Developments of interest are outlined.

• HMRC has published updated performance reports up to July 2017:- HMRC quarterly performance update – April to June 2017 and HMRC monthly performance report: July 2017
• The August 2017 pension schemes newsletter has been published
• Check which payers have been approved to be included in the middleman scheme and see if you need to deduct withholding tax
• Use the updated register to check the status of overseas corporate lenders who are passport holders for Double Taxation Relief on UK loan interest
• HMRC: your guide to making a voluntary disclosure has been updated
• Factsheet CCFS 32 (Compliance checks: employee tax advantaged share schemes – penalty for material inaccuracy) has been updated
• The following toolkits have been refreshed:- HMRC expenses and benefits from employment toolkit, HMRC Inheritance Tax toolkit, HMRC Capital Gains Tax for shares toolkit, the HMRC small profits rate and marginal relief toolkit, HMRC small profits rate and marginal relief toolkit, HMRC VAT partial exemption toolkit, HMRC VAT input tax toolkit and HMRC VAT output tax toolkit
• The detailed guidance notes on how the tax system operates for charities has been updated
• HMRC has published guidance on the UK tax implications of FRS105
• See examples of tax errors individual landlords letting out residential property in the UK or abroad make (in the context of the let property campaign)
• Various documents and publications relevant to Vat have been updated:- Value Added Tax (VAT) Bulletin, VAT: changes to registration details (VAT484), VAT Notice 714: zero rating young children’s clothing and footwear, VAT Notice 700/45: how to correct VAT errors and make adjustments or claims and VAT: telecommunication services used outside the EU
• HMRC have closed their second incomes disclosure campaign which provided an opportunity for individuals to bring their tax affairs up to date if they had additional income that hadn’t been taxed through their main job or another PAYE scheme.
• HMRC have updated a number of their online guides to reflect that from 15 December 2017 it will not be possible to make payments to HMRC at the Post Office.
• Final HMRC guidance on the new corporate criminal offence of failing to prevent the facilitation of tax evasion has now been published and given statutory effect
• From 4 September 2017, HMRC will no longer provide agents with paper copies of SA302s/Tax Year Overviews for mortgage or other income certification purposes. As explained on here of Agent Update 61, agents are expected to self-serve.
• A recently published weekly threat report from the National Cyber Security Centre highlights scams targeted at tax professionals.
• HMRC has just published a guide which can be used to check if you must send a country-by-country report. The first reports were due at the beginning of September.
• HMRC has recently published update guidance on the downsizing provisions for the residence nil rate band. The two updated pieces of guidance are Trusts and inheritance tax and Inheritance Tax: transferring unused tax-free thresholds.
• The most recent Trusts and Estates newsletter has been published
• HMRC have opened a technical consultation dealing with the enactment of four further extra-statutory concessions; comments are requested by 9 November 2017
• A consultation on the Business Risk Review (BRR) has also been launched seeking views on the operation of the BRR process and how it might be improved.
• HMRC has updated its guidance on the worldwide disclosure facility used to disclose a UK tax liability that relates wholly or in part to an offshore issue to allow an additional 90 days to make a disclosure
• HMRC have updated its online guide Pay Stamp Duty Land Tax to reflect that from 15 December 2017 it will not be possible to make payments to HMRC at the Post Office.
• HMRC is calling on agents with clients use the venture capital schemes to participate in ongoing user research on new digital services for the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme.
• Various publications and forms relevant to Vat have been updated: VAT: registration notification (VAT1C), VAT Notice 700: the VAT guide, VAT: apply for Simplified Import VAT Accounting (SIVA1) and VAT appeal updates