The European Commission has issued the detailed technical amendments to overhaul the EU rules on VAT to cut down on fraud across the 28 member states, effective from 2021, which will affect business to business VAT compliance

HMRC is increasingly moving the focus of its investigations for underpaid tax away from foreign companies and is instead looking more closely at British companies, with HMRC targeting overseas businesses for 34% of all suspected underpaid tax compared to 66% from UK companies, according to Pinsent Masons

Jackie Hall, employment tax partner at RSM, explains how payrolling benefits comes with many National Insurance contribution (NIC) risks despite the advantage that the tax is collected in real time so employers avoid any underpayments at year end

The OECD has released the first peer reviews of the operation of the country by country reporting (CBCR) measures resulting from its base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project, which show that practically all countries that serve as headquarters to the large multinationals covered by the initiative have introduced new reporting obligations compliant with transparency requirements

Bill Dodwell, partner and head of tax policy at Deloitte, considers the implications of tax returns which are pre-populated with data by HMRC and asks whether taxpayers would check or understand the figures put in front of them

Yvette Nunn CTA, director of Berkeley Associates, examines plans to overhaul entrepreneurs’ relief but warns that the proposals could act as a disincentive for minority shareholders

Julie Butler, partner at Butler & Co, considers tax planning arrangements and VAT rules around repairing and restoring neglected farmhouses and barns, comparing the reduced 5% VAT rate for renovation on an unoccupied property against various tax reliefs for habited properties

HMRC has published the latest advisory fuel rates (AFR) for company car users, effective from 1 June 2018 reflecting the upward trend in forecourt fuel prices for higher emission cars

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)