Research Briefing
This note discusses the introduction of a new power, initially announced in the 2014 Budget, to allow HM Revenue & Customs’ to recover debts for both tax and tax credits directly from individuals’ bank and building society accounts.
Research Briefing
In December 2015 HM Revenue & Customs published Making Tax Digital - its strategy to implement a new system of digital tax accounts to be used by businesses, the self-employed and landlords. This briefing examines the development of this strategy up to 2019.
Research Briefing
This briefing looks in detail at the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated between the EU and UK and finalised on 14 November 2018. It was endorsed by EU Member State leaders at a special European Council summit on 25 November and the UK Prime Minister promoted it in the UK Parliament and around the country. The Agreement was debated at length in Parliament on several occasions and has been voted on three times. But the House of Commons has not endorsed it. A second extension of Article 50 took exit day to 31 October 2019, but once again the UK is faced with the possibility of leaving the EU without an agreement if this agreement or another one is not ratified by the UK and the EU.
Research Briefing
In the 2017 Budget the Government confirmed that it would introduce legislation to amend the tax treatment of termination payments. Provision to this effect is made by s5 of the Finance (No.2) Act 2017. This note discusses the background to this reform.
Debate Pack
A Westminster Hall debate on IR35 Tax Reforms was held on Thursday 4 April 2019. The subject for debate was selected by the Backbench Business Committee. The Member leading the debate was Ged Killen MP.
Debate Pack
On Thursday 4 April the House debated a motion relating to the introduction of the 2019 Loan Charge. The subject for the debate had been selected by the Backbench Business Committee.
Research Briefing
This paper sets out direct tax rates and principal tax allowances for the 2019/20 tax year, as announced in the 2018 Budget on 29 October 2018. The paper outlines the conditions necessary for eligibility for these tax allowances, and provides a summary of the general tax position in straightforward cases.
Research Briefing
This note looks at the way that landlords have been able to offset their finance costs against tax, the changes made to these rules by s24 of Finance (No.2) Act 2015, and the debate there has been over their likely impact. It looks briefly at the introduction from April 2016 of higher rates of stamp duty on the purchase of additional residential properties, as the Government has explicitly linked these two measures as being targeted to help first time buyers.
Debate Pack
The Chancellor Philip Hammond presented the 2018 Budget on 29 October. The Finance (No.3) Bill 2017-19 was published on 7 November, and the Bill's Second Reading was on 12 November. It completed its consideration in the House of Commons on 8 January 2019, and the Finance Act 2019 received Royal Assent on 12 February 2019.
Research Briefing
Concerns about the impact of aviation on carbon emissions lead the Labour Government to review air passenger duty (APD) in 2008. A number of changes were made to the structure of the tax from November 2009. This historical note discusses this reform.
Research Briefing
Air passenger duty (APD) is charged on all passenger flights from UK airports. It was introduced in the November 1993 Budget and came into effect on 1 November 1994. This note discusses the introduction of APD, and the first years of its operation.
Research Briefing
In the 2012 Budget the Government announced proposals to introduce a new scheme, to be introduced from April 2013, to allow charities to claim additional payments on small donations - equivalent to the way they may claim tax relief on donations made under Gift Aid. This note gives some background to the scheme and the changes that have been made to it since it was introduced.
Research Briefing
All Member States have limited discretion in setting VAT rates under EU VAT law. This note discusses the development of European law in this area, and the implications this has for the UK setting its own VAT rates.
Research Briefing
Since the introduction of independent taxation in 1990, all individuals have been assessed for tax as separate persons, entitled to their own personal tax allowance, to set against their liability to income tax. This note looks at the debate there has been about allowing partners to transfer their allowance to their spouse, so that the tax system might 'recognise' marriage.
Research Briefing
This paper looks at the way in which the self-employed are treated for the purposes of National Insurance, in the context of proposals made in the 2015 Budget to scrap Class 2 National Insurance contributions (NICs), and proposals in the Spring 2017 Budget to increase the rate of Class 4 NICs. In the latter case, the Government cancelled its plans a few days after the Budget, and in the former case announced in September 2018 that it would not proceed with the abolition of Class 2 NICs during this Parliament.
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