As the world gears up to celebrate tomorrow’s exchange of vows between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the UK stands to see a big boost to weekly retail sales, but there are warnings of the dangers of ignoring the tax implications for those seeking to cash in on the royal wedding, whether by renting out rooms or offering impromptu hospitality

With a number of IR35 public sector cases going against HMRC, the tax authority has released research showing that the majority of public sector employees are now up to speed with the rules although nearly 40% report difficulties filling specialist vacancies as a result of the rule change

Private sector companies are likely to be drawn into the IR35 off-payroll working rules as the goverment ramps up its plans to curb the use of personal service companies and launches a consultation on extending existing ‘off-payroll’ working rules into the private sector to address a claimed £1.2bn a year in lost tax take, reports Pat Sweet

There is continuing confusion surrounding HMRC’s application of the IR35 rules regarding disguised employment, after an IT contractor who challenged a £26,000 tax bill arising from work on a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) project won his appeal at a First Tier Tribunal (FTT)

The government’s decision to cut the maximum stakes on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) from £100 to £2 is likely to result in a hit to the estimated £450m tax take from the machines each year, with the Treasury looking to increase taxes on online gambling to address the shortfall

The EU has breathed new life into a £380m scheme designed to broaden SME employee ownership in the UK by renewing EU state aid approval for the enterprise management incentive (EMI) scheme, which lapsed last month

With less than a year until the rollout of Making Tax Digital for VAT reporting becomes mandatory, HMRC has signed up two more software providers for the income tax pilot

Tax may be the last thing on Meghan Markle’s mind in the run-up to the royal wedding on 19 May but in the next few months she needs to spend time sorting out the tax position brought about her new found royal status, warns Blick Rothenberg

In a bid to close the tax gap and chase up recalcitrant taxpayers, HMRC has ramped up spending on private sector debt collectors by 62% in the last year to reach £39m, compared to £24m in 2016

HMRC is consulting on ways to improve the tax and administrative treatment of short-term business visitors from overseas branches, with a view to reducing the administrative cost and burden, and making the UK a more attractive place to headquarter and do business

The Treasury has launched two consultations on changes to vehicle excise duty for vans and the reduced duty rate for red diesel, in the light of government initiatives to clamp down on pollution in urban areas

MPs are warning that the regulations around universal credit pose a ‘very real risk’ to entrepreneurs as they have been designed with ‘little regard for the reality of self-employed work’ and are calling for changes to the rules to avoid crushing new start-ups