HSBC chair poured cash into failed tax avoidance investment scheme December 18, 2025 The new chair of HSBC lost money in a tax-avoiding investment scheme that ultimately collapsed, City AM can reveal. Brendon Nelson became a partner and investor in a biofuel exploration business called Future Fuels, itself part of a wider scheme called Elysian Fuels which was operated by Future Capital Partners. The unregulated investment scheme was [...]
Rugby league woes as Oldham RLFC faces winding-up by HMRC December 17, 2025 Oldham RLFC, a club in rugby league’s Championship, was hit with formal legal action by the British tax authority this week, City AM can reveal. In the High Court system, HMRC filed a winding-up petition against Oldham Rugby League Football Club 1876 (Oldham RLFC) on Tuesday. A winding-up petition is a formal notice by a [...]
Fowl play: Morrisons loses £17m VAT battle over rotisserie chickens December 16, 2025 Supermarket giant Morrisons faces a £17m tax bill after the First-Tier Tax Tribunal threw out its dispute over VAT on cool-down rotisserie chickens. The dispute arose from George Osborne’s controversial 2012 Finance Act changes that sought to clarify the VAT treatment of hot takeaway food, famously known as the “pasty tax” debacle. Morrisons tried to [...]
Salary sacrifice: Millions of pension savers impacted by overhaul December 5, 2025 Millions of UK pension savers are set to be hit by salary sacrifice changes unveiled in the Budget, according to new figures. According to figures published by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), an estimated 7.7m employees use salary sacrifice to make pension contributions. This means employees effectively take a pay cut in exchange for higher [...]
Rugby league club Salford Red Devils liquidated after 150 years December 3, 2025 Super League club Salford Red Devils have been liquidated, ending the club’s 152-year existence, amid debts of £4m. The club was wound up at a hearing at the Insolvency and Companies Court of the Royal Court of Justice in London on Wednesday morning after four adjournments at previous hearings. Salford Red Devils were taken over [...]
Budget crackdown on football image rights ‘incredible’, say tax experts November 27, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been accused of disproportionately targeting football for tax rises after the Budget laid out plans for a raid on image rights earnings. Top footballers benefit from setting up image rights companies which are taxed at a lower rate than their salaries, but the government says it will legislate “to ensure that [...]
Budget: Treasury focused on ‘closing tax gap’ with US-style whistleblower scheme November 26, 2025 Rachel Reeves revealed in her Budget that the government continues to focus on closing the tax gap, with new measures set to raise an additional £2bn in tax revenue by 2029-30. The Chancellor pledged that the government will target “fraudulent businesses” that don’t pay their tax by providing HMRC with new compliance powers. A large [...]
Holly Willoughby’s company survives HMRC tax battle November 19, 2025 A media company run by TV presenter Holly Willoughby has survived the latest round of a tax battle with HMRC. Roxy Media was facing a winding-up petition in the Insolvency and Companies Court over a tax debt reported to total £377,000. The petition, a serious statement of intent by a creditor to shut down a [...]
Reeves set to bring in US-style whistleblowing pay for HMRC November 10, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to reveal a US-style whistleblower scheme to combat large-scale tax fraud. Later this month, HMRC is expected to launch a reward scheme, according to the Financial Times, which could pay informants as much as 30 per cent of any taxes collected as a result of tip-offs. The new US-style incentive [...]
Autumn Budget: How could Rachel Reeves change salary sacrifice rules? November 10, 2025 Salary sacrifice schemes have allowed Brits earning more than £100,000 to avoid high taxes since the 1970s. While a pay rise can be lucrative for some employees, for others being dragged over the £100,000 threshold can be financially damaging, particularly for parents of young children who risk having their free childcare hours pulled away and [...]