Tax Take
VAT update, March 2017
In this month’s update we report on the Chancellor’s announcement in the Spring Budget that he intends to “crack down” on VAT “missing trader” fraud within the construction industry, the Offce of Tax Simplification’s Interim Report on its review of VAT, and the EU’s consultation on proposals to tackle VAT fraud.
Read moreNew legislation will allow taxpayers to seek partial closure notices
Proposed legislation contained in Finance Bill 2017, will enable partial closure notices to be issued in respect of a discreet issue while other issues remain under enquiry by HMRC.
Read moreTribunal concludes that capital gains tax legislation is compliant with Human Rights and EU law
In William Reeves v HMRC [2017] UKFTT 192 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) has held that section 167 Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 (TCGA) is compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and EU law.
Read moreTribunal allows taxpayers' appeal in foreign exchange losses case
In Smith and Nephew Overseas Limited and others v HMRC [2017] UKFTT 151, the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) allowed appeals against HMRC's disallowance of foreign exchange losses incurred as a result of a change in functional currency following a company reorganisation.
Read moreRidgecrest – Tribunal allows appeal against Regulation 80 determinations
In Ridgecrest Cleaning Services Pendergate Ltd v HMRC [2016] UKFTT 778 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) allowed an appeal against determinations of underpaid tax made under Regulation 80 of the Income Tax (PAYE) Regulations 2003 (the PAYE Regulations), as HMRC had not obtained the necessary statutory consent from the Appellant to notify it of changes to employee PAYE codes electronically.
Read moreHMRC's failure to exercise its discretion unreasonable
In G B Housley Limited v HMRC [2016] EWCA Civ 1299, the Court of Appeal allowed the Appellant's appeal and restored the decision of the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) which had discharged HMRC's VAT assessment on the basis HMRC had failed to correctly exercise its discretion.
Read moreTax update, March 2017
In this month’s update we report on HMRC’s Spotlight 36 which has been issued in respect of planning designed to circumvent the loan taxation rules in Part 7A ITEPA; new draft legislation in relation to the taxation of non-domiciled individuals and a recent report by the Public Accounts Committee on the taxation of high net worth individuals.
Read moreVAT update, February 2017
In this month’s update we report on HMRC’s withdrawal of three VAT extra-statutory concessions, the National Audit Offce’s investigation into VAT evasion by overseas online retailers and HMRC’s responses to the various “Making Tax Digital” consultations.
Read moreTiming and detail critical in misfeasance claims against HMRC
The claimant taxpayer, who had been wrongly convicted for cheating the public revenue, had his claim of misfeasance in public office against HMRC struck out by the High Court because it was brought too late and he had failed adequately to plead his case.
Read moreWealth and trusts quarterly digest, February 2017
The digest provides up to date commentary and analysis on key sector developments. Our tax, wealth and trusts teams are able to provide a wide ranging service to assist you and your clients in responding to market trends and legal developments. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss any concerns you may have and always welcome feedback on the content of our publications.
Read moreCustoms and excise quarterly update, February 2017
In this quarterly update we report on new customs examination powers which allow HMRC to examine goods away from ports, airports and other approved places under customs control after clearance, the Government’s response to its consultation on a new due diligence scheme for UK fulfilment houses handling goods imported from outside the EU and HMRC’s new raw tobacco approval scheme.
Read moreUpper Tribunal confirms transfer of pension fund is not a transfer of value for IHT purposes
In HMRC v Parry & Others [2017] UKUT 4 (TCC), the Upper Tribunal (UT) held that a transfer of funds from a registered pension scheme to a personal pension plan made by the deceased shortly before her death was not a 'transfer of value' for the purposes of section 3, Inheritance Tax Act 1984 (IHTA). Similarly, the deceased's omission to exercise her right to take lifetime benefits from the personal pension plan was not a transfer of value.
Read moreVAT recovery on management buyout fees
In Heating Plumbing Supplies Limited [2016] UKFTT 753, the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) allowed a VAT group's appeal against HMRC's denial of input tax recovery on advisory fees incurred in a management buyout.
Read moreTax update, February 2017
Non-domiciled tax reforms. Disguised remuneration. HMRC's proposals surrounding offshore structures.
Read moreTribunal allows tax deduction for motor racing sponsorship payments
In The Crown and Cushion Hotel (Chipping Norton) Ltd v HMRC [2016] UKFTT 765 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) allowed the appeal of the appellant company against HMRC's disallowance of expenditure it had incurred in sponsoring a racing driver who was the daughter of its sole director. The FTT concluded that the payments were made "wholly and exclusively" for the purposes of the company's trade as required by section 54, Corporation Tax Act 2009 (CTA).
Read moreCorporate tax update, final quarter 2016
Welcome to the latest edition of our corporate tax update, written by members of RPC’s tax team and published quarterly. In this final 2016 edition we highlight some of the key tax developments of interest to UK corporates from the final quarter of 2016.
Read moreVAT update, January 2017
In this month’s update we report on new penalty legislation which the government intends to introduce for businesses participating in VAT fraud, HMRC’s consultation on VAT grouping and proposed new legislation to tackle the exploitation of VAT relief on adapted cars for wheelchair users.
Read moreTribunal allows taxpayer's appeal against discovery assessment
In Paul Munford v HMRC [2017] UKFTT 019 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) considered the validity of a discovery assessment which had been issued by HMRC pursuant to section 29, Taxes Management Act 1970 (TMA) and allowed the taxpayer's appeal on the basis that HMRC had not discharged the burden of proving, for the purposes of section 36(1A), TMA, that the taxpayer had deliberately brought about a loss of capital gains tax.
Read moreTribunal refuses to allow HMRC to rely upon section 114 TMA to cure its mistakes
In Chartridge Developments Limited v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2016] UKFTT 766, the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) allowed (in part) the taxpayer's appeal against penalties imposed for late filing of annual tax on enveloped dwellings (ATED) returns under section 161(3), Finance Act 2013, and refused to allow HMRC to rely upon section 114 Taxes Management Act 1970 (TMA).
Read moreTribunal finds for the taxpayer in "income" versus "capital" payment dispute
In James Allan Thornton v HMRC [2016] UKFTT 767 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) considered the distinction between income and capital payments in the context of a settlement relating to rental property and held that a settlement payment made to a landlord as compensation for dilapidations to his property was a capital receipt.
Read moreDraft Finance Bill 2017 - partial closure notices
Tax analysis: we welcome the new rules on partial closures of tax enquiries and point out that the inflexibility in the current enquiry framework can lead to complex or multi-issue tax disputes taking an excessive amount of time to be resolved.
Read moreDraft Finance Bill 2017—off-payroll working in the public sector
Tax analysis: Adam Craggs, partner at RPC, and Michelle Sloane, senior associate at the firm, explain the reformed off-payroll rules for public sector engagements under the Finance Bill 2017.
Read moreUpper Tribunal confirms that right to make VAT repayment claims belongs to representative member of VAT Group
In HMRC v MG Rover Group Limited; Standard Chartered PLC v HMRC [2016] UKUT 434, the UT has confirmed that section 43, Value Added Tax Act 1994 (VATA) required repayment rights under section 80, VATA, to be held only by the representative member both before and after they have left the group or the group has been dissolved.
Read moreGMAC (UK) Plc – Court of Appeal finds VAT bad debt relief provisions incompatible with EU law
In HMRC v GMAC (UK) Plc [2016] EWCA Civ 1015, the Court of Appeal has held that the UK's legislation, which barred bad debt relief claims unless the debtor was insolvent and the property in the goods had passed, was incompatible with EU law.
Read moreBiffin - Court grants injunction preventing HMRC from enforcement action
In Biffin Limited and Others v HMRC [2016] EWHC 2926 (Admin), the High Court has granted the taxpayers an injunction prohibiting HMRC from commencing enforcement action in respect of alleged tax liabilities.
Read moreKevin Reed v HMRC - Tribunal dismisses taxpayer's application for reinstatement of his appeal
In Kevin Reed v HMRC [2016] UKFTT 0653 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) dismissed the taxpayer's application for reinstatement of his appeal which had been struck out for failing to comply with directions issued by the FTT.
Read moreIcebreaker litigation: partial award of costs upheld as HMRC recognised as the "substantial victor"
In Bastionspark LLP and others v HMRC , the Upper Tribunal (UT) has held that the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) was entitled to find that HMRC had been the "substantial victor" and to make a partial award of costs in favour of HMRC notwithstanding that each party had been partially successful in an appeal against HMRC's decision regarding allowable expenditure.
Read moreSpring Capital -Tribunal directs postponement of payment of tax
In Spring Capital Ltd v HMRC , the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) allowed the taxpayer's application for the postponement of payment of tax under section 55 Taxes Management Act 1970 (TMA), as it had a reasonable argument in relation to the underlying substantive issue.
Read moreTax update, December 2016
In this update we report on HMRC’s new guidance on client notification regarding Common Reporting Standards, the targeting by HMRC of the UK’s richest people and HMRC’s progress in reviewing the so-called Panama Papers. We also comment on three recent cases on whether the Tribunal has jurisdiction to entertain an application to provide witness evidence made by a non-party to the appeal, an inheritance tax scheme which succeeded and the Ramsay principle in the context of a proposed scheme of arrangement.
Read moreHigh Court considers the Ramsay principle in the context of a proposed scheme of arrangement
In Re Home Retail Group Plc , the High Court considered the so-called Ramsay principle of purposive construction in deciding whether a cancellation scheme following the sale of a business, to be carried out in connection with a takeover, fell within the anti-avoidance provisions contained in section 641(2A), Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006).
Read moreVAT update, November 2016
In this month’s update we report on new regulations which allow HMRC to refuse registration of VAT representatives, HMRC’s new policy on the correct treatment of VAT incurred by a business prior to its VAT registration and the EU’s extension of the UK’s VAT derogation permitting the UK to restrict input tax recovery on car leasing costs to 50% where the car is available for private use.
Read moreBBC prevented from submitting evidence in IR35 case
In Paya Limited and Tim Willcox Limited v HMRC [2016] UKFTT 0660 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) held that the BBC could not provide witness evidence of its own motion to the FTT in tax appeals, to which it was not a party.
Read moreSalinger: IHT scheme succeeds
In M L Salinger and J L Kirby v HMRC [2016] UKFTT 677 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) held that the transfer of a reversionary interest had not been a transfer of value for Inheritance Tax (IHT) purposes and allowed the taxpayers' appeal.eal.
Read moreTax update, November 2016
In this update we report on the proposed new corporate offence of failure to prevent facilitation of tax evasion, success against HMRC in the Supreme Court in relation to unlawful disclosure of confidential information and HMRC’s new specialist team which has been set up to tackle exploitation of freelance workers.
Read moreLomas – Court confirms statutory interest payable on insolvency is not 'yearly interest' and criticises HMRC's change of position
In Lomas and others v HMRC [2016] EWHC 2492 (Ch), the High Court has confirmed that statutory interest payable on insolvency is not 'yearly interest' for UK tax purposes. The administrators therefore had no obligation to account for income tax on the interest payments made. The Court was also critical of HMRC's contradictory guidance on this issue.
Read morePartial success for taxpayer in Dutch-subsidiary quantification judgment following FII
In Six Continents Ltd and Another v HMRC [2016] EWHC 2426 (Ch), the High Court held that the claimants are entitled to a credit at the foreign nominal rate (FNR) of corporation tax in respect of dividends paid from a Dutch subsidiary but are not entitled to a credit in respect of dividends linked to the return of share capital.
Read moreVAT update, October 2016
In this month’s update we report on new HMRC guidance in relation to retrospective VAT group treatment, use and enjoyment rules in relation to insurance repaid services and a new consultation on the introduction of a new penalty for those involved in VAT fraud. We also report on three recent cases involving the collection of commercial waste and whether this constitutes a “special purpose regime”, whether a stall at a craft fair amounted to the grant of a licence to occupy land and was not therefore exempt from VAT and whether a taxpayer can withdraw its request that the proceedings be excluded from the costs regime.
Read moreCorporate tax update, third quarter 2016
Welcome to the latest edition of our Corporate Tax Update, written by members of RPC’s tax team and published quarterly. Summer 2016 will certainly go down as one of the more interesting in recent British history but developments in UK tax law continue regardless of the wider political turmoil. In this edition we highlight some of the key tax developments of interest to UK corporates from the third quarter of 2016. As far as the tax legislative timetable is concerned, in this quarter: the Finance Bill 2016 finally received Royal Assent on 15 September 2016 (known as Finance Act 2016); it was announced that this year’s Autumn Statement will be given on 23 November 2016; it was also announced that draft Finance Bill 2017 clauses will be published on 5 December 2016 (for consultation until 30 January 2017).
Read moreEden Consulting Services - Tribunal has no jurisdiction to consider HMRC's duty to act fairly in administering its statutory powers
In Eden Consulting Services (Richmond) Ltd v HMRC [2016] UKFTT 656 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) determined, as a preliminary issue, that it did not have jurisdiction to consider HMRC's alleged conduct, behaviour and abuse of its powers in determining an appeal against unauthorised payment charges and that such issues are properly for judicial review proceedings and/or the HMRC Adjudicator.
Read moreStan Murray-Hession: Tribunal allows taxpayer's share loss relief claim
In Stan Murray-Hession v HMRC [2016] UKFTT 612, the First-tier Tribunal (FTT), held that Mr Murray-Hession (the Appellant) had subscribed for shares within the meaning of section 135(2), Income Tax Act 2007 (ITA), so that share loss relief, under section 131, ITA, was available.
Read moreTribunal rejects HMRC's attempt to transfer PAYE liability to employee
In Stephen West v HMRC [2016] UKFTT 536 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) allowed the taxpayer's appeal and confirmed that under the PAYE system the obligation to pay income tax fell on the employer, and liability will only be transferred to the employee under the regulation of the Income Tax (Pay As You Earn) Regulations 2003, if he has received his remuneration knowing that his employer has wilfully and deliberately failed to deduct PAYE.
Read moreTax update, October 2016
In this update we report on the Worldwide Disclosure Facility recently announced by HMRC, new sanctions for failure to register, and the latest Spotlights published by HMRC. We also comment on some recent tax decisions relating to industrial buildings allowance, offsetting losses arising in a UK permanent establishment against profits earned by its UK business and opting out of the costs regime.
Read moreVat update, September 2016
In this update we report on changes to the VAT treatment of single dwellings with more than one building, an extension to the simplified mechanism for employer input tax deductions in relation to investment management services and new guidance on HMRC’s powers to seek to recover underpaid VAT from online marketplaces. We also report on three recent cases involving MTIC fraud, reasonable excuse for late payment of VAT and whether supplies relating to fractional ownership interests in a property are exempt from VAT.
Read moreN Brown Group Plc: Tribunal confirms there is no going back once a taxpayer has opted out of the costs regime
In N Brown Group Plc and Another v HMRC [2016] UKFTT 445 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT), has confirmed that it did not have the power to permit a taxpayer to withdraw its written request that the proceedings be excluded from the costs regime.
Read moreJaved And Azra Mughal - Tribunal considers the rules relevant to "hardship" applications
In Javed and Azra Mughal (Partnership) Trading as Dallas Chicken and Ribs v HMRC [2016] UKFTT 456 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) has considered the extent of information necessary for a 'hardship' application.
Read moreTribunal allows set-off of corporation tax loss against income tax profit
In English Holdings Ltd v HMRC [2016] UKFTT 0346 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) allowed an appeal by a non-UK resident company against a decision of HMRC refusing its claim to offset losses arising in its UK permanent establishment (PE) against profits earned by its UK property rental business.
Read moreErrors of law in MTIC case leads to case being remitted to the First-tier Tribunal
In HMRC V Pacific Computers Ltd [2016] UKUT 350 (TCC), the Upper Tribunal (UT) has concluded that the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) made errors of law that had been material to the outcome of a taxpayer's appeal in a case involving missing trader intra-community (MTIC) fraud.
Read moreTribunal finds in taxpayer's favour in IBA case
In David Wellstead v HMRC [2016] UKFTT 0492 (TC), the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) has held that where a developer acquired a lease of land, constructed industrial units on that land and sold one of the units by way of an under-lease, the grant of the under-lease amounted to the sale of a relevant interest for the purposes of section 296, Capital Allowances Act 2001 (CAA 2001), entitling the purchaser to claim industrial buildings allowances (IBAs) on the purchase price.
Read moreTax update, September 2016
In this month's edition we report on (1) HMRC's much anticipated consultation on proposals to tackle disguised remuneration (2) further amendment to the Finance Bill 2016 in relation to EBT settlement relief and (3) HMRC's consultation on proposed penalties for "enablers" of tax avoidance arrangements. We also comment on three recent cases concerning penalties, scheme sanction changes and industrial buildings allowance.
Read moreHarry Potter star loses £1m battle with HMRC
The First-tier Tribunal (FTT) has held that a taxpayer's new accounts did not meet the requirements of section 217, Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005 (ITTOIA), for a change in accounting date, as the accounts did not exist when HMRC were notified of the change.
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