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Axe falls on tax benefits for Furnished Holiday Lets

The Government has published a policy paper confirming the abolition of the Furnished Holiday
Lettings (FHL) tax regime.

It will mean that property investors will no longer get the existing tax benefits of FHLs from next April.

The previous Conservative government had unveiled plans to scrap it in the Spring Budget to help free up property stock and fund the National Insurance
cuts.

Published on 29 July, the documents set out confirmation of the move that was introduced in the Spring Budget in March under Rishi Sunak’s premiership.
The new Labour…

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Are we going back to the future for CGT?

In 1989, Conservative Chancellor Nigel Lawson decided to change the rules around Capital Gains Tax so that it
was applied at whatever the taxpayer’s marginal rate was.

It remained that way all the way through to 2008. Since that point it has been tinkered with various times – by both Labour and Conservative Chancellors – going down
and then up again.

It seems that we may soon be returning to the policy of 1989 – or some variation of it – when Rachel Reeves announces her Spring Budget on 30…

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Digital platform rules: new guidance ahead of first report deadline

In four months’ time, the first reports are due for compliance with the new Digital Platform
Reporting rules.

The regime, introduced on 1 January this year, requires UK digital platforms to collect and report income information for sellers using their platforms.

The first reports must be submitted before the end of January 2025.

It’s all connected to the fact that the UK has signed up to the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) Model Reporting Rules for Digital Platforms.

In recent weeks, HMRC published guidance for the rules around online marketplaces.

It has clarified…

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UK and Ecuador announce tax treaty

The Government has published details of a new tax treaty with Ecuador. The UK and
Ecuador signed their first comprehensive double tax treaty on 6 August. Once ratified, it will affect taxation on income and gains between the two countries.
It will mainly cover UK income tax, corporation tax and capital gains tax and is primarily based on the OECD Model Tax Convention (MTC), bar a few deviations.

The treaty document, published by HMRC states: “The Convention shall apply also to any identical or substantially similar taxes that are…

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What does the new Government mean for tax?

The time for debate and conjecture is now over. The General Election was settled on 4 July and we now know we have a new Labour Government, giving us a more solid picture of what tax is likely to look like in the near future.

The new Chancellor Rachel Reeves wasted little time in getting started, announcing a Spending Audit in Parliament on 29 July.

In that speech, she reiterated the message that Labour delivered throughout the election that it will not be making major changes on the…

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Could a pension-related IHT proposal help raise money for new Government?

Will one of the tax-raising measures many expect to see at the next Budget surround pensions and IHT?

It may do, if the Government follows the recommendations of The Institute for Fiscal Studies. One of the IFS’ latest suggestions revolves around Inheritance Tax. We often see the issue of IHT popping up at election time – usually with suggestions the Conservatives might scrap it.

In this case, the IFS has floated the idea that the Government should close what it calls IHT ‘loopholes’ connected to pensions and AIM…

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95,000 get £100 fines for late filing – despite no tax being owed

We regularly remind our self-employed clients of their obligations for filing to HMRC and the deadlines for sending in their Self-Assessment Tax Return, not least because of the significant penalties they can incur for failing to do so.

And there was a story in the media this month that highlighted the fact that people can still get hit with a fine, even if they don’t owe HMRC any tax.

Anyone earning under £12,570 – the Personal Allowance – doesn’t need to pay tax. But 95,000 people who fall…

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New tool may help businesses better understand VAT registration implications

Do you own or work for a business that needs to register for VAT?

If so, you might find it of interest to learn that there’s a new digital tool available to use online.

Launched by HMRC, the VAT Registration Estimator can help a business “to see what registering for VAT could mean”, officials said. It was designed, following suggestions by small businesses, to help show a company when its turnover could require businesses to register for VAT and its effect on profits.

A business must register…

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Battle lines drawn on tax – but is there a ‘conspiracy of silence?’

You’ve probably heard a fair bit about tax so far in this General Election campaign, with many claims and counter-claims thrown around by the major parties.
How do we know what to really make of it? For seasoned political aficionados, it is familiar story at election time. Do the numbers add up? Can the country really afford the policies that have been put forward?

Well, for one leading independent voice on the economy and taxation, the Institute of Fiscal Studies, not enough has been said in the campaign about…

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Budget will loom following General Election result

Once the votes are all counted and we know who the winners and losers are in this year’s General Election on 4 July, minds will start turning to the
implementation of the policies promised by the incoming party.

Whether the next Government is Labour, Conservative, a Coalition or an even more unexpected winner, such as the Lib Dems or Reform UK emerges, there will be a raft of pledges to be put into effect.
That means another Budget.

Sometimes following a General Election, we have seen an ‘Emergency Budget’. In…

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