Moving abroad won’t save you from the British tax man Personal Finance Brits have become ensnared in tax traps following an upheaval of the system by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the past two Autumn Budgets. UK households have been slammed by a number of shake-ups, including an extended freeze of the income tax thresholds, a hike to dividend tax and a new ‘mansion tax’ on properties valued [...]
Family-owned Tottenham brewer falls into administration as industry pressures mount Hospitality A beloved family-owned Tottenham brewery that was a key player in London’s craft beer renaissance has fallen into administration amidst mounting cost pressures on the industry. Redemption Brewing Company, which was the first commercial brewery to open in Tottenham in nearly 100 years, is officially listed on the formal register of new insolvency appointments as [...]
Bezos calls taxing low-paid Amazon workers ‘absurd’ Tax Jeff Bezos has said low-paid Americans should pay no federal income tax, describing the idea of taxing some Amazon workers as “absurd”, as the billionaire founder renewed his criticism of the US tax system. Speaking to CNBC on Wednesday, Bezos said the “bottom half” of US taxpayers should pay zero federal income tax, arguing the [...]
Quantexa boss: ‘Britain can build global AI winners’ May 19, 2026 Vishal Marria is not short of reasons to be cheerful about Britain. At a time when the UK’s tech sector is once again debating listings, capital flight and whether founders inevitably end up scaling overseas, the Quantexa boss remains notably bullish about building and scaling in London. “Yes, we’re HQ’d in London, in the UK, [...]
HMRC fights to close Bolt’s VAT loophole May 19, 2026 Ride-hailing platform Bolt faces the tax authorities in court today over how it calculates and pays its VAT bill. At the centre of this dispute was the question of whether Bolt could use the tour operators’ margin scheme (TOMS). Under this scheme, businesses only pay VAT on the profit margin they make between buying a [...]
Premier League clubs’ success could earn HMRC £40m windfall May 19, 2026 Premier League clubs’ unprecedented success in Europe this season could earn HMRC a £40m windfall, according to tax experts. Bonuses paid out to players for winning domestic and continental trophies could hit £70m, generating a lucrative pot for the taxman, if Arsenal, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace clean up in the next two weeks. The [...]
Tax judge criticises ‘fabricated AI cases’ cited in appeal against HMRC May 18, 2026 A former West Sussex restaurateur has avoided contempt of court after using AI hallucinations as evidence in his £51,000 tax battle against HMRC. HMRC had sent letters to Omar Rafique, former director of Karma Lounge in Worthing, in 2024 demanding payment of over £51,200 and warning that he could face bankruptcy if the debt was [...]
Energy giant clashes with HMRC at UK’s highest court over £28m penalty May 18, 2026 Scottish Power is to face the tax authority at the UK’s highest court over a tax deduction on a £28m penalty to settle a probe with the regulator. The legal case stems from a probe by the energy regulator Ofgem into Scottish Power between 2013 and 2016 regarding mis-selling, poor complaints handling, and a lack [...]
Quantexa chief says £175m HMRC deal will ‘protect taxpayers’ money’ May 14, 2026 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has signed a £175m, 10-year partnership with London-based Quantexa to overhaul its data infrastructure, as the tax authority scrambles to recover billions lost to evasion and sophisticated fraud. The deal – one of the largest tech deployments in the public sector – is designed to fix the “fragmented” legacy systems [...]
City sounds the alarm on pension inheritance tax upheaval May 13, 2026 City grandees have raised the alarm over government plans to overhaul key rules over pensions and inheritance tax. The sweeping reforms will allow scheme providers to retain half an outstanding pension pot to ensure executors can cover potential bills for inheritance tax, or IHT. Due to take effect in April next year, the changes will bring [...]