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Tax | Five things you need to know: furlough and zero hours workers

Over the last few weeks our employment law helpline has received hundreds of calls about furlough and zero hours workers. Alan Price, HR expert and CEO at BrightHR, answers five of the most frequently asked questions

9 Apr 2020

Leadership & Management

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Tax | HMRC launches beta testing for 80% furlough portal, Harra tells MPs

Speaking at a virtual Treasury Committee hearing on the impact of the covid-19 related measures on the workload and delivery ability of HMRC, head of the tax authority, first permanent secretary and chief executive, Jim Harra told MPs that in-house IT developers and outsourced IT provider CapGemini had been working 24/7 to complete all the preliminary code changes to create the new 80% furlough reporting portal with phase one testing with selected PAYE employers launched today. Sara White reports

8 Apr 2020

Tax | Google revenue hits £1.6bn, pays only £44m in corporation tax

Tech giant Google paid just £44.3m in corporation tax despite posting revenues of £1.6bn last year, while giving employees more than £1bn in pay and bonuses, accounts for its UK subsidiary show

8 Apr 2020

Tax | Covid-19: MTD technical guidance being rewritten for VAT deferral

HMRC is finetuning the technical details for the VAT deferral process for businesses using the Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT system with an update to HMRC Technical VAT Notice 700/22 expected shortly

8 Apr 2020

Tax | Covid-19: financial support for Northern Ireland businesses and employers

Businesses in Northern Ireland will be able to access a mix of UK-wide coronavirus support schemes and specific measures announced by the devolved Stormont Assembly to reduce the impact of the covid-19 pandemic

7 Apr 2020

Tax | Top 10 tips: employee expenses during coronavirus homeworking

If your employees are working from home due to the coronavirus lockdown, there are important tax compliance issues to consider before reimbursing expenses, explains Jacqui Gudgion CTA, corporate and business tax partner at Mercer & Hole

7 Apr 2020

Tax | April 6 personal tax changes: rise in NICs threshold

April 6 heralds the start of the new tax year, which sees the personal allowance for income tax unchanged, but a hike in the threshold for national insurance contributions (NICs) and a delay to promised reforms to the IR35 off payroll employment rules, reports Pat Sweet

6 Apr 2020

Tax | Labour names Anneliese Dodds as shadow Chancellor

The Labour Party’s new leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has named Anneliese Dodds as the first woman shadow chancellor, replacing John McDonnell who resigned from the shadow cabinet following the party’s defeat in the December election

6 Apr 2020

Tax

Politics

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Tax | Covid-19: zero hours PAYE employees entitled to 80% furlough scheme

Zero hours workers are entitled to be furloughed under the 80% rules set out in the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme based on an average calculation of monthly earnings, reports Sara White

6 Apr 2020

Tax | Covid-19: 80% rules allow training, volunteering and even second jobs

Accountants put on furlough under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be able to continue their training to achieve professional qualifications and may be able to take on a second job depending on any restrictions in their employment contract, reports Sara White

6 Apr 2020

Tax | Covid-19: football clubs fight to keep going as grounds remain closed

Football clubs are coming under increasing pressure to cut top players’ multimillion pound wages as support staff at clubs are put on the government’s 80% furlough scheme, and EFL clubs are already struggling to pay March salaries

3 Apr 2020

Tax | Covid-19: loan charge taxpayers given ‘special arrangements’

HMRC is to introduce special arrangements for taxpayers affected by the loan charge rules relating to disguised remuneration tax avoidance schemes, paving the way for some of them to make claims under the government’s coronavirus support scheme for the self-employed, reports Pat Sweet

3 Apr 2020

Tax | Covid-19: bus services support grant launched

The government is to provide a £397m package for bus operators to keep key routes running for frontline workers during the current pandemic

3 Apr 2020

Tax | Covid-19: business interruption loan scheme amended

The government has been forced to amend the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS) for firms affected by the pandemic, following claims banks were forcing companies to provide personal guarantees, and is adding an option for larger companies, reports Pat Sweet

3 Apr 2020

Tax | April 1 business tax changes: corporation tax rate remains 19%

HMRC has updated its guidance confirming that the government has shelved its original plans to lower corporation tax, with the main rate (for all profits except ring fence profits) for the years starting 1 April 2020 and 2021 remain at 19%, as announced at Budget 2020

2 Apr 2020

Tax | Public sector contractors given access to 80% furlough scheme

IR35 contractors working for public sector organisations through personal service companies who are unable to carry on working due to the covid-19 pandemic will now be eligible for the 80% furlough scheme if their contracts are ongoing, reports Sara White

2 Apr 2020