National Audit Office investigation finds 3.2m people could have paid the wrong amount of tax May 25, 2016 More than three million taxpayers could have paid the wrong amount of tax last year after staff cuts at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) saw the number of tax investigations double and people were left waiting nearly an hour to speak to the taxman. An investigation from the National Audit Office (NAO) found that the number of [...]
Sportech share price jumps as court refuses HMRC appeal over Spot the Ball taxes May 24, 2016 Shares in pools operator Sportech have jumped by over 15 per cent today, after its success in the latest round of its legal battle with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The Court of Appeal has refused HMRC permission to appeal its judgment in favour of Sportech relating to a £97m tax repayment claim to the Supreme Court. The [...]
UK property transactions down by 45 per cent in April as stamp duty changes hit May 24, 2016 The number of property transactions in the UK fell by 45 per cent between March and April, according to new data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The figures from HMRC show 94,370 properties were sold in April compared to 164,400 in March as landlords scrambled to snap-up homes before stamp duty changes came into effect, putting a [...]
Performance vehicle: Five tips to get the most mileage from your Sipp May 24, 2016 Whether you’re a young saver prepared to take on more risk, or a retiree who doesn’t want to trade their nest egg for an annuity, self-invested personal pensions (Sipps) are tax-efficient vehicles which put you at the controls. Also known as DIY pension schemes, Sipps can be used to invest in any number of assets [...]
Cut capital gains tax with EIS investment May 24, 2016 Investors facing a capital gains tax bill have an opportunity to cut it down by investing in the UK’s early stage businesses. Chancellor George Osborne recently cut the rate of capital gains tax to 20 per cent, down from 28 per cent. It’s applicable in the current tax year, but anyone who made a capital gain [...]
Burrito costs are going up by 20 per cent – here’s why May 16, 2016 The cost of producing a burrito is about to rise 20 per cent after a landmark tribunal hearing between a Mexican takeaway chain Chilango and HMRC. Judge Barbara Mosedale – who has previously ruled that filling in online tax returns was a breach of religious rights in certain cases – agreed with HMRC that burritos were hot food, meaning that [...]
Payroll tax errors bag the taxman an extra £737m May 16, 2016 Payroll errors are costing companies, particularly smaller companies, a pretty penny, research released today has found. According to the study by accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has bagged itself an additional £737m through investigations into slip-ups on payroll compliance, and over half (£373m) of that amount comes from SMEs. UHY Hacker [...]
EU referendum: National Insurance registrations shows immigration to be higher than thought because of short-term migration, ONS says May 12, 2016 The number of non-UK nationals registering for National Insurance (NI) numbers is higher than other official statistics due to short-term migration, long-awaited analysis has shown. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found a large number of people entered the UK for a short period of time (one to twelve months) over the past two years, which [...]
HMRC makes almost 1,500 demands in one year to lawyers and accountants to cough up client details May 9, 2016 The UK's tax authority issued just shy of 1,500 demands in the space of a year to lawyers and accountants for information on clients suspected of committing crimes, figures released today show. The research by City law firm RPC discovered the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) issued 1,468 production orders last year – and more than [...]
Panama Papers: Here’s what you need to know ahead of the database release on Monday May 8, 2016 A database packed with information from the Panama Papers leak is due to be released tomorrow, providing authorities worldwide with potentially valuable leads for their investigations. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) announced that it would be launching the searchable database about a fortnight ago and wrote in a blog post that the database will contain information [...]