News

Second list of deliberate tax defaulters published
15/05/2013 - More...
HMRC have published its second list of deliberate tax defaulters. The list includes 15 individuals, businesses and companies and includes the amounts of tax on which penalties are due and the amount of penalties charged. A deliberate defaulter is a person who incurs a relevant penalty for one of the following: An inaccuracy in a

Fraudulent emails from 'HMRC'
15/05/2013 - More...
Taxpayers are reminded that the problem of fraudulent emails continues. The emails are part of a 'phishing' exercise that use bogus e-mails and websites to trick taxpayers into supplying confidential or personal information. These emails aren’t genuine HMRC messages and should be disregarded. The phishing emails are being sent from

Renewing tax credit claims
15/05/2013 - More...
Families and individuals that receive tax credits should ensure that they renew their tax credit claims by 31 July 2013. Claimants who do not renew on time may have their payments stopped. Claims should be renewed by completing the renewals pack that is being sent by HMRC. Claimants need to notify HMRC where there have been changes to

Tribunal - VAT default surcharge
08/05/2013 - More...
A taxpayer appealed against default surcharges levied by HMRC. A default surcharge is a penalty levied on businesses that submit late VAT returns or late payments. VAT registered businesses are required by law to submit their return and make sure that payment of the VAT due has cleared to HMRC’s bank account by the due date. The

PAYE Employer Annual Return
08/05/2013 - More...
Employers are reminded that the filing deadline for submitting the 2012-13 PAYE Annual Return is 19 May 2013. The Return including a P14 for each individual employee and a P35 summarising the entire workforce must be filed. The vast majority of employers are required to file annual and in year forms online. Employers will be liable to a

Real Time Information update
08/05/2013 - More...
How are you coping with the new online filing of payroll information? The introduction of the new system where HMRC collect real time information (RTI) for PAYE has begun. The changes take effect from an employers first payday on or after 6 April 2013 unless a later starting date has been agreed. The RTI system involves employers

Isle of Man disclosure opportunity
01/05/2013 - More...
The Isle of Man Disclosure Facility runs from 6 April 2013 to 30 September 2016. The disclosure facility provides an opportunity for taxpayers with assets or investments in the Isle of Man (such as undisclosed bank accounts) to come forward and settle all outstanding tax liabilities. The Isle of Man Government requires all financial

Finance Bill 2013 progress
01/05/2013 - More...
The Finance Bill 2013 was presented to Parliament on 25 March 2013. The Bill contains the legislation for many of the tax measures that have been announced by the Government. The majority of the measures in this year’s Bill were announced at Budget 2012. The Public Bill Committee is expected to report on the Bill by 20 June 2013. The

Employer P11D, P11D(b) and P9D deadline
01/05/2013 - More...
Employers are reminded that the deadline for submitting the 2012/13 forms P11D, P11D(b) and P9D is fast approaching. The filing date for all the forms is 6 July 2013. Late submissions can result in penalties being issued by HMRC. Employers making online submissions will need to correct any problems with the forms before being able to

Growth and Infrastructure Act and Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act
29/04/2013 - More...
The Growth and Infrastructure Bill and the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill both received Royal Assent on 25 April 2013 to become the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013 and the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013. In relation to the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013, the provisions for employee-shareholders (clause 27) will

PAYE Employer Annual Return
24/04/2013 - More...
Employers are reminded that the filing deadline for submitting the 2012-13 PAYE Annual Return is 19 May 2013. The Return, including a P14 for each individual employee and a P35 summarising the entire workforce, must be filed. The vast majority of employers are required to file annual and in year forms online. Employers will be liable to a

Tribunal - Imprecise instructions from HMRC
24/04/2013 - More...
An interesting case that considered whether a taxpayer had a reasonable excuse for the late payment of tax centred on HMRC’s lack of clarity. The taxpayer was issued with a penalty for late payment of tax for the 2008-9 tax year. The taxpayer had been made redundant during 2008-9 and his employer failed to operate PAYE correctly

Late filing of Self Assessment tax returns
24/04/2013 - More...
Taxpayers who have not yet filed their Self Assessment returns online face a daily penalty of £10 up to a maximum of £900, i.e. for three months from 1 May 2013. If the return still remains outstanding further higher penalties will be charged from six months and twelve months late. These penalties are on top of the £100 automatic late

Reduced charges for calling HMRC
17/04/2013 - More...
HMRC recently announced plans to move away from 0845 numbers to 03 numbers. 03 numbers are non-geographic but are usually charged at the same rates as 01 and 02 numbers and are free with some telephone packages. HMRC expect that all premium lines will be switched to 03 numbers by the end of the summer. From 16 April 2013 calls to the

Review of ESC A19
17/04/2013 - More...
There is an Extra Statutory Concession (ESC) that deals with situations where HMRC have failed or delayed to use information provided by the taxpayer such as details of a change in income or details of a new or additional job. In certain circumstances HMRC can agree not to collect outstanding Income Tax from taxpayers where they have

Online toolkit to help employers when taking on first employee
16/04/2013 - More...
An online toolkit that provides employers with help when taking on their first employee has been launched by the Government. An update from the version that was launched a year ago, the “Employing staff for the first time” toolkit helps potential employers through the process of hiring their first member of staff and sets out the relevant

Government sets out new National Minimum Wage rates to apply from 1 October 2013
16/04/2013 - More...
The Government has accepted the Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) recommendations for this year’s adult and youth National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates. However, the Government has concluded that the apprentice rate should be increased rather than frozen as recommended by the LPC. The following rates will come into force from 1 October

New ACAS guidance published on managing collective redundancies
11/04/2013 - More...
New guidance for employers on “How to manage collective redundancies” has been published by ACAS. The new guidance document is not legally binding but is intended to assist employers in understanding their legal duties and it sets out the principles and behaviours behind a good consultation to help employers manage collective

National Insurance: £2,000 employment allowance
10/04/2013 - More...
The Government is to introduce an allowance of £2,000 per year for all businesses and charities to be offset against their employer Class 1 secondary NICs’ bill from April 2014. The allowance will be claimed as part of the normal payroll process through RTI. The Government is expected to consult on the details of this measure shortly

Crown Dependencies disclosure opportunities
10/04/2013 - More...
Three new disclosure facilities have been launched which will allow taxpayers with assets in the Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey to come forward and settle any outstanding tax liabilities. The disclosure facilities provide a framework similar to the LDF - Liechtenstein Disclosure Facility. The new agreements commenced on 6 April 2013