How Kapten is trying to take Uber’s ride-hailing crown September 23, 2019 Uber has an image problem. The ride-hailing app’s popularity has declined on complaints that its drivers are contributing to congestion and pollution on London’s streets. Uber took a big PR hit last year when Transport for London (TfL) took away its operating licence due to issues with the company’s approach to safety and regulation. The [...]
Zac Goldsmith shared in £16m payout before All Star Lanes went bust September 22, 2019 Investors including Tory MP Zac Goldsmith, diamond mogul Anthony Oppenheimer and fund manager Jim Mellon are said to have shared in a £16m payout from a chain of bowling alleys just months before it went bust. All Star Lanes, which owns four bowling alleys in London, was sold to Risk Capital Partners last week as [...]
For the tax avoidance of doubt: In light of the review into the controversial loan charge, what are the options? September 18, 2019 With reports of people losing their homes, going bankrupt, and even committing suicide, it’s clear that the government’s so-called “loan charge” is hugely problematic. Tens of thousands of freelancers and contractors are being chased for retrospective tax, with some expected to pay debts that date as far back as 1999. Why? Because they signed up [...]
Worried about Brexit’s impact on your business? September 18, 2019 London is one of the world’s business capitals – a world-class financial hub, home to leading businesses across finance, professional services, law, technology, and creativity. While Brexit will not change these fundamentals, we know that it will cause new challenges that firms need to address to continue to be successful. Big firms will weather the [...]
John McDonnell pledges crackdown on City ‘enablers’ of tax avoidance September 15, 2019 Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has vowed to clamp down on City advisers engaged in promoting tax avoidance schemes, calling for hefty fines and even jail terms under a future Labour government. McDonnell directed his fire at “big accountancy firms” which he called “enablers” of tax avoidance, the term used to describe legal efforts to minimise [...]
Audit bigwigs say lack of timetable for reform of troubled regulator is ‘a concern’ September 11, 2019 The heads of two leading audit bodies have expressed concern about perceived government inaction on the reform of the troubled accountancy regulator. Chief executive of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Michael Izza, said slow progress on the reform of the Financial Regulatory Council (FRC) “is something of a concern”. Ian Peters, [...]
HMRC collects £4.4bn from SMEs through investigation of underpaid VAT September 9, 2019 The taxman collected an extra £4.4bn from small and mid-sized businesses through investigations into the underpayment of VAT last year, up 18 per cent from £3.8bn collected in 2017-18. Over £1.7bn was collected from VAT investigations into small businesses alone last year, according to tax investigation insurance firm PFP. PFP said the growth in the [...]
HMRC at risk of not delivering on prosecution targets as Brexit slows tax evasion enforcement September 9, 2019 Lawyers it is “disappointing” that HMRC is on track to miss targets for cracking down on tax evasion and avoidance. The tax authority had set itself a target of increasing the number of criminal investigations that it undertakes into serious and complex tax crime to 100 a year by the end of parliament. However, in [...]
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 [...]
Forex firm hit with record £7.8m fine by HMRC for anti-money laundering failures September 4, 2019 West London money transmitter Touma Foreign Exchange has been fined a record £7.8m by HMRC for breaching anti-money laundering regulations. The taxman said today it fined the Greenford-based firm “for breaching strict regulations, which could have left them at the mercy of criminals looking to wash dirty cash”. Read more: Serious Fraud Office prosecutes just [...]