Senior accountants could be made personally responsible for their firm's tax arrangements as part of proposals included in yesterday's Budget.
Included in the document were plans which would see senior accounting officers at large firms "take reasonable steps to establish and monitor accounting systems so that they are adequate for tax reporting purposes".
The rules, which would be part of the finance bill 2009, will also commit those in such a role to certifying that accounting systems are suitable for the task.
Any problems with the system will have to be communicated to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Angus Johnson, global tax function effectiveness business leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said: "The new provision significantly increases HMRC's armoury in this area and its personal impact will undoubtedly have a mind-concentrating effect on the chief financial officers and others in large companies."
Those who think they may be affected by the changes should start preparing now, rather than waiting for the law to come into force, he added.
Before the Budget, PwC had called on the government to ensure proposals included in the speech helped the UK economy to recover.
