In an appeal against a closure notice, the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) determined that valuing goodwill on the basis of a multiple of gross recurring fees is a more accurate method of valuing professional firms and such a method was to be adopted in this case.

Health and fitness club operator Esporta has lost its claim at the Court of Appeal for repayment of £1.3m VAT on debts recovered from members who had stopped paying the monthly fee, which it argued should be viewed as damages or compensation for breach of contract rather than consideration for the supply of services for VAT purposes

A franchisee of the takeaway sandwich chain Subway has lost the latest in a string of legal actions to prevent its toasted sandwiches from being standard-rated for VAT, following a Court of Appeal decision with implications for a number of fast food outlets.

Two businessmen who claimed to have been unwittingly involved as middle men in a VAT ‘carousel’ fraud over sales of industrial hose to the Middle East, and who found themselves kidnapped by criminal associates of the fraudsters, have won their appeals against penalties for dishonesty imposed by HMRC.