Government to spend tens of millions more to crack down hard on tax fraud December 9, 2022 The Autumn Statement revealed that the government will spend an additional £79m to fight tax fraud in the next five years, as HMRC is promised greater resources to tackle the tax gap. This marks a 27 per cent increase on the £292m investment announced at last year’s Budget. Through the extra £79m, HMRC expects to raise an [...]
Tax Tribunal backlog soars following HMRC crackdown on fraudulent umbrella companies December 4, 2022 The backlog of cases waiting to be heard in the UK’s tax tribunal has surged following an HMRC crackdown on fraudulent “umbrella companies”. The number of cases waiting to be heard in the First-Tier Tax Tribunal has increased 84 per cent over the previous year to heights of 46,000, according to UK government figures. The [...]
UK firms well below EU average for tax roll burden of workers on £30k November 28, 2022 The UK has one of the lowest payroll tax burdens for businesses, with the average cost of employing a worker on £30k being £3,000. A new study by accounting company UHY shows Britain is below the European average, with the cost of keeping a worker in their job being 10 per cent of their salary, [...]
HMRC sues EY following dispute over property tycoon’s tax affairs November 15, 2022 HMRC has filed a High Court lawsuit against EY over alleged misrepresentations to the UK tax authority in relation to British property investor Jamie Ritblat’s tax affairs. The case relates to a broader dispute between HMRC and the Tory donor over taxes on £141m in profits from Ritblat’s Delancey property investment firm, the Financial Times [...]
HMRC’s Covid fraud taskforce to leave billions unaccounted for November 14, 2022 An HMRC unit set up to tackle Covid fraud is set to leave £3.3bn outstanding when it winds down in March 2023, campaigners have warned. The Taxpayer Protection Taskforce, which was set up by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in March 2021, will be phased out, despite having collected less than 25 per cent of the money [...]
Value of UK business tax breaks hits record £105bn in past year alone November 14, 2022 The value of business tax reliefs in the UK hit £105.3bn in the past year, up from £100.3bn in 2020-21, shows new research shared with City A.M. this morning. The £105.3bn figure represents the combined cost estimated by HMRC for the 58 significant tax reliefs available to corporates. However, these represent just a fraction of [...]
Rise in capital gains tax on the cards as Chancellor Hunt scrambles to raise £50bn November 4, 2022 As the Chancellor is weighing up “difficult decisions” to address a £50bn black hole in the public finances, Jeremy Hunt is looking at raising taxes on the sale of assets such as shares and property. Hunt is also considering an increase in dividend tax, in a move that would come as a blow to entrepreneurs. [...]
Council tax rebate goes to 19m households in £150 cost of living boost November 1, 2022 Millions of people have received their £150 council tax rebate from the government, as the deadline to ensure eligibility for it is extended. 19 million households, representing 99 per cent of those who can receive it have now got the money in their bank accounts, it has been announced. In total, £2.87bn of the council [...]
Exclusive: 832,000 businesses face fines and missed VAT returns as new digital tax deadline is today November 1, 2022 UK VAT registered businesses who are yet to sign up for the so-called Making Tax Digital (MTD) by today will fall foul to non-compliance, penalties and an inability to file their VAT returns. The amount of businesses facing a default surcharge penalty is expected to significantly increase in November as a result of businesses being [...]
EY revenues hit record highs as partners prepare to vote on global split November 1, 2022 EY’s UK business today posted record revenues of more than £3.2bn as partners at the Big Four firm prepare to vote on plans for a global split. The UK business’ revenues increased 17.2 per cent as the accountancy firm’s fee incomes were bolstered by a 33 per cent uptick in consulting revenues. A 15 per [...]