Claims for research and development (R&D) tax relief have soared in recent years, reaching £3.7bn in 2015-16, an increase of 25% from the previous year, while so far £3.5bn has been claimed for 2016-17, according to the latest statistics from HMRC

HMRC has updated its guidance on the rules around corporate interest restriction (CIR) on deductions for corporation tax with just a week before the reporting deadline for March end figures, to clarify how to work out a company’s or group’s interest allowance

Justin Stevenson, associate director at RSM, discusses the requirement to correct (RTC) rules and how they will affect taxpayers with assets overseas, such as bank or investment accounts, or holiday homes that have been rented, as well as those overseas with a liability to UK tax, need to take note of 30 September deadline

HMRC hauled in almost a third more from each criminal investigation it launched last year, with the average tax take rising from £1.9m in 2016/17 to £2.5m, according to analysis by UHY Hacker Young

European Commission analysis shows EU countries lost almost €150bn (£134bn) in VAT revenues in 2016, with the UK and Ireland among a minority of six member states to report an increase in the ‘VAT gap’ between expected revenue and the amount actually collected

HMRC is urging millions of employees such as nurses, hairdressers and construction workers to go online and directly check if they can claim extra cash back for work-related expenses, amid concerns they could be missing out on their full tax relief entitlement by using agencies instead

A lengthy investigation by the European Commission has concluded that Luxembourg did not offer illegal state aid to McDonald’s with favourable tax treatments, and the reason for the double non-taxation was down to a mismatch between Luxemburg and US tax rules

Starbucks has come under further fire over its tax policies after analysis showed the US chain’s European business paid just $5.9m (£4.47m) of tax in the UK on profits of $213m (£161m) last year

With Making Tax Digital on the horizon, rural businesses risk being left behind and labelled as ‘non-compliant’ unless they act quickly, warns Mark Pryce

The Irish government has confirmed receipt of €14.3bn (£12.7bn) from Apple, marking full recovery of the disputed state aid offered to the tech giant, which the EU ruled was an illegal ‘sweetheart’ tax deal more than two years ago

In Prudential Assurance Company Ltd v R & C Commrs [2018] BTC 31, the taxpayer sought (among other claims) restitution of an amount calculated as compound, and not simple, interest but the Supreme Court, in its judgment delivered in July 2018, rejected this claim. Mark Cawthron LLB CTA examines the judgment

The OECD’s inclusive framework on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) has released additional interpretive guidance to give certainty to tax administrations and multinationals on the implementation of country-by-country reporting (CBCR), which is action 13 in its plan to tackle tax avoidance