Thanks for the link to that report - I guess it is the old message - buyer beware!
There is - however - a slight mistake in the description of tax qualifications in the Which? report. The UK has several qualifications - an adviser can be a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) by passing a series of exams and holding practical experience (the Which? report calls this an ATII qualification, but the name changed 3 years ago to CTA). An adviser can also be a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (FCTA - awarded by a body of work); a member of the Association on Tax Technicians (ATT) by passing a series of exams and holding practical experience; a member of the Federation of Tax Advisers (FTA - again by passing a series of exams and holding practical experience); a Fellow of the Federation of Tax Advisers (FFTA - awarded to the more senior members) and a member of the Tax Faculty of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.
So the layers here just in the tax world are indeed complex. I - for example - am a CTA ATT FFTA and a member of the Tax Faculty of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. I am also qualified in tax in the States.
I am not qualified to provide investment advice or immigration advice. Provision of these services by unregulated advisers can - in some circumstances - be a criminal offence.
This brings me back to my general theory in life. Ask your adviser for her or his qualifications. Go for more serious levels of qualification each and every time, because to my mind saving a few pennies on poor quality advice can cost more in the long run.
