Middlesex students provide tax advice at busy North London shopping centre

The Middlesex University Tax and Accounting Clinic (MDXTAC) offers free tax and accounting support to businesses, charities and local people 

Middlesex students provided advice on taxation and accounting to the public at one of North London’s busiest retail destinations. The Middlesex University Tax and Accounting Clinic (MDXTAC) staged a pop-up advice stand at Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

Two final-year students from Middlesex University's Accounting and Finance BA (Hons) programme volunteered at the stand, supervised by Angeli Arora and Shan Wang, both Senior Lecturers and Chartered Accountants in the Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics. They offered free tax and accounting guidance to members of the public beneath the centre's dome.

The event generated strong engagement, with visitors raising questions on Making Tax Digital (MTD) a government initiative requiring businesses with income over £50,000 to maintain digital records, self-employment registration process, and inheritance tax, reflecting the real and pressing financial concerns facing everyday people.

One of the students involved Ivy Gayon said: "The Middlesex Tax and Accounting Clinic (MDXTAC) pop-up stand at Brent Cross was a highly engaging and positive experience. Many visitors were particularly interested in understanding the 'Making Tax Digital' scheme alongside self-employment invoicing and self-assessments, highlighting a clear need for accessible guidance and awareness in these areas.

"Through MDXTAC, not only did I develop valuable communication and client-facing skills but also gained practical experience explaining tax and accounting concepts in a clear and approachable way and strengthened my confidence in providing tailored financial guidance to individuals. I would love to keep building this experience with MDXTAC and bring everything I learn to the professional finance sector in the future.”

Fellow student Hesam Masudi, who also worked on the stand, said: “Working as a volunteer for the Tax and Accounting Clinic at Brent Cross was a great experience, the interactions with the public went very smoothly. There were many members of the public that engaged throughout the period we were present and I strongly believe the service provided on the day was to a strong level that assisted those who engaged with us. The experience was very refreshing and tested my ability to translate technical taxation terms to a more general level whilst also allowing me to have one on ones within in-client situations.”

The initiative is part of TAC's ongoing commitment to civic engagement, taking professional-standard advice beyond the university walls and into the heart of the communities it serves.

"Events like this are at the core of what the clinic stands for. Our students aren't just learning about tax, they're practising it, under rigorous professional supervision, in the real world. For the student volunteers, it offered something no lecture theatre can fully replicate: live client interaction, real enquiries, and the responsibility of representing a professional service. And the public gets access to free, reliable guidance they might otherwise struggle to find."

Shan Wang, Director of MDXTAC

The clinic, which has been operating for three years, provides free tax and accounting support to micro sized organisations, local small charities, and individuals who live and work in the community. This support service includes financial accounts preparation, tax compliance and independent examination of small charities.

MDXTAC can be reached at tac@mdx.ac.uk or find out more information via its website. Find out more about studying Accounting and Finance at Middlesex University.