UK: OECD rules on cross-border arrangements to replace DAC 6
On 4 January 2021 HMRC confirmed that the EU rules on mandatory reporting of cross-border tax arrangements involving an EU member state (DAC 6) will mostly cease to apply in the UK from 2021. Under the EU rules set out in DAC 6, cross-border tax
See MoreUK: Report of the Wealth Tax Commission
On 14 December 2020 the Wealth Tax Commission issued a report outlining its conclusions on the design of a wealth tax for the UK. The report covers one-off and annual wealth taxes and makes recommendations on specific design of a tax in some cases.
See MoreEU finalises Investment Agreement with China
On 30 December 2020 the EU and China confirmed that they have agreed in principle the provisions of an investment agreement. The agreement aims to resolve some of the difficulties that have been encountered by European companies trading in China.
See MoreEU and UK Sign the Trade and Cooperation Agreement
On 30 December 2020 the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement was signed by the EU leaders and by the UK Prime Minister. The deal was also approved by the UK Parliament which was recalled for the purpose of debating and voting on the agreement. The
See MoreEU and UK: Trade and Cooperation Agreement Approved by EU Ambassadors
On 28 December 2020 the EU ambassadors unanimously approved the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the UK. The agreement is to be considered by the UK parliament on 28 December and if approved it will take effect provisionally from
See MoreUK: Statistics on Venture Capital Trusts
On 17 December 2020 the UK released statistics on Venture Capital Trust (VCT) tax relief for the year 2019/2020. The statistics on VCT tax relief are released annually and are important for monitoring and assessment of the effectiveness of the tax
See MoreUK: Research on Enablers and Facilitators of Tax Evasion
On 2 December 2020 HMRC published a research report by IFF Research aiming to reach an improved understanding of the situation of wealth managers, UK goods importers and freight forwarders who may be in a position where they are at risk of
See MoreUK: Evaluation of the Patent Box regime
On 17 November 2020 the UK published an evaluation of the patent box regime. The patent box was designed as an incentive for companies to retain and commercialise their intellectual property in the UK. A lower 10% rate of corporation tax is
See MoreUK: Preliminary Estimate of VAT Gap for 2019/20
On 25 November 2020 HMRC published the preliminary estimate of the value added tax (VAT) gap for 2019/20. The VAT gap indicates the VAT lost for various reasons and is measured as the difference between the amount of VAT actually collected and
See MoreUK: Draft Legislation on Plastic Packaging Tax
On 12 November 2020 the UK issued for consultation draft legislation to introduce a plastic packaging tax. The legislation when finalised would be included in the Finance Bill 2021 and the tax would be implemented from April 2022. The tax
See MoreUK: Changes to the Research and Development Tax Credit for SMEs
On 12 November 2020 the UK government published draft legislation aiming to prevent the abuse of research and development (R&D) tax relief by small and medium companies (SMEs). This follows extensive consultation on the issue. The SME
See MoreUK: Further draft legislation published for Finance Bill 2021
On 12 November 2020 the UK government published for consultation further draft legislation in relation to the Finance Bill 2021. Comments are invited by 7 January 2020. This follows the publication of draft legislation on 21 July 2020 in
See More
UK: Updated Statistics on Transfer Pricing and Diverted Profits Tax
On 12 November 2020 HMRC published updated statistics relating to transfer pricing and the diverted profits tax for 2019/20 (the year to 31 March 2020). In 2019/20 a total of 125 transfer pricing enquiries were settled, with an average
See MoreUK: Consultation on Making Tax Digital for Corporation Tax
On 12 November 2020 HMRC published a consultation document concerning Making Tax Digital (MTD) for corporation tax (CT). The closing date for comments from interested parties is 5 March 2021. Under MTD for CT all entities within the charge
See MoreIMF: Concluding Statement Following a Review of the UK Economy
On 29 October 2020 the IMF published a report on the UK economy following the conclusion of the 2020 Article IV consultations. In the UK the pandemic has been more severe than in most other European countries, impacting an economy already
See MoreOECD: Economic Survey of UK
On 14 October 2020 the OECD published on its website its economic survey of the UK. The outlook for the UK is uncertain with the combination of Brexit and the COVID-19 crisis. Since July 2020 the UK has begun a new phase of support for business
See MoreUK: Statistics on Research and Development Tax Relief
On 30 September 2020 HMRC published the statistics for claims for research and development (R&D) tax relief in the UK. By monitoring tax relief schemes HMRC can examine the level of use of the schemes and gain some insight into the
See MoreUK: Statistics on Patent Box Tax Relief
The patent box legislation allows companies in the UK to apply a lower corporation tax rate to profits earned from qualifying patented inventions and specified equivalent types of intellectual property. The relief was first introduced from 1 April
See More