Within hours of the Prime Minister announcing a new national lockdown in England, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has issued new warnings after it received reports that fraudsters were attempting to dupe taxpayers by pretending to be the tax authority. Throughout the last year, criminals attempted to scam businesses and individuals out of money by…
According to reports in the Financial Times, the Government is considering launching a new loan scheme, where businesses could borrow anything up to £10 million through an 80 per cent state-guaranteed bank loan. The new scheme, which could be a successor to the existing Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), would provide a permanent state-backed…
An independent commission established last spring by the London School of Economics, the University of Warwick and the Economic and Social Research Council to analyse proposals for a wealth tax has rejected an annual tax but has advocated a one-off charge. The commission comprises senior academics from the universities involved as well as tax barrister,…
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has increased the threshold for Self-Assessment taxpayers to use its online self-service Time to Pay payment plan service from £10,000 in tax liabilities to £30,000. The move means that more taxpayers will be able to spread the cost of their tax bills by paying in monthly instalments, without having to…
A pair of studies have revealed that UK grandparents are reconsidering their plans following the Coronavirus pandemic, which may mean that many families are set to inherit more than they expected to. A survey of 2,006 grandparents, carried out by an investment firm, found one in seven are reassessing how they will pass on their…
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has confirmed that virtual Christmas parties will be eligible for the £150 annual function exemption that employers often put towards in-person festivities at this time of year. Typically, employers can make use of the exemption for a Christmas party, as long as it is open to all employees, or all…
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has issued a reminder of recent changes to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) to taxpayers and the impending deadline for reporting profits from sales of residential property in the 2019-20 tax year. Various changes to how CGT is reported and paid came into effect at the start of the current tax…
A new consultation has been published by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) which explores how the core principles of Making Tax Digital (MTD) can be applied to Corporation Tax (CT). Within the new consultation document, HMRC has made it clear that MTD for CT is a means of tackling the underpayment of tax, especially among…
Local authorities have begun to take legal action against businesses that fail to pay their business rates bills. A new report from property consultancy Colliers has shown that an increasing number of businesses have begun to receive letters demanding payment and/or a court summons. In response, many businesses have started to appeal their business rates…
More than 84,700 food and drink establishments took part in the Eat Out to Help Out (EOTHO) scheme, according to the Treasury’s latest figures. This resulted in 130,000 claims at the end of the scheme and is estimated to have cost the Treasury around £522 million. The claims system was set up quickly by HM…