The government has published draft legislation for Finance Bill 2018-19 which is currently open for consultation, and ‘continues the government’s commitment to a competitive and fair tax system’. The draft legislation could affect a range of taxes, from Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) to income tax. The draft legislation also outlines the government’s approach to the Making Tax Di ...

The Government is reminding ‘stressed out parents’ that help may be available for childcare costs during the summer holidays. According to a YouGov poll, 31% of parents feel stressed trying to arrange childcare for the school holidays. The poll, for HMRC, also found that around 30% of parents worried about balancing their job and school holiday childcare. With 54% admitting the ...

From April 2019, the National Assembly for Wales will be able to vary the rates of income tax payable by Welsh taxpayers. Responsibility for many aspects of income tax will remain with the UK government, and the tax will continue to be collected by HMRC for Welsh taxpayers. The process for setting Welsh rates of income tax From April 2019, the UK government will reduce each ...

HMRC has launched a consultation on how to tackle non-compliance with the off-payroll working rules in the private sector and are asking for comments on the best way to do this. HMRC estimates only 10% of PSCs that should apply the legislation actually do so, and the the cost of this is projected to increase from £700m in 2017/18 to £1.2bn in 2022/23. This consultation provid ...

BEIS and HMRC are urging underpaid workers to complain about National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) underpayments. Recent figures show that the number of workers receiving the money they are owed has doubled. During 2017/18, HMRC investigators identified £15.6 million in pay owed to more than a record 200,000 of the UK’s lowest paid workers. This is an inc ...

The Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) allows selected employees (often key to the employer) to be given the opportunity to acquire a significant number of shares in their employer through the issue of options. An EMI can offer significant tax advantages as the share option scheme allows options to be granted to employees which may allow the shares to be received without any ...

Over the coming years, the government plans to phase in its landmark Making Tax Digital (MTD) initiative, which will see taxpayers move to a fully digital tax system. However HMRC has shared a statement about how they are prioritising change in the department and as a result some parts of MTD will be delayed. HMRC has acknowledged the challenges in: exiting the EU and the a ...

New company car advisory fuel rates have been published which take effect from 1 March 2018. The guidance states: ‘You can use the previous rates for up to one month from the date the new rates apply’. The rates only apply to employees using a company car. The advisory fuel rates for journeys undertaken on or after 1 March 2018 are: Engine size Petrol 14 ...

Employees are allowed to claim tax relief on their annual professional fees or subscriptions to some HMRC approved professional organisations. The costs are tax deductible generally where the individual must have membership to do their job or it is helpful for their work.  Where the fees are paid by the individual’s employer this will not generally result in a benefit in kind c ...

HMRC have announced that they have stopped thousands of taxpayers from receiving scam text messages ‘with 90 percent of the most convincing texts now halted before they reach their phones’. HMRC’s press release states: ‘Fraudsters alleging to be from HMRC send text messages to unsuspecting members of the public. In these messages they will make false claims, such as suggestin ...