The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) has completed a key stage in its major review of tax reliefs. The OTS’s interim report, issued on 13 December, follows publication the previous month of a full list of all 1,042 UK tax reliefs and allowances, when the OTS also invited comments and views from those who use […]

The government has made its first appointment to a group of experts who will explore the potential for a General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) as part of the UK tax regime. Graham Aaronson QC was appointed in December to lead a study into whether a GAAR could be effective in the UK tax system and how […]

HMRC has begun trialling the use of Twitter, operating under the username @hmrcgovuk Dave Hartnett, HM Revenue & Customs Permanent Secretary for Tax, said that the social media site was an excellent way for followers to find out quickly and easily what was going on at HMRC. HMRC tweets posted on Twitter will include news, […]

Thousands of innovative UK businesses will reduce the cost of protecting their bright ideas in Europe under new arrangements. From 1 January 2011, applicants filing patents in Europe will need to supply the European Patent Office (EPO) with fewer documents than before, which will cut the cost of the fees they pay agents for making […]

Annual changes to the payments for unfair dismissal and redundancies will take effect from 1 February 2011. Under index-linking, increased limits will apply to: statutory redundancy payments the basic and compensatory awards for unfair dismissal the limit on guarantee payment made when employees are not provided with work and the minimum basic award for unfair […]

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has teamed up with accountancy experts to provide online advice on changes to corporation tax due in April 2011. From 1 April 2011 onwards, all companies and organisations will have to file company tax returns online for any accounting period ending after 31 March 2010. From the same date, they […]

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is inviting employers to respond to a second phase of consultation on improving PAYE through the use of Real Time Information (RTI). The consultation, launched on 3 December, follows an HMRC discussion paper published in July 2010, which outlined RTI as a way to reduce costs for employers and HMRC […]

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is seeking views on how best to implement a programme of Business Records Checks, designed to improve record keeping in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). HMRC says that although keeping adequate and accurate business records allows businesses to comply properly with their tax obligations, its random enquiry programme suggests that […]