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 […]
Great British Summer Tax Savings
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a temporary cut in VAT on 21st May 2026, with the intention of giving financially strapped families with kids, a cash boost during the summer holidays. The reduced rate of VAT will be 5% was and applies to a list of activities for a six-week period from 25th June until the […]
New tax return impositions on company directors
On 5th April 2026 and for all future tax years, the rules governing the personal tax returns of company directors changed. They now have to include additional information when they complete their returns. On the surface, a cursory look at the new requirements, would appear to show that the additional information requested is only a […]
Huge tax bill because of advice from a mate down the pub
Today’s Blog is a classic example of not taking tax advice from a ‘mate down the pub’ and concerns a locum doctor’s £160k travel and subsistence expense claim falling down when subject to scrutiny at the First Tier Tax Tribunal (FTT) who found that he’d submitted “impossible” figures and made deliberate errors. Background Doctor Nwaneri […]
Tax avoidance, is it worth it?
Let’s start with a couple of truisms, tax evasion is against the law, whilst tax avoidance is a legal means of reducing your tax bill. That being said, it is also true that not all tax avoidance is legitimate. Are you with me so far, good; but no-one should be in any doubt that every […]
Are HMRC abusing the court system?
Recent evidence would strongly suggest that the answer is yes, given a recent string of both botched and unnecessary cases. HMRC’s litigation conduct has come under particular scrutiny in a recent first-tier tax tribunal (FTT) case in which our ‘wonderful’ tax authority made a last-minute U-turn at the eleventh hour. What happened? The underlying case […]
UK Tax Questions Answered by Shrewsbury Accountant No. 49
As I haven’t posted a Blog on the varied questions on tax asked by clients and members of the public for several months, I thought that today I would trawl through my internet postbag again. Hopefully I’ve found an interesting tax related question or two that you will find helpful or at least interesting. So, […]
The Great Marshmallow VAT saga, ‘Once s’more’
The sticky question of whether giant marshmallows are standard or zero rated for VAT has been rumbling through the tax courts, aka Tax Tribunals, since the first case was put before them in the autumn of 2022. On that occasion HMRC got a bloody nose, but ever a glutton for punishment, HMRC appealed to the […]
