London Sports Festival moves from 3×3 basketball success to pickleball at the City of London Corporation’s Guildhall Yard
Exclusive: Tax benefits turn luxury watches into investment asset as imports swell to £500m September 13, 2021 A new audience of buyers of luxury watches is increasingly taking the market by storm as they view watches that contain precious metals as a stand-alone investment asset. The value of premium luxury watches imported into the UK increased 43 per cent in the last decade, with £488m worth of imports last year alone, compared to just £276m [...]
HMRC confirms probe into 153 people suspected of aiding tax evasion September 13, 2021 HMRC has confirmed it is investigating 153 suspected ‘enablers of tax evasion’, including unregulated tax advisers. Cracking down on ‘enablers of tax evasion’ has been a key area of focus for HMRC since it established its Fraud Investigation Service in 2015. HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service has been given additional resources to recruit more staff and, as a result, the number of investigations into [...]
Estimating figures: The new normal for tax September 10, 2021 ICAS has sent in its response to HMRC’s consultation on Basis Period reform, but what does it all mean for professional partnerships, seasonal businesses and others brought within the changes? And is there a wider application to the corporate sector? Priming the sat nav with the correct address for the final destination is a useful precaution even [...]
More than half UK SMEs delay adopting IR35 tax reforms September 6, 2021 More than half of the UK’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have not put in formal processes to adhere to changes to the IR35 rules, according to a new survey. A survey from advisory firm BDO found 55 per cent of SMEs using contract workers say they will worry about IR35 reforms when businesses return [...]
Freeports face delay due to ‘lack of tax detail’, experts say September 2, 2021 Tax experts have warned that the opening of England’s eight new freeports would likely be delayed because the government had yet to reveal details of the tax regime for the programme. After the locations for the new free trade zones were announced during March’s Budget the Treasury said that the programme could be up and [...]
Accounting body urges government to scrap tax reform plans September 1, 2021 The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has today called for the government to drop tax reform plans which, the accounting body says, “will likely to create as many problems as it might solve”. The ICAEW today published a response to the UK government’s consultation on basis period reform. It reiterated the [...]
Civil investigations by HMRC fell during lockdown August 28, 2021 HMRC civil investigations into suspected tax evasion have fallen during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to FOI data obtained by national accountancy group UHY Hacker Young. The organisation said HMRC opened 278 civil investigations into suspected tax evasion during the first ten months of the pandemic, between 1 April 2020 to 31 January [...]
Watches of Switzerland poaches Rank Group’s finance boss August 26, 2021 Mecca Bingo and Grosvenor Casino owner Rank Group this morning confirmed its chief financial officer is heading to Watches of Switzerland. Bill Floydd tendered his resignation in order to take up the same role at the FTSE-listed luxury retailer. Rank CEO John O’Reilly said Floydd “helped secure the group’s liquidity and future through the pandemic [...]
Rallying retail stocks lift FTSE 250 to fresh record high August 25, 2021 A rally among retail and consumer goods stocks drove the mid-cap FTSE 250 to a fresh record high today. The domestically-focused mid-cap index pulled back slighlty from morning gains that saw it reach a new summit, but it registered its highest closing score ever, up 0.42 per cent today to 23,986.37 points. Over the last [...]
Mecca Bingo owner Rank Group’s shares rise after win in VAT battle with HMRC August 25, 2021 Shares in Mecca Bingo and Grosvenor Casino owner Rank Group jumped today on the news it’s likely to secure an £80m tax rebate from HMRC. The long-running tax spat looks likely to conclude with the gambling firm nabbing a rebate of up to £80m from a VAT claim after HMRC chaose not to appeal against an [...]