Tax relief in the property sector might seem like a landmine, but reliefs are available for buy-to-let property owners, if you’re careful, reports Jaimie Kaffash

HMRC has bowed to pressure to provide additional safeguards for new plans to recover debts, including meeting all debtors face-to-face before taking action, after a consultation revealed strong criticism of proposals to take money direct from people’s bank accounts

HMRC’s latest management information summary on its customer service performance over the first six months of this financial year shows the department is still struggling to handle post and telephone inquiries effectively, with response rates in both areas falling below target and a third of post taking over three weeks to be processed

A hedge fund manager who said he was involved in the buying and selling of film rights and the financing of Hollywood blockbusters through a scheme known as Goldcrest is contesting a tax tribunal decision supporting HMRC’s view that this was an attempt to avoid payment of around £8m in tax, rather than a genuine commercial activity

The recent ruling on Starbucks and its Dutch tax agreements raises concerns about the power of the European Commission and the validity of advance pricing agreements, says Heather Self, partner at Pinsent Masons LLP

With the tax profession under fire from government and corporations being criticised for their approach to tax planning, Rob Whiteman, chief executive of CIPFA, says that advisers need to clean up their act and take some responsibility