HMRC Moves To Barclays Canary Wharf

HMRC will be one of the government organisations moving staff out of Whitehall and into new offices in Canary Wharf.

The Cabinet Office announced last week that almost 6,000 full-time civil service and public sector jobs are to move from central London to 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf by 2018. The site will be leased from Barclays for 15 years.

Civil Service World notes that job ads posted on Civil Service Jobs in recent days make clear that HMRC will be one of those shifting staff across the capital.

"Please note that the London office (100 Parliament Street) will be moving to a transitional site in summer 2017.

The location will be 10 South Colonnade, London, E14 4PU."

Not everyone will move, an HMRC briefing note issued a while ago said:

"Of course, the work that we do means that a small number of us will always need to be near ministers.

That's why we're going to keep 100 Parliament Street, although fewer of us will work there. The space we vacate will be used by other government departments."

Fortunately, unlike other HMRC property contracts, HMRC does not face the embarrassment of dealing with a tax avoiding company. Barclays shut its tax avoidance unit in 2013.

Tax does have to be taxing.

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The Joy of Retrospective Taxation

The Treasury, in its infinite "wisdom", has sought to clarify its stance on retrospective taxation in the light of queries raised by the Treasury Select Committee following retrospective taxes being raised on Barclays and new variations of stamp duty land tax (SDLT) which are retrospective.

The Treasury said (as per Step Journal):

"The government agrees that changes to tax legislation where the change is to have effect from a date earlier than the date of announcement should be restricted to wholly exceptional circumstances. The government has made a commitment to this effect in the Protocol on unscheduled announcements, published in ‘Tackling tax avoidance’ at Budget 2011. 

By observing the Protocol, the government aims to strike the right balance between the rights of taxpayers affected by the change and the interests of the generality of taxpayers. In doing so we ensure that our response to avoidance risk is proportionate and limited to what is necessary to address that risk. The Forum of Tax Professionals review announcements as a standing agenda item at its regular meetings and provide Ministers with a view on how the Protocol is being observed in practice."

All clear now?

Would anyone care to define what "wholly exceptional circumstances" might actually be?

Tax does have to be taxing.



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Conundrum

Here's a wee conundrum for you, to start your day:

Q: When is a tax scheme (voluntarily disclosed to HMRC) legal?

A: When the government has to introduce retrospective legislation to make it illegal!

Aha!

Tax does have to be taxing.

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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.

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