Figures released by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) show that the UK’s tax gap – the difference between tax owed and actual receipts – is continuing to fall. The Revenue has revealed that the tax gap for the 2016-17 tax year was 5.7 per cent, down from six per cent in the previous year and… Read more…

A survey has revealed strong support from the UK’s small business community for measures to simplify business rates. A total of 71 per cent of the small businesses questioned said business rates should be simpler and have a greater degree of flexibility. Meanwhile, 49 per cent of SMEs said the Government is doing too little… Read more…

The Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG) of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) has called on the Treasury to resist pressure to reduce the VAT threshold from its current £85,000 until after the implementation of Making Tax Digital (MTD) and Brexit. The call came after the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) urged the Treasury… Read more…

The TUC has launched a new campaign calling on the Government to extend paternity pay to more workers, after discovering that a quarter of fathers may be missing out. It found that of the 620,000 new working dads last year, more than 140,000 did not qualify for paternity pay, which provides up to two weeks’… Read more…

According to a new study, Making Tax Digital (MTD) is currently one of the biggest concerns for VAT-registered small business owners. The research, prepared by Intuit QuickBooks, found that more than three-quarters of SME owners found the legislation challenging and difficult to understand. It also reveals that 70 per cent were struggling to find the… Read more…

Those working in the construction and building industry are being encouraged to get to grips with a new way of accounting for VAT. Draft legislation, subject to consultation until 20 July, provides that from 1 October 2019 builders, contractors and other trades associated with the construction industry will have to change the way they invoice… Read more…