Tuesday 30 April 2013

RTI - The Oncoming Surge



As the month end approaches so does the real crunch/test for RTI, as the majority of employers attempt to use RTI for the first time.

My thanks to a loyal reader for pointing me to two articles in AccountingWEB about RTI.

Regarding the oncoming surge, AccountingWEB quote Credec director Alexander Meynell:
HMRC reported that it had handled 70,000 submissions in week one of the new tax year: that’s 3.5% of the total. The end of the month is the real acid test.”
In the meantime, AccountingWEB also reports that HMRC has temporarily stopped employers and their payroll agents from switching their pay cycles to lessen the administrative burden of RTI.

In new guidance published HMRC state:
There has been a recent increase in the number of employers and agents requesting the registration of PAYE schemes as annual.

Please note that, at the moment, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are unable process requests from employers to:
  • move to paying annually and register as an annual scheme
  • change their payment frequency.
HMRC are working to rectify this position and will publish a further 'What's New' message to announce when this is ready.”
What does this mean?

Rebecca Benneyworth (Deputy Chair of the ICAEW tax Faculty) is of the view that HMRC may be having IT problems, exacerbated by a surge in requests from single director companies to switch to the annual scheme option.

As per one payroll software developer:
"We’ve heard that HMRC can’t cope with the volume of requests and has closed the helpline number down while they decide what to do."
So then how are people getting along with RTI, both within and without of HMRC?

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Monday 29 April 2013

RTI Problem


As per Cheap Accounting on Facebook:

Important RTI News – HMRC software problem Pls RT and share #bizitalk

We understand that there is an issue with HMRC’s software for some RTI filers. They hope to have an update by the end of the week.

We have just had a RTI rejection, though the P35 filed no problem. The reason is that HMRC have not “mandated” the record for RTI. Reason “unknown”.

We’ve called HMRC and they can mandate the record for RTI but obviously this means a call to the help desk – deep joy!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Ker Farking Ching!


Sky News reports that between 650,000-850,000 taxpayers are set to be hit with daily fines by HMRC, after failing to file their tax returns for 2011/12.

HMRC sent out automatic £100 penalties to around 850,000 people by February 20, the defaulting taxpayers were then given three months to file their accounts.

However, it is believed that hundreds of thousands have still to complete their forms.

As I recently noted, as from May 1 a new daily fine of £10 will be levied on those who have not filed their returns.


Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Universal Credit


Universal Credit trials begin today.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Friday 26 April 2013

PAC Talks Bollocks Again


I see that PAC has distinguished itself again by lashing out at the accounting profession, in petulant frustration at the fact that people and companies seek to arrange their financial affairs in such a manner so as to minimise their tax burden.

The BBC reports that PAC wants to ban external accountants working inside government, to stop them telling clients about tax loopholes they have found.

Errmm, isn't this in fact a practice that is proactively encouraged by HMRC and the Treasury?

Bill Dodwell, head of tax policy at Deloitte, is quoted by Accountancy Live:
"We have seconded staff to the Treasury at their request. "
It should be noted that HMRC are no slouches in recruiting from the private sector, eg HMRC recently appointed Volker Beckers (ex CEO of RWE npower, a company that paid no tax for 2009-2011) as an NED.

On a similar point, have not past HMRC senior directors on leaving HMRC joined the private sector eg Hartnett joining HSBC? HSBC being the company that was fined $1.9BN for various "issues". Therefore will any ban on private sector people working with/for HMRC cover both "sides" of the revolving door?

MPs are whining that accountants were being seconded to work in the government to advise on changes to tax law, but using the position to glean inside knowledge and tell businesses how to avoid tax.

This criticism by MPs is rather "ironic" given that there are quite a few of them who use accountants themselves to deal with their trusts and financial affairs in a tax efficient manner.

Committee chairwoman Margaret Hodge (who, by happenstance, is in the top 20 of the UK's richest MP's and is worth around £18M) said the practice represented a "ridiculous conflict of interest":
"The large accountancy firms are in a powerful position in the tax world and have an unhealthily cosy relationship with government."
Cough, ermm Margaret...Stemcor!

PAC are also worried about the fact that HMRC are outnumbered by well-resourced accountancy firms in key areas, such as businesses transferring their profits overseas in order to pay less tax.

Errmm, two things here:

1 Given that HMRC is being restructured and staffing levels cut back, how is this a surprise?

2 Regarding offshoring of profits etc..Mapeley!

I leave the final word to HMT
"The analysis and conclusions in the PAC report bear almost no resemblance to reality."

Views and comments, as ever, are always welcome.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Thursday 25 April 2013

Mapeley In The News


Loyal readers will recall that Mapeley, an offshore property company that owns and manages around 60% of HMRC's "estate", occasionally features on this site.

Yesterday the Liverpool Echo reported that a set of offices in Liverpool, once occupied by HMRC and currently owned by Mapeley, will now be turned into flats.

Oddly enough, the article seems to imply (from my reading of it anyway) that people have only recently realised that Mapeley is offshore.

Here is the article in full, please feel free to comment:
"LIVERPOOL’S former tax office building is set to be taken over by a social landlord.

City planners are due to decide on a bid that will see it turned into more than 200 one, two and three-bedroom flats.

It is anticipated there will be considerable demand for one-bed flats in future – either run by social landlords or private firms – because many people in the city are now expected to pay ‘bedroom tax’ on homes with spare rooms.

The ECHO has learned that the former Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is now owned by a company ultimately based in Guernsey, the Mapeley Group.

It was rented back by HMRC until the tax office moved out.

The company,  which used to be owned in part by international financier George Soros,  has recently come in for criticism from MPs over alleged “tax avoidance” because of its off-shore status.

It is one of the two companies that has submitted the planning application to refurbish the five-storey building.

The planning application, brought by Mapeley STEPS (Strategic Transfer of Estate to the Private Sector) and Glenbrook QD Ltd, states: “The development will be funded and delivered by Glenbrook and run and managed on a day to day basis by a third party registered social landlord.”

As well as the 86 one-bedroom, 124 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom flats – which will be “high quality accommodation that meets lifetime homes standards” – there will be a community centre, children’s playground and picnic area.

While more than 400 nearby residents were consulted as part of the bid, only one has objected over fears of traffic clogging up the narrow road to the building at Mariners Wharf.

Mystery currently surrounds which housing association will lease the development, as many of the city’s social landlords confirmed they were not involved in the scheme.

Mapeley did not confirm who the social landlord provider was and Glenbrook QD could not be reached by the ECHO for comment.

A spokesman for Mapeley STEPS Contractor Ltd, which collected the rents from HMRC, is “one of several within the Mapeley Group which is based in Guernsey”.


A stake in Mapeley was owned by Mr Soros, the man who came to widespread notoriety when he put a £10bn speculative bet against the pound in 1992, devaluing the currency and sparking what became known as ‘Black Wednesday’.

Martin Ralph, of the Merseyside Trade Unionist and Socialist Council (TUSC), which campaigns against tax avoidance, said the news that HMRC had been paying its rent to offshore companies while it was still in the building was shocking, adding: “This all shows how money flows.

"Benefits get cut because the government says it can’t afford to pay them but the money it does still pay will end up flowing into tax havens.”"


Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Wednesday 24 April 2013

All Change


HMRC is moving from using 0845 to 03-prefix telephone numbers for its helplines.

This, in theory, should reduce the cost to callers of hanging on the telephone.

The new prefix began roll out on 16 April, starting with new numbers for the child benefit and guardian's allowance helplines.

The 0845 numbers will still work for around 18 months.

There is further information at HMRC.

The deadline for the full roll out is expected to be by the end of summer.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Tuesday 23 April 2013

RTI Face-To-Face


Now that RTI has been running for almost 3 weeks, HMRC are planning a series of face-to-face sessions across the country to give employers the chance to ask experts about Real Time Information.

HMRC are running several sessions in each of the locations below, at various dates and times throughout April and May.

As per HMRC:
"Please call 0845 603 2691 to reserve a place on a session at a date and time that suits you. Alternatively, you can book on some sessions using the online booking tool - these sessions are highlighted below. Just click on the location to book.
Belfast (Opens new window)
Birmingham (Opens new window)
Bournemouth
Brighton
Bristol
Cambridge
Canterbury
Cardiff
Carmarthen
Chelmsford
Cheltenham (Opens new window)
Coventry
Edinburgh
Exeter
Glasgow
Hull
Ipswich
Leeds
Leicester
Lincoln
Liverpool
London - Bromley
London - Croydon
London - Enfield
London - Euston
London - Staines
London - Tolworth
London - Wembley
Luton
Maidstone
Manchester
Middlesbrough
Morecambe
Newcastle
Norwich
Nottingham (Opens new window)
Oxford
Peterborough
Plymouth
Portsmouth (Opens new window)
Preston
Reading
Sheffield
Southampton
St Austell
Stoke
Swansea (Opens new window)
Taunton
Weymouth
"
By happenstance a loyal reader posted a comment yesterday afternoon outlining his/her experience of RTI:
"I've just tried to send my first monthly file by HMRC RTI software.
Having put all the data in, the software refused to connect to HMRC.
I rang the helpdesk.
15 minutes later, I finally got through to someone.
Their first suggestion was my HP laptop (i5, 8Gb RAM, W7 WEI 6.4) was not the right spec. Then they suggested I didn't have enough hard disk space (I'd have thought 32gb on an SSD was sufficient).
After 30 minutes, I had had enough of some temp following a script and taking notes (she put me on hold then went off to ask a senior staff member to explain the difference between single and dual core processors).

I tried emailing the helpdesk (email address on website).
I did get a reply by email.
It said I needed to call them on the phone helpline.

HMRC Helpline ? No, I don't think so
."
So, what have your experiences of RTI been (both from within and without of HMRC)?

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Tax Investigation for Dummies


Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Monday 22 April 2013

Hypocrisy In Action


HMRC have appointed Volker Beckers to one of its Non Executive Director roles.

The appointment of Beckers has raised a few eyebrows because he was CEO of RWE npower, a company that hit the headlines last week after it emerged that it had paid no tax in the years 2009-2011.

An out of date CV of Beckers can be found on GOV.UK , aside from not mentioning his new role within HMRC it also neglects to mention the fact that he stepped down as Npower's CEO in January 2013 (although he does remain in an advisory capacity).

Ian Lavery MP, a member of the Commons Energy and Climate Change select committee, is quoted by the Guardian:
"(Chancellor) George Osborne has serious questions to answer about why he has appointed the boss of an energy firm which paid no corporation tax in the last three years, despite making £766m in profits, to the board of HMRC. HMRC has a bad enough record at stopping tax avoidance as it is."
EDF*OFF, a group set up to campaign against the dominance of the big six suppliers, is also unimpressed and claims that the appointment is deeply embarrassing for the HMRC at a time when it is trying to rebuild public trust following the departure of former head, Dave Hartnett, after signing much-criticised sweetheart tax deals with Goldman Sachs and then joining HSBC.

Npower says that the low tax payments result from the fact that the German-owned company has been investing billions of pounds in new gas and other power stations.

Meanwhile HMRC told the Guardian:
"Non-executive directors bring valuable external and commercial experience to HMRC. However, they are not responsible for the day-to-day management of HMRC, nor are they responsible for tax policy or for handling confidential individual or corporate taxpayer issues." 
I have absolutely no problem with companies/individuals arranging their affairs in order to reduce their tax bill. However, this government and HMRC have repeatedly voiced their opposition to tax avoidance; hence the appointment of Beckers seems a tad "out of kilter" with current government policy towards avoidance.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Thursday 18 April 2013

Mayday Mayday!


A Mayday warning from HMRC about their £10 per day penalty charges for late online filing:
"If you haven’t sent in your 2011/12 tax return online, be warned – you’ll be hit with more penalties from next month if you still haven’t filed. 

From 1 May, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will charge a £10 daily penalty for each day your online return is late, up to a maximum of 90 days. This is in addition to the initial £100 late-filing penalty for missing the 31 January filing deadline.

For paper returns, daily penalties started on 1 February, as they were due by the earlier deadline of 31 October. So don’t send a paper return now, as it will trigger an amount equal to, or close to, the maximum daily penalty charge of £900.

Looking ahead, further penalties of at least £300 (or 5 per cent of the tax due, if that is more) will be issued for returns that are 6 and 12 months late.

Anyone who’s received a late-filing penalty, hasn’t yet sent a return, but thinks they don’t need to be in Self Assessment, should call HMRC on 0845 900 0444. If HMRC agrees, the return and any penalty will be cancelled."
You have been warned!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Faster Payments Confusion

My thanks to loyal reader Stuart Jones, who pointed me to an article on his site 3CA Blog about a wee bit of confusion caused by HMRC's advice contained in Employer Bulletin Issue 44 (April 2013) about faster payments.

The Faster Payments website states:
"The service allows customers to make payments over the phone or through online banking all day, every day, and be assured that they reach their destination almost at the touch of a button."
Unfortunately HMRC have issued a rather confusing caveat about speed of payments. As per Stuart:
"HMRC suggest that a payment made on Wednesday 22 isn’t credited until Thursday 22 (whichever day that is!). I’m not certain if they do agree that the money will be credited on Wednesday 22 or they disagree and it will not be credited until the following day, i.e. Thursday 23"
 
Helpfully, HMRC then state that:
"Late payment penalties are wholly avoidable by allowing enough time for cleared payments to reach us by the payment deadline."
Anyone care to clear up the confusion?

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Monday 15 April 2013

Child Benefit Not Taxable


It's official, child benefit is NOT taxable.

That is at least the view of GOV.UK!

However, the reality is that those on higher rate who receive it have it clawed back via tax.

This "little snafu" by HMG just goes to show how complex that tax system really is, because if the people who actually make up the rules for tax can't get it right then what hope do the rest of us have?

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Friday 12 April 2013

Unpaid Interns


Sky News reports that the details of 100 companies accused of breaking the law by using unpaid interns in paid roles have been handed to HM Revenue and Customs by Employment Minister Jo Swinson.

I wonder if David Gauke is on the list (he advertised for an unpaid intern in March 2012)?

Oh, and by happenstance, I see that Paul Burstow MP is advertising for one now.....as does Rory Stewart MP.

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Thursday 11 April 2013

Lean On Me - Toyota In Another Massive Recall


Toyota, the company that bequeathed the world and HMRC "LEAN", has had to issue yet another recall of cars along with Nissan and Honda.

Reuters reports that 3.4 million cars are being recalled because of issues over airbags.

As per a loyal reader this morning:
"LESSONS FROM THE WHITEBOARD STILL NOT LEARNT...

Memo to all managers and evangelista's

Its all gone pear-shaped, again!


Manufacturer's of what are sometimes known as "rice burners" such as Toyota, Nissan & Honda would appear to have been involved in yet another round of multi-millon, world-wide vehicle recalls involving safety issues (don't forget, recalls are usually a last resort after ignoring the problem with collective insertion of heads into places where the sun don't shine).


Is there a lesson to be learnt from this?


There is, despite all the hype, Pacesetter/Lean systems, as developed from the land of the rising sunny (Nissan), are unable to cope with the rigours of mass production environments.


What does this mean? Despite years of man/women hours and billions of Yen, Pounds and Dollars it is now there for all to see, it does not work, and continues to fail regularly.


Watch out for falling lemmings and other practitioners of hari kari (that's falling on your sword for Excom!)
."
Sadly I suspect that HMRC will not give up using LEAN, whatever the cost!

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Wednesday 10 April 2013

GAAR Blimey!


The incoming General Anti-Abuse Rule (GAAR), as per the 2013 Finance Bill, is not as clearly defined as some tax professionals would like; they are worried that it is likely to cause "considerable uncertainty".

In theory it will come in to effect in July. However, some are calling for it to be delayed until ambiguities within in it are addressed.

Jane Lee, partner at solicitors Pannone is quoted by Accountancy Age:
"There is scope within the GAAR legislation for it to be used far more widely than the original government report had previously suggested.

The drafting of the legislation and the fact that the guidance produced by HMRC is not legally binding means that there is scope for considerable uncertainty as to the type of arrangements which may be targeted by HMRC."
Additionally, it would seem that our political masters have allowed the opinion to form that GAAR will be the silver bullet that resolves the tax issues relating to avoidance wrt multinationals such as Starbucks.

This of course will not be the case.


Chair of the House of Lords committee on the Finance Bill Lord MacGregor said:
"There is a misconception that GAAR will mean the likes of Starbucks and Amazon will be slapped with massive tax bills.

This is wrong and the government needs to explain that to the public. GAAR is narrowly defined and will only impact on the most abusive of tax avoidance.

We accept the narrowly focused GAAR as a starting point. We recommend that the scope of the GAAR should be reviewed after five years as part of a wider post-implementation review, which would look, in particular, at how the double reasonableness test had been applied in practice and its deterrent effect."
As the saying goes, the issue around GAAR will "run and run".

Tax does have to be taxing.

Professional Cover Against the Threat of Costly TAX and VAT Investigations

Insurance to protect you against the cost of enquiry or dispute with HMRC is available from several sources including Solar Tax Investigation Insurance.

Ken Frost has negotiated a 10% discount on any polices that may suit your needs.

However, neither Ken Frost nor HMRCISSHITE either endorses or recommends their services.

What is Solar Tax Investigation Insurance?

Solar Tax Investigation Insurance is a tax-fee protection service that will pay up to £75,000 towards your accountant's fees in the event of an HM Revenue & Customs full enquiry or dispute.

To find out more, please use this link Solar Tax Investigation Insurance



Tax Investigation for Dummies, by Nick Morgan, provides a good and easy to read guide for anyone caught up in an HMRC tax investigation. A must read for any Self Assessment taxpayer.

Click the link to read about: Tax Investigation for Dummies

HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"