HMRC officially launches digital Personal Tax Accounts online, with more than a million users to have access by mid-December 2015 December 14, 2015 The taxman is coming to a computer screen near you, after HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) officially launched its online Personal Tax Accounts (PTA) today. The digital PTAs aim to provide people with a clearer and more real-time picture of their tax situation. More than a million self-assessment taxpayers will have access to their account by [...]
Why the war on buy-to-let will make the UK housing crisis worse December 10, 2015 Landlords sighed with relief at the Conservative victory in the General Election in May. Faced with the threat of rent controls from the Labour Party, they had looked forward to a government that accepted the importance of the rental market, and supported its development while properly targeting the crooks renting out sub-standard accommodation. But [...]
Bolton receive winding up petition from HMRC over unpaid tax bills December 10, 2015 Bolton Wanderers have received a winding-up petition from HMRC over unpaid PAYE and VAT tax bills. The Championship club is believed to be losing £1m per month and has outstanding bills owed to HMRC worth around £600,000. Its playing squad, currently positioned bottom of the Championship, went unpaid in November as owner Eddie Davies and [...]
Global law firm Pinsent Masons warns that proposed tax avoidance rules for large businesses could make HMRC “judge, jury and executioner” December 10, 2015 A global law firm has today criticised HM Revenue & Customs’s (HMRC) recently announced plans for cracking down on tax avoidance by businesses, saying that parts of the proposals would make HMRC the “judge, jury and executioner.” Further details on legislation that would allow the UK tax authority to place large businesses under special measures if [...]
HMRC publishes draft legislation designed to extend tax evasion offences to companies who failed to prevent it happening December 9, 2015 HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) today published the results of its consultation, alongside draft legislation, for a proposed criminal offence for companies which fail to prevent the facilitation of tax evasion. The draft legislation lays down provisions for a criminal offence where somebody who is performing services on behalf of a company commits tax evasion. [...]
Bookie Ladbrokes loses £54m gamble on tax avoidance scheme, as tribunal finds in favour of HMRC December 2, 2015 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced today that it had won a tax avoidance case worth £54m against Ladbrokes. The ruling at the first-tier tribunal prevents the bookmakers from reclaiming £54m in tax, and the tax authority has said it has another three similar cases in the pipeline worth £112m. “Avoidance just doesn’t pay – we [...]
Gender pay gap: Proportion of female high earners remains stubbornly unchanged at 27 per cent November 30, 2015 Just over a quarter of the UK’s high earners are women, and new research shows this proportion hasn’t budged in years, despite initiatives to shrink the pay gap between men and women. In absolute numbers, there are more women earning a high salary, as the number of high earners among both sexes has gone up [...]
The proportion of female high earners has stayed the same at just over a quarter for the last four years November 30, 2015 The proportion of female high earners has not increased over the last four years. Research released today by law firm Clyde & Co discovered that, using data obtained from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the proportion of women who pay tax at a higher rate had remained unchanged at 27 per cent over the time [...]
New initiative rakes in £300m from stamp duty avoidance clampdown November 30, 2015 HMRC has raked in over £300m in one year through clamping down on stamp duty land tax (SDLT), according to new research released this morning. The government’s new Counter Avoidance Directorate (CAD) collected £301.8m from the tax applied to property and land transactions in the 12 months to March, data from law firm Collyer Bristow [...]
Four partners at KPMG Belfast office arrested and put on leave as HMRC starts investigation November 26, 2015 Four partners at the Belfast offices of KPMG have been arrested after HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) started an investigation. Representatives from the tax authority visited the offices of the big four firm yesterday. It is understood the partners involved are Jon D'Arcy, Eamonn Donaghy, Arthur O'Brien and Paul Hollway. Donaghy is the head of KPMG's [...]