The OECD is claiming major progress towards the goal of creating a fairer international tax system, with countries collaborating to close down loopholes, improve transparency and ensure that multinational enterprises pay tax where they carry out their activities, according to its latest report to G20 leaders

With private equity still wary of lending, Smith & Williamson business tax partner Ray Abercromby explains that there was an increased interest in tax-advantaged investment structures, particularly the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and its earlier stage cousin, Seed EIS (SEIS)

The European parliament has passed a directive requiring multinationals to publicly disclose information about the tax they pay in each country they operate, in a measure aimed at tackling tax avoidance and profit shifting

In RFC 2012 Plc (in liquidation) v Advocate General for Scotland [2017] BTC 22, the Supreme Court dismissed the taxpayer’s appeal; money paid under a tax avoidance scheme into an EBT constituted earnings to which PAYE deductions should have been applied, since such money was a component of each footballer’s remuneration

HMRC has won a seven-year legal battle over the use of employee benefit trusts (EBTs) as a means of paying players and staff at Rangers football club, with the Supreme Court handing down a ruling that the payments should be classed as ‘earnings’ rather than loans, and are therefore taxable under PAYE

The Dutch government is planning to exempt withholding tax on dividends paid to non-resident shareholders from January 2018. Paulus Merks, partner, Jian-Cheng Ku, legal director, and Tim Mulder, associate, from DLA Piper explain the changes to the rules and provide examples

The Welsh government is canvassing the public’s opinions for ideas for potential new Welsh taxes, and says it will publish a list of possible options which have been put forward in the autumn

Chancellor Philip Hammond has pledged to hold firm on the government’s existing tax, economic and fiscal policies, despite pressure to spend more on public services and public sector workers

The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) has published a range of recommendations for overhauling the corporation tax regime for both small and large businesses, with the aim of making calculations simpler, including fewer changes and more time to plan

Salary sacrifice can still be a useful tool for employers wanting to recruit and retain key employees, but the new rules introduced from April 2017 may add complexity for those employers who still choose to use such schemes, warns Meg Wilson CTA

As Wimbledon commences, and with other summer sporting events such as cricket tests at Lord’s on the horizon, HMRC is looking to clamp down on undeclared income

Download the HMRC CGT indexation allowance for March 2017, RPI Index for May 2017 and HMRC rates of interest, changes to stamp duty land tax (SDLT) and land and buildings transaction tax (LBTT) rates, and more