The characterisation of fixed and floating charges remains a complex area, not least with respect to new intangible asset types. The key distinction between a fixed and a floating charge is well established as a matter of...more
In 2027, the UK will introduce a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) on imports of certain carbon intensive goods. The CBAM will impose a charge on the emissions embodied in relevant imports that take place on or after...more
Budgets are normally stories of two halves. The first half contains the headline-grabbing tax policy reforms that can be encapsulated in a snappy soundbite in the Budget speech, such as “Chancellor scraps the non-dom regime”....more
Welcome to the October edition of the UK Tax Round Up. This month has seen the Supreme Court’s judgment on the operation of the employment-related securities deeming provision, the Court of Appeal’s decision on what...more
Welcome to April’s edition of our UK Tax Round Up. This month has seen a number of interesting cases highlighting the need for taxpayers and HMRC alike to apply a realistic approach to the facts in assessing the tax...more
Welcome to March’s edition of the UK Tax Round Up. This month’s edition features comments on the recent Spring Budget together with a summary of some recent case law involving VAT due on services provided to ex-VAT group...more
Underneath the headline points, the Budget contained a number of measures designed to fulfil the Chancellor’s objective of encouraging growth and investment. There was broadly good news for those investing in UK real estate....more
Welcome to February’s edition of our UK Tax Round Up. The month has seen interesting cases on the “entitlement” to income and the single and multiple supply tests for VAT as well as announcement of the publication date for...more
Whilst the default position is that supplies of land and buildings are usually exempt from VAT (the sale of new commercial buildings excepted), landowners of commercial property will often choose to opt to tax their property...more
VAT incurred on corporate advisory fees not recoverable - In Ince Gordon Dadds LLP v HMRC, the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) has decided that Ince Gordon Dadds LLP (formerly Culver Holdings Limited and the taxpayer) (Culver)...more
Welcome to the October edition of the UK Tax Round Up. October has been an extraordinary month in the UK, with political turbulence triggering reversals of many of the tax policies announced by the government at the end of...more
Welcome to February’s edition of our UK Tax Round Up. This month’s edition includes updated guidance on the VAT treatment of contractual termination payments, updated HMRC guidance on the assessment of “substantial”...more
New guidance has been issued by HMRC setting out their new policy on the VAT treatment of early termination fees and compensation payments, supplanting heavily criticised guidance issued in 2020. ...more
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) now considers that charges made by businesses to their customers to withdraw early from agreements to supply goods or services are payments for a supply and potentially subject to value added-tax...more
In Claims Advisory Group v HMRC, The Upper Tribunal (UT) has confirmed that the service of claiming compensation on behalf of third parties for mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI), is subject to VAT and not exempt...more
In Haworth v HMRC the Supreme Court (SC) upheld the Court of Appeal’s (CA’s) decision to quash a follower notice (FN) and accelerated payment notice (APN) issued to the taxpayer, Mr Haworth. An FN can be issued by HMRC where...more
UK General Tax Developments - Stamp Duty and COVID-19 - Since the start of the first UK lockdown in March 2020, HMRC has been accepting that documents can be stamped electronically. HMRC has now confirmed that, where...more
The UK government is pressing ahead with its proposal to require large businesses to notify their “uncertain tax positions” to HMRC. ...more
The size of the UK's 'legal interpretation tax gap' is a matter of increasing concern to the government, so much so that it has now published its second consultation on the topic. A 'legal interpretation tax gap' arises where...more
UK Case Law Developments - Tax avoidance motive did not prevent availability of share for share exchange treatment - In Euromoney Institutional Investor plc v HMRC, the FTT held that the share for share exchange...more
Spring Budget and Tax Day - After months of speculation about the possibility that capital gains tax (CGT) rates would be increased in the Spring Budget, both it and the government’s follow up “Tax Day” on 23 March passed...more
UK Case Law Developments - EIS relief not available for shares carrying preferential rights - The Upper Tribunal (UT) in Foojit v HMRC dismissed the taxpayer’s appeal against the First-tier Tribunal’s (FTT’s) decision...more
The UK has now been in lockdown, on and off, for the best part of a year. With the COVID-19 vaccination programme now in full swing in the UK, and hopefully with light at the end of tunnel, attention has inevitably turned to...more
With effect from December 1, 2020, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs ("HMRC") ranks ahead of floating charge holders and unsecured creditors with respect to recovering certain pre-insolvency taxes from an insolvent business...more
UK COVID-19 Developments - Extension of support for retail, leisure and hospitality businesses - Further to the extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (or furlough scheme), reported in the November issue of...more