The development of HMRC’s Making Tax Digital software is at an advanced stage despite the fact the project’s latest four consultation documents including details on the mechanics of quarterly reporting for companies have yet to be published, reports Calum Fuller

HMRC is warning contractors about tax avoidance schemes involving unpaid PAYE and Class 1 national insurance contributions (NICs) after its ‘emphatic win’ at a First Tier Tribunal (FTT) in the first case to test managed service companies (MSC) legislation

Accenture has won an IT contract with HMRC to provide software development for the individual taxpayers’ digital tax accounts which are set to go live in 2018, for personal tax reporting under the Making Tax Digital initiative

An online tool has been created to help people check whether they can claim universal credit and tax credits according to their postcode, which follows complicated changes made to the benefits system

The number of flexible pension withdrawals made in the second quarter of 2016 hit £1.77bn, double the amount withdrawn in the same period last year, but the rate of withdrawals has slowed, suggesting more individuals are making smaller, regular withdrawals

Owen Smith has pledged to transform the UK tax system if he wins the current contest to become Labour leader, announcing plans to reinstate the 50p personal tax rate and introduce a new wealth tax on the richest 1% of taxpayers, in a bid to tackle what he described as ‘ballooning’ inequality

Offshore tax planning does not have to be off the books. Structured mitigation makes sense from offshore bonds to open-ended investment companies (OEICs) for the right investors, says Freddy David, managing director of HBFS

The broadband service outage suffered last week by BT broadband customers illustrates the risk for firms and their clients of over-reliance on online services, advisers warn

As tax rules become more complex and clients more willing to sue, Virginia Hickley, head of financial claims at Mills & Reeve examines how accountants can safeguard against claims

DVLA annual accounts show a £93m fall in revenue in the year following the removal of paper tax discs, which is higher than the government’s previous estimate of £80m

The OECD is calling on governments to adopt tax policy which encourage inclusive growth, with the benefits shared more evenly within society, at the same time as the Spanish government indicated it may raise taxes on business, rather than personal income, in a bid to reduce its budget deficit

The deadline for settling outstanding tax liability for users of disguised remuneration schemes has been extended to end March 2017, giving affected taxpayers a four-month window to negotiate a deal with HMRC over any outstanding unpaid tax