Clock ticking on Making Tax Digital as HMRC struggles to win over SMEs September 4, 2025 With six months until nearly 800,000 self-employed people and landlords join Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax, HMRC is intensifying efforts to get more taxpayers to test the system. But the numbers so far paint a sobering picture of the challenge ahead for the agency. Data revealed that 2,400 users have joined HMRC’s beta [...]
If Rayner survives she’ll be much diminished September 4, 2025 Politically, this is fish in a barrel stuff. If you’re on the record saying that “every pound of tax that’s not delivered to the Chancellor of the Exchequer means that it damages our public services” [sic] and you’ve taken aim at your political opponents by claiming that “it’s one rule for them and one rule [...]
Angela Rayner on the brink: Deputy PM underpaid stamp duty on purchase of £800,000 property September 3, 2025 Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has referred herself to the standards watchdog after she admitted to underpaying stamp duty on her second home in Hove. A spokesperson for Keir Starmer has refused to confirm the date Rayner informed the Prime Minister about her tax dealings, raising questions on when he found out about new tax [...]
Salford Red Devils handed HMRC lifeline by tax authorities September 3, 2025 Super League side Salford Red Devils have had a winding-up petition issued by HMRC adjourned for a second time. City AM exclusively revealed in May that the troubled rugby league club had been hit with a winding-up petition by tax authorities after it was reported that the club owed HMRC £500,000. But the petition was [...]
How likely are property tax reforms in the Autumn budget? September 3, 2025 Rumours have been swirling in Westminster about a variety of property tax changes Rachel Reeves might introduce in this Autumn’s budget – or further down the line – in an attempt to plug a £40bn gap in the nation’s finances while overhauling a complex system of levies and charges. The Treasury is reportedly looking into [...]
Home Office contractor proposes investor visa for ‘business angels’ September 2, 2025 A Home Office contractor has put forward plans for an investor visa to be re-introduced as advisers claimed a targeted entry route for wealthy foreign nationals would be “dramatically beneficial” for the UK economy. Envestors, an investment service that assesses entrepreneurs applying to enter the UK via the innovator founder visa, has argued that a [...]
Conservatives call for ethics probe into Angela Rayner’s tax affairs August 30, 2025 Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner should face an ethics inquiry over her tax affairs, the Conservatives have said. The Telegraph newspaper claimed that Rayner, who is also the Housing Secretary, saved £40,000 in stamp duty on a second home she bought in Hove for £800,000. This was because she removed her name from the deed [...]
House sales rise in summer, but will property tax rumours kill confidence? August 29, 2025 The UK housing market has proved remarkably resilient this year despite significant pressures, with sales on track to match 2022 highs. The number of UK residential transactions in July was 95,580, four per cent higher than July 2024 and one per cent higher than June 2025, according to the latest data from HMRC. The market [...]
Thousands face fines after HMRC misses CGT update August 29, 2025 Tax experts have warned that “tens of thousands” of people could fall foul of penalties this year after tech issues left HMRC’s online filing system unable to properly reflect the recent changes to capital gains tax as implemented in Rachel Reeves’ first budget last year. The chancellor’s Autumn Budget increased CGT rates on disposals of [...]
CPS charges former Entain execs over alleged bribery August 28, 2025 The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has charged 11 individuals, including five former Entain executives, with several offences, including bribery and conspiracy to defraud, in connection with its investigation into the company’s former Turkish business. Commenting in a press statement, CPS’s chief crown prosecutor, Hannah von Dadelsze, confirmed that it was authorised to prosecute 11 individuals [...]