Bolt set for £190m VAT bill after legal defeat Tax Ride-hailing platform Bolt has been refused permission to appeal a case brought by HMRC over how it calculates and pays its VAT. This follows HMRC winning an appeal in June against the Estonian tech giant over its VAT payments and calculations, overturning earlier decisions that had ruled in Bolt’s favour. The tax authority brought the [...]
Central London Alliance Summit to bring London’s business and political leaders together to debate the future of the capital Sponsored Business leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs and leading voices from across London’s economy will come together on 14 October for the Central London Alliance Summit 2026, to debate the opportunities and challenges shaping the capital’s future. The Central London Alliance Summit 2026 will bring together hundreds of business leaders, policymakers, innovators and industry experts for a full [...]
British Airways defeats HMRC in £5.8m Heathrow cabin crew tax dispute Tax British Airways has won a tax battle against HMRC over whether costs tied to cabin crew accommodation at London Heathrow Airport were subject to £5.8m in income tax and national insurance contributions. Following an appeal in June, the Upper Tribunal ruled in favour of the airline on Monday, dismissing the tax authority’s claim and finding [...]
Legal sector warns against tax ‘raid’ proposal on client account interest ahead of Budget September 29, 2026 London’s legal sector has sounded the alarm over government plans to cut interest on law firms’ client accounts to fund the justice department, warning it could drive some law firms out of business. The Ministry of Justice’s consultation on a proposal to introduce an Interest on Lawyers’ Client Accounts Scheme (ICLA) closed in March after [...]
Personal allowance hike on the menu at October Budget September 24, 2026 The Chancellor is weighing up proposals to raise the personal allowance at next month’s Budget in what could be the biggest shake-up to income tax rules in years. John Healey is reportedly considering unfreezing the income threshold at which earners start paying tax from £12,570 to as much as £15,570. The unfreezing would be the [...]
Collagen business founder loses £3.6m tax battle September 23, 2026 The founder of a collagen company has lost a battle over a £3.6m tax bill after a judge ruled his product could not be classified as food and therefore cannot claim VAT exemption. Tony Sanguinetti founded Minerva Research Labs in London in 2009 after he “became slightly obsessed with finding a way to reverse the [...]
Baker Tilly chief warns Budget may carry ‘pain cost’ for businesses bracing tax changes September 23, 2026 The chief executive of professional services giant Baker Tilly International has warned the upcoming Budget will likely carry a heavy “pain cost” for UK businesses bracing for tax changes. “It’s going to be a ride, isn’t it,” Francesca Lagerberg, Baker Tilly International‘s chief executive told City AM. “The mood music is that it won’t be [...]
Addison Lee founder defeated in £20m non-dom tax dispute September 18, 2026 The founder of premium minicab firm Addison Lee has failed to overturn a £20.5m tax bill from HMRC after arguing that he should be treated as a non-dom in spite of having lived in England for most of his life. Sir John Griffin, aged 84, who was born in England in 1942 to Irish parents [...]
Burnham calls for honesty then sticks his head in the sand September 3, 2026 Andy Burnham declared this week that “change begins with honesty.” My ears pricked up. Was our new Prime Minister about to deliver some hard truths? Of course he wasn’t. The honesty Burnham had in mind was very much “his truth” rather than “the truth.” We were told that all the country’s problems were down to [...]
HMRC mansion tax inspectors to target homes for property valuations August 23, 2026 HMRC will send mansion tax inspectors to homes across the UK to determine whether homeowners should pay more tax under the new levy. The taxman will deploy valuation agents who will be able to demand entry to properties in order to assess whether they are worth over £2m and therefore fall under The High Value [...]