Tax

Airbnb, the popular online holiday let platform, has come under scrutiny from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in an extensive tax investigation dating back to the 2017-18 financial year.

The Scottish Government has published the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, potentially enabling councils to introduce a tourist tax on overnight stays.

The UK government is considering an update to the Direct Recovery of Debts (DRD) legislation that would enable HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to seize cryptoassets from businesses evading tax.

Recent statistics have revealed that out of over 460 businesses across Scotland that hold, or are within the process of applying for a patent, only 70 have utilised the relief, according to business advisory firm Haines Watts. The firm has launched a new specialist arm of their tax incentives and re

The Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) has warned that high earners in Scotland will face an effective 68% tax rate if First Minister Humza Yousaf proceeds with a new charge under consideration. The higher rate is a combination of:

A Scotland-only business rates surcharge is set to cost firms a cumulative £180 million over the next three years, the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) has warned.

The new Finance Bill published yesterday introduces three new taxes, taking the total number of taxes introduced this century to 24. Apart from two one-off levies, and the Health and Social Care Levy (which was repealed before it came into effect, and is not included in the total above), none of the

The Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) has warned companies claiming R&D tax relief, and their advisers, that they will soon need to provide extra information in order to make a claim. In the latest Finance Bill, the government confirmed it is bringing forward a requirement to provide add

The UK government has announced that the maximum jail sentence for tax fraud will double from seven to 14 years for the most "egregious" forms of evasion. The Treasury announced the change in last week's spring budget and said it will consult on the introduction of a new criminal offence for pr

An expert has warned that the additional tax burden from the impending corporation tax hike could lead to a significant reduction in investment and the risk of businesses closing. Scotland’s business community will be under pressure to find an extra £1.5 billion per year of corporation t

The Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) has urged the government to review “unfair” repayment interest rates, with taxpayers facing late payment bills from HMRC up to 17 times higher than what is returned to those who have overpaid. HMRC generally charges interest on late payment at t

HMRC has been ordered to pay a disabled employee £20,000, following an employment tribunal ruling. Hamish Drummond, who suffers from unexplained bouts of dizziness and fainting, took his claim to the tribunal after his employer, HMRC, stopped him from submitting an application for a senio

Not a single company has been prosecuted by HMRC under corporate tax evasion powers introduced five years ago. An offence for companies failing to stop those associated with the business from enabling tax evasion came into force in September 2017 under the Criminal Finances Act.

HM Revenue and Customs has fallen behind with myriad requests, accumulating a significant backlog of taxpayers' refunds, claims and penalty appeals.  An analysis of HMRC's performance shows that targets are not being met in 14 out of 27 service categories, with long phoneline wait times and var

A Scottish think tank, Reform Scotland, has warned that Scotland's tax system requires a complete overhaul.