Top ten criminal tax cases of the year revealed by HMRC

Well it wouldn’t be New Year without the ubiquitous top ten list. We’re all used to seeing top ten lists such as ‘best TV moment’, ‘most embarrassing political quote’ and ‘top ten pop songs’. Well this year HMRC has joined in the fun by releasing its top ten tax fraud and organised crime cases from the last twelve months.


Avoid a taxing Christmas

It may be the season of goodwill but even Christmas is covered by HMRC regulations. Here’s our guide on how to stay on the right side of those rules this Christmas.



HMRC win against film scheme

A tax avoidance film scheme promoted by Goldcrest Pictures Ltd worth nearly £44 million has been defeated in the courts by HMRC.


Businesses avoiding VAT registration

HMRC recently commissioned Ipsos MORI to conduct quantitative and qualitative research into business behaviours and experiences associated with VAT registration. Their findings make interesting reading.


£100,000 tax exemption for sporting testimonials

In the era of multimillionaire footballers it may sound counter intuitive for HMRC to introduce new guidance to protect employed sportspeople on modest incomes from the recent changes to the rules on sporting testimonials. There is now a £100,000 exemption that applies.


Research and Development boost

As part of the 2017 Budget, the Chancellor announced an increase in the rate of the R&D Expenditure Credit (RDEC) from 11% to 12% for expenditure incurred on or after 1 January 2018.


Budget Highlights 2017

The Chancellor delivered his budget on 22 November. Below are some of the highlights we’ve identified that we think will be of particular interest to accountants and their clients with a particular focus on tax.


Should VAT threshold be reduced?

Despite the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) recently published a report setting out a range of proposals for simplifying VAT, the Chancellor rejected their proposals in yesterday’s Budget.


Deadline for registering new trusts extended

Following consultation with agents and stakeholders, HMRC has announced that the Trust Registration Service (TRS) deadline for new trusts has been extended further from 5 October 2017 to 5 January 2018.