 financial crash.
They created a global tax avoidance industry.
They lurk behind the scenes at every level of government...
The world's 'Big Four' accountancy firms - PwC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and KPMG - have become a gilded elite. Up in the high six figures, an average partner salary rivals that of a Premier League footballer. But how has the seemingly humdrum profession of accountancy got to this level? And what is the price we pay for their excesses?
Leading investigative journalist Richard Brooks charts the profession's rise to global influence and offers a gripping expose of the accountancy industry. From underpinning global tax avoidance to corrupting world football, Bean Counters reveals how the accountants have used their central role in the economy to sell management consultancy services that send billions in fees its way. A compelling history informed by numerous insider interviews, this is essential reading for anyone interested in how our economy works and the future of accountancy.
They helped cause the 2008 financial crash.
They created a global tax avoidance industry.
They lurk behind the scenes at every level of government...
The world's 'Big Four' accountancy firms - PwC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and KPMG - have become a gilded elite. Up in the high six figures, an average partner salary rivals that of a Premier League footballer. But how has the seemingly humdrum profession of accountancy got to this level? And what is the price we pay for their excesses?
Leading investigative journalist Richard Brooks charts the profession's rise to global influence and offers a gripping expose of the accountancy industry. From underpinning global tax avoidance to corrupting world football, Bean Counters reveals how the accountants have used their central role in the economy to sell management consultancy services that send billions in fees its way. A compelling history informed by numerous insider interviews, this is essential reading for anyone interested in how our economy works and the future of accountancy.
Reviews / Votes
A timely expose... A comprehensive yet wildly readable indictment of the "Big Four" accountancy firms. * Sunday Times * An improbably rollicking history of the accountancy profession... Such a good book... Any MP interested in making the City trustworthy again should take this book on their holidays. * Prospect * Explosive... a devastating expose * Mail on Sunday * Gripping. This is a must-read for anyone who seeks to expose corruption and bad behaviour. * Margaret Hodge MP - former Chair of the Public Accounts Committee * With forensic detail, Richard Brooks has exposed the march of the accountants from humble bean counters to a small cartel dominating modern capitalism. * John McDonnell MP - Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer * Impeccably researched and written, this is a ground-breaking expose of a profession that has lost the plot. Everyone in business and finance should read this. * Ian Fraser - Bestselling author of Shredded: Inside RBS, the Bank That Broke Britain * Truly devastating. How many more workers and pensioners will have their lives and expectations smashed, before politicians pluck up the courage to require those occupying the heights of British capitalism to get their accounting and auditing houses in order? * Frank Field MP - Chairman of the Work and Pensions Select Committee * Richard Brooks is a digger and a troublemaker who niggles away at difficult subjects in a meticulous, punchy and highly effective way * Alan Rusbridger - Former Editor, The Guardian * Brooks says things that have needed saying for many years. * John Kay - Financial Times columnist and Visiting Professor of Economics, London School of Economics *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
Black-and-white line drawings/graphs and photos throughout (integrated)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
317 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78649-031-5 (9781786490315)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
06/2018
Atlantic Books
€11.49
Available for download
Person
Richard Brooks is a British investigative journalist for Private Eye, and author of several books. Brooks worked for the British government as an HMRC tax inspector until 2005, followed by a year at the Treasury giving ministers policy advice.