Government to ditch tax consultations
Last week our wonderful government announced plans to scrap consultations for most changes to UK tax policy and the associated law. I’m surprised that the media didn’t pick up on this, bearing in mind the potential risks it could create for public trust. The announcement was made on one of the daily press releases (most […]
HMRC’s DDM plans to raid your bank account are getting closer
HMRC are planning to introduce mandatory direct debits for VAT and PAYE liabilities, but is this really proportionate? Their proposal is intended to reduce late payments and administrative errors, but the question is whether such deductions are really needed, given the relatively modest scale of late payments. Also, have they really considered what the unintended […]
HMRC to compulsory register MTD laggards
HMRC have just announced that they are starting a mandatory signing-up campaign aimed at those taxpayers who should have joined MTD (Making Tax Digital) in April 2026, but haven’t yet done so. The question is, what this means in practice, and what, if anything, do taxpayers need to do right now. The news on registrations […]
HMRC, the self-employed and the state pension
In my Blog ‘Millions of workers have inadequate pension provisions’ posted June 18th, 2026, I bemoaned the fact that the vast majority of the UK’s 4.5 million self-employed (SE), are currently making inadequate or no contributions into a private pension scheme for their retirement. Not only are the SE workforce not paying remotely enough for […]
Andy Burnham’s tax options
Today I’ve decided to look into my crystal ball to explore the tax options potentially available to Andy Burnham and his Chancellor John Healey, ahead of the budget scheduled for Wednesday 28th October. Since moving into Number 10, Andy Burnham is clearly a man on a mission. The good news is that on first impressions, […]
How to challenge HMRC
If you have a complaint or any other issue with HMRC, it very much depends on what the problem is, before you attempt to challenge our wonderful tax office, as there a variety of ways to do so. It goes without saying, that choosing the best course of action, very much depends on what exactly […]
HMRC can now raid your bank account
Recently, HMRC announced that it plans to chase lower value tax debt more aggressively by direct recovery of debt powers being extended to lower value tax debts worth up to £10,000, with direct access to its’ ‘customers’ bank accounts, subject to a national consultation. Background The debate on this subject has been ongoing since 2015 […]
HMRC plan to collect all tax by direct debit
Today’s Blog is about mounting HMRC concerns over late payment of VAT and PAYE. They are now looking at ways to combat this and their preferred option is that in future all such payments will no longer be down to the taxpayer but be taken by direct debit (DDM) on the day the payments are […]
Yet another sorry tale of taking advice from a mate down the pub
It seems like every few days that I hear of someone taking dodgy advice from a mate down the pub, rather than talking to a qualified accountant, with this week’s Blog being typical of a number of similar cases that have come to my attention recently. Today’s tale of woe involved an NHS nurse who […]
Why are gift baskets being targeted by HMRC?
I cannot think of anyone who, having received a basket of goodies as a present, would not be pleased. So, if you run a business, hampers given as gifts are often considered an ideal choice largely because: So, what is the problem you ask, well it’s those perennial party-poopers HMRC and their fixation with squeezing […]
