CODE OF ETHICS OF THE LITHUANIAN TAX CONSULTANTS
CODE OF ETHICS OF THE LITHUANIAN TAX CONSULTANTS
1. General provisions
1.1. A Lithuanian tax consultant participates in cooperation between the tax administrator and the taxpayers, represents the interests of taxpayers, promotes, and seeks in every possible way to ensure that both taxpayers and tax administrators act strictly in accordance with legal acts.
1.2. The tax consultant must act only in the best conditions for the client, protect professional honor and dignity, not degrade the name of the tax consultant, and while carrying out professional activities, act in a way that would increase public confidence in the Lithuanian Association of Tax Consultants.
1.3. In carrying out professional activities, the tax consultant strictly adheres to the legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania, the legal acts of the European Union, the statutes of the Lithuanian Association of Tax Consultants, and the decisions adopted by the Board of Tax Consultants of Lithuania and the general meeting of members.
1.4. The purpose of the Tax Consultants' Code of Ethics is to guarantee the proper performance of essential tax consultant functions by voluntarily adhering to it. Failure to adhere to the principles outlined in this code results in disciplinary sanctions or other penalties for the tax consultant.
2. Independence
2.1. Tax consultants, in carrying out their professional activities, must act completely independently and strictly comply with the requirements and legal acts set for the tax consultant profession.
2.2. If a tax consultant accepts a task or other work and it becomes clear that due to certain reasons they cannot properly perform the assigned task or could be influenced by a third party while carrying out the task, the tax consultant must refuse such work.
3. Honesty and Objectivity
3.1. The tax consultant acts honestly and decently in cooperation with other tax consultants, the tax administrator, and other tax consultants.
3.2. When performing professional activities and providing services to a taxpayer, if the tax consultant notices that the client's activities may potentially contradict legal acts, they must immediately inform the client about such a violation of legal acts.
3.3. By agreeing to provide services, the tax consultant indirectly confirms that they are competent to undertake such a task. The tax consultant must refuse to provide services to a client if they know in advance that they will not be able to complete the assigned task, or will be able to do so, but not sufficiently professionally.
4. Confidentiality
4.1. The tax consultant commits and guarantees to the client to protect and not disclose to third parties all information that was received from the client during professional activities.
4.2. If the tax consultant enlists the help of other persons in providing tax consultant services, the tax consultant must require them to adhere to the same confidentiality obligations and is responsible for such person's compliance with confidentiality.
5. Professional Liability
5.1. The tax consultant must have insured their professional civil liability.
5.2. The tax consultant, while providing conditions related to the profession and concluding a contract with a client, may provide for limitations of their liability, provided they do not contradict laws and legal acts.
5.3. Services, consultations, insights, and other services of tax consultants are provided in writing, with each document individually signed and confirmed by the tax consultant to verify that the information has been personally prepared by the tax consultant and is in accordance with legal acts.
6. Relations between Tax Consultants
6.1. In expressing an opinion or commenting on the professional activities and work of another tax consultant, the tax consultant must respond objectively and without degradation.
6.2. Tax consultants commit, in their professional activities, not to degrade other tax consultants and to cooperate maximally in pursuit of the unified goals of the Association of Tax Consultants.
7. Final Provisions
7.1. The responsibility for violation of the norms of the Code of Ethics is determined and applied by the Ethics Commission of the Association of Tax Consultants of Lithuania.
7.2. The Ethics Commission operates in accordance with the regulations prepared for the Ethics Commission, which are approved by the Board of the Association of Tax Consultants of Lithuania.