UK: Customs Information Paper on Exit from the EU
HMRC has issued Customs Information Paper 42 (2016) in relation to the referendum vote to leave the European Union (EU). The paper clarifies that there will be no immediate change to the movement of goods in or out of the UK. Until Article 50
See MoreUK: Proposed tax on sugary drinks criticized by pressure group
As part of the budget proposals for 2016 the UK announced a proposal to impose a tax on sugary drinks with effect from April 2018. This would apply to soft drinks with sugar content above a certain level and would be imposed on the manufacturers of
See MoreUK: Consultation on reforms to the intermediaries legislation for the public sector
The intermediaries legislation was introduced in the UK to ensure that people doing the same work for the same pay were liable to the same tax and national insurance contributions whether employed directly or working through an intermediary such as
See MoreUK: Consultation on changes to double tax treaty passport scheme
The UK imposes withholding tax of 20% on interest paid to overseas lenders. This rate is reduced under some double tax treaties and in this case HMRC can issue a notice directing the UK borrower to apply the reduced rate of withholding tax to
See MoreUK: Consultation on changes to landfill tax
On 26 May 2016 the UK published a consultation document on changes to the definition of a taxable disposal for the purposes of landfill tax. The government also wants to gather information and views on hazardous waste that comes within the scope of
See MoreUK: Consultation on secondary adjustments in transfer pricing legislation
On 26 May 2016 the UK has published a consultation document on the possible introduction of secondary adjustments into the UK transfer pricing legislation. This would in the opinion of the UK government help to ensure taxpayer compliance with the
See MoreUK: Updated guidance on PAYE penalties confirms continuation of penalty easement
HMRC has issued updated guidance on penalties for late filing and non-filing of PAYE returns and how to avoid them. The revised guidance confirms that employers filing their full payment within three days after the due date will not have to pay a
See MoreUK: Report by IMF comments on economic and fiscal policy
On 13 May 2016 the IMF issued a report following the completion of consultations with the UK under Article IV of the IMF’s articles of agreement. The report notes that uncertainty arising from the upcoming referendum on EU membership has affected
See MoreUK: Enterprise Investment Scheme statistics
The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) are two important tax advantaged venture capital schemes in the UK. In addition to these two schemes there are other tax advantaged schemes such as the tax
See MoreUK: Public Accounts Committee publishes report on tackling tax fraud
The UK parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has published the results of an inquiry into how the tax administration HMRC is tackling tax fraud. The report entitled Tackling Tax Fraud was published by the PAC on 15 April 2016. As part of
See MoreUK: Consultation on reform to disclosure of VAT schemes and IHT hallmark regulations
On 20 April 2016 HMRC published a consultation document on reforms to the legislation on disclosure of value added tax (VAT) avoidance schemes and inheritance tax hallmark regulations for the purposes of the Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes
See MoreFive European countries to exchange information on beneficial ownership
On 15 April 2016 it was announced that Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain have agreed to exchange information on beneficial ownership of companies and of "trusts with tax consequences". The five European countries will explore the best way to
See MoreUK: Budget for 2016-2017 Updates Transfer Pricing Guidelines as Per Amended OECD Guidelines
The UK budget for 2016-17 includes an update of the transfer pricing guidelines in line with OECD Guidelines. This measure amends from 1 April 2016 the references within the relevant legislation to incorporate the most recent revisions to the OECD
See MoreUK: Final guidance on tax relief for irrecoverable peer to peer loans
Peer to peer (P2P) lending permits individuals and businesses to lend to each other through the intermediary of an internet platform. A traditional financial middleman such as a bank is not required as the platform acts as a conduit to arrange loans
See MoreUK: Responses to consultation on company distributions
On 24 March 2016 the UK published a summary of responses to the consultation on company distributions. This consultation followed the announcement by the government in the summer budget of 2015 that the taxation of dividend income would be reformed
See MoreUK: Responses to call for evidence on cash and noncompliance
On 24 March 2016 HMRC published a summary of responses to the call for evidence on cash, tax evasion and the hidden economy. The call for evidence had asked for views on the relative decline in the use of cash and its impact on tax compliance, the
See MoreUK: Finance Bill 2016 Published
The UK Finance Bill for 2016 was published on 24 March 2016. The Bill contains tax measures announced in the Budget proposals on 16 March. Individual income tax As announced in the Budget the annual exempt amount for individual income tax is to
See MoreUK: HMRC Clarifies Gift Aid Rules
HMRC has clarified aspects of the rules for UK tax relief for individuals under the Gift Aid provisions. Under these provisions tax relief may be claimed when an individual donor who pays tax in the UK makes a donation, even if the donor includes a
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