Jane Childs, litigation partner and Alexandra Wood, counsel at Mayer Brown consider the unintended consequences of holding parent co-directors liable for post-sale subsidiary collapse
Personal tax accounts (PTAs), which were launched in 2015 as part of HMRC’s ‘digital by default’ strategy, have received positive feedback with 40% of taxpayers using it to file their self assessment tax return, according to independent research
The director of a company that offered cheap air fares has been disqualified for nine years after failing to ensure the company kept proper books and records to account for some £2m of flight bookings
The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS), the independent adviser to government, has published its second annual report, covering the year to 31 March 2018 and detailing its current and future work
Accounting firms have the largest number of Brexit experts currently available, but a shortage of consultants means UK companies are likely to struggle to adapt once the UK leaves the EU next March, according to a report from Source Global Research
KPMG in the UK, which has been slated by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) over an ‘unacceptable’ decline in its audit quality, has appointed a former regulator as the firm’s chief risk officer
The government is seeking new powers to scrutinise the purchase of assets such as intellectual property via foreign takeovers if they raise national security concerns
There has been a 9% hike in the number of businesses experiencing ‘significant’ financial distress at the mid-way point this year compared to last, although the levels are now increasing at a slower rate than earlier in 2018, according to analysis from Begbies Traynor
The risk of tax litigation is rising for the FTSE 100 as companies increasingly face challenges from HMRC over complex transfer pricing arrangements. Raichel Hopkinson, head of practical law dispute resolution at Thomson Reuters Legal considers how to mitigate the tax risk
A shopkeeper who owned several stores selling Formula 1 merchandise has been jailed for four years after he fraudulently claimed over £960,000 in tax repayments to keep his businesses afloat
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is consulting on a revision of its UK standard ISA (UK) 540, Auditing Accounting Estimates and Related Disclosures, to respond to the move to accounting for financial instruments on an expected loss basis which is of particular significance for banks
Despite progress in female representation on non-executive board positions, there remains a lack of women in executive roles on the boards of the UK’s leading companies, according to the latest report from Cranfield School of Management
HMRC has launched a technical consultation on draft regulations to ban pensions cold calling to ensure the proposed arrangements are robust and effective in protecting individuals from scams
Foreign companies owning UK properties will have to reveal their ultimate owners on the world's first public register, or face up to five years in jail for concealing the identify of those using shell companies, as part of a crackdown on money laundering
With graduates struggling to enter employment after completing their studies, internships and work experience placements are essential but is it wrong that so many businesses do not pay their interns? Gudrun Limbrick, lead consultant at Word Works, looks at how the Taylor Review and government are trying to change this
The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) has updated its global ethics code to strengthen rules to guard against accepting excessive inducements and hospitality, highlighting the importance of avoiding being put in a compromising situation
Matthew Smith and Robert Harding, partners from Deloitte, have been appointed joint administrators of Gaucho Grill Ltd, Gioma (UK) Limited and Cau Restaurants Ltd, the operators of a chain of restaurants specialising in Argentinian steaks which has collapsed, putting over 1,200 jobs at risk
TV hit ‘Peaky Blinders’ and Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Winston Churchill in the film ‘Darkest Hour’ are just two of dozens of examples from Britain’s world-leading creative sector to have benefited from over £850m of tax breaks in the last year, according to the latest HMRC statistics
The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) is suggesting the introduction of a PAYE option for online platform workers, which would see operators such as Deliveroo or Uber deducting tax from their earnings and thereby taking responsibility for fulfilling the tax obligations of their workers
The director of a West Midlands construction company has been disqualified for seven years after he failed to declare all the company’s sales income, resulting in an under-payment of VAT totalling over £200,000
The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) is believed to have held discussions with financial institutions and other regulators over potential risks to KPMG’s business, following the firm’s string of problems in South Africa and challenges to its auditing of collapsed outsourcer Carillion
Career news this week includes a change in managing partner for talent at EY, BDO promotes a member of the audit team to senior partner and Edwin Coe gains a senior tax manager
Tax and finance functions are struggling to keep up with digital advances, a push towards transparency and global reforms of the international tax system, according to a survey conducted by EY