Speaking at a virtual Treasury Committee hearing on the impact of the covid-19 related measures on the workload and delivery ability of HMRC, head of the tax authority, first permanent secretary and chief executive, Jim Harra told MPs that in-house IT developers and outsourced IT provider CapGemini had been working 24/7 to complete all the preliminary code changes to create the new 80% furlough reporting portal with phase one testing with selected PAYE employers launched today. Sara White reports

Only 1% of businesses have been able to access the government's emergency coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS), while SMEs face serious cashflow reserves, pushing companies towards a 'cliff edge', warns the British Chambers of Commerce

Aviva, RSA, Direct Line and Hiscox have scrapped plans to pay dividends as the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) puts pressure on insurers to protect policyholders, but some insurers have refused to halt payouts, reports Philip Smith

HMRC is finetuning the technical details for the VAT deferral process for businesses using the Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT system with an update to HMRC Technical VAT Notice 700/22 expected shortly

Businesses in Northern Ireland will be able to access a mix of UK-wide coronavirus support schemes and specific measures announced by the devolved Stormont Assembly to reduce the impact of the covid-19 pandemic

Department store Debenhams is heading into administration for the second time in a year, in a bid to stave off a collapse into liquidation and in the hopes that it will be able to resume trading from its high street shops once the coronavirus control measures are lifted

If your employees are working from home due to the coronavirus lockdown, there are important tax compliance issues to consider before reimbursing expenses, explains Jacqui Gudgion CTA, corporate and business tax partner at Mercer & Hole

The government has provided more details of an extension to the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), announced earlier in the pandemic, which will now offer loans of up to £25m to large businesses with turnover above the original limit of £45m for support, reports Pat Sweet

Zero hours workers are entitled to be furloughed under the 80% rules set out in the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme based on an average calculation of monthly earnings, reports Sara White

Accountants put on furlough under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be able to continue their training to achieve professional qualifications and may be able to take on a second job depending on any restrictions in their employment contract, reports Sara White

The Supreme Court has handed down a landmark judgment in a case involving a group data breach action against a former internal auditor at Morrisons, which could have seen the supermarket chain facing claims for damages running into thousands of pounds, reports Pat Sweet

Football clubs are coming under increasing pressure to cut top players’ multimillion pound wages as support staff at clubs are put on the government’s 80% furlough scheme, and EFL clubs are already struggling to pay March salaries