Tax cuts could do for our economy today what the Reformation did 502 years ago October 31, 2019 On this day in 1517, German monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints’ church in Wittenberg. In so doing, Luther set in motion a series of events which would have a dramatic impact on the political landscape of Europe, transform the economy, and alter the lives of ordinary people [...]
Longer prison sentences given out for tax evasion October 14, 2019 Prison sentence lengths for tax evasion rose by 10 per cent on average last year as the taxman pushed for tougher punishments to dodgng payments. The average sentence for the deliberate non-payment of tax rose to two years and seven months in 2018 – an increase of two months on 2017’s figures – according to [...]
Facebook pays just £28m in UK corporation tax in 2018 after sales worth almost £800m October 11, 2019 Facebook paid just £28m in UK corporation tax in 2018 according to its latest filing at Companies House. This is despite it having recognised sales worth £797m with a gross profit of £763.4m for the year. Read more: OECD targets tech giants as it shakes up global tax rules It is the latest example of [...]
The chancellor should deliver tax cuts, not more spending October 1, 2019 Sajid Javid used his major conference speech yesterday to announce a raft of new spending pledges. The chancellor’s focus was infrastructure and rural areas, with money promised for bus networks, roads, and the rollout of 5G. This sits alongside the strapline of this year’s Conservative party conference itself, which focuses on spending more on the [...]
Apple accuses EU of misunderstanding its business in €13bn court case September 18, 2019 Apple has accused the European Commission of misunderstanding its business as the tech giant’s appeal against a €13bn tax order entered its second day. The Commission had accused Apple of having dodged taxes and received illegal state aid from Ireland, ordering the company to pay a €13bn Irish tax bill in 2016. Read more: Apple [...]
Apple tells EU court €13bn Irish tax bill ‘defies reality and common sense’ September 17, 2019 An order by the European Commission for Apple to pay a €13bn (£11.5bn) Irish tax bill “defies reality and common sense”, the tech giant said today as it launched a challenge against the ruling. Apple accused the Commission of using its powers to fight state aid to “retrofit changes to national law” at a hearing [...]
Apple prepares to launch EU legal challenge over €13bn Irish tax bill September 16, 2019 Apple is set to launch a legal challenge tomorrow over an order by the European Commission to pay €13bn (£11.5bn) in Irish back taxes, as the EU seeks to crack down on tax avoidance by multinational companies. What’s the case about? The tech giant was accused of having dodged taxes and received €13bn illegal state [...]
‘Bad for business’: Financial lobby group criticises McDonnell’s planned financial transactions tax September 12, 2019 Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell’s plans to extend the scope of Labour’s proposed financial transactions tax have come under criticism from the head of a City lobby group. “A tax on financial transactions would be bad for business, bad for investors, bad for savers, and bad for the economy,” said Miles Celic, chief executive of Thecityuk. [...]
DEBATE: Should capital gains tax be raised and aligned with income tax? September 9, 2019 Should capital gains tax be raised and aligned with income tax, as it was under Margaret Thatcher? YES, says Robert Palmer, executive director of Tax Justice UK Why should someone who goes out to work for a living pay a higher rate of tax than someone living off their wealth? It’s an important question, especially [...]
Number of taxpayers falling six months behind on bills increases September 9, 2019 The number of British taxpayers who are falling well behind on their tax bills has continued to climb, according to research. About 117,000 people are now more than six months behind, according to accountancy Moore Stephens, meaning they have received the second of two penalties of five per cent of the tax they owe. This [...]