News from various areas of interest includes publication of the latest tax gap data, the latest HMRC monthly performance report and a warning for anyone filing corporation tax returns.

• HMRC have published their report measuring the UK’s tax gap for the year 2015–16
• HMRC’s monthly performance report for September 2017 has been published
• According to Agent Update 62, HMRC will reject any company accounts or tax computations submitted in non-iXBRL format from 1 November 2017 unless a specific exception applies
• HMRC is consulting on draft guidance covering new legislation on enablers of defeated tax avoidance schemes
• HMRC has updated its guidance on when off-payroll working rules apply to a worker providing services through an intermediary and when one needs to check
• HMRC has recently updated its 2017 guidance on Class 1A national insurance contributions on benefits-in-kind, formerly known as booklet CWG5
• HMRC has published research report 433 “Understanding evasion by small and mid-sized businesses” which looks at what causes businesses to engage in tax evasion and whether they hold particular attitudes making them more likely to seek to evade tax
• The House of Commons Library has published a briefing paper “Taxation of termination payments”discussing the background to the legislative reform amending the tax treatment of termination payments included in the Finance (No.2) Bill 2017
• HMRC is looking for small scale users of the VAT Retail Export Scheme – ‘Tax free shopping’ – to provide input in developing a digitalised system. See Agent Update 62
• Revenue Scotland and HMRC have both raised their interest rates on late paid tax, penalties and repayment interest
• The latest tax statistics shows that tax receipts increased by 6.7 percent in the last year, from £533.7bn in 2015/16 to £569.3bn in 2016/17
• The following VAT forms and publications have been updated:- VAT: revoking an option to tax within first 6 months (VAT1614C), VAT: notification of an option to tax land and buildings (VAT1614A), VAT: ceasing to be a relevant associate to an option to tax (VAT1614B), VAT: notification of a real estate election (VAT1614E), VAT: revoking an option to tax after 20 years (VAT1614J), VAT: new buildings – exclusion from an option to tax (VAT1614F), VAT: apply for permission to opt to tax land and or buildings (VAT1614H), VAT: apply for Simplified Import VAT Accounting (SIVA1), VAT Notice 730: civil penalty investigations – statement of practice, VAT Notes 2017 Issue 3, VAT Notice 742A: opting to tax land and buildings, VAT Notice 703: export of goods from the UK and VAT Notice 701/22: tools for manufacture of goods for export
• The HMRC penalty system for inaccurate information in returns and documents has been updated to apply to the apprenticeship levy
• The following toolkits have now been updated:- HMRC property rental toolkit and HMRC capital v revenue expenditure toolkit
• The Seafarer’s earnings deduction: HS205 Self Assessment helpsheet has been updated
• HMRC examples of phishing scams to get personal information has been updated
• HMRC have published their Banking Manual
• The government recently consulted on changes to the overseas pension scheme rules relating to the tax charges on payments from non-UK pension schemes
• Pension schemes newsletter 92 – October 2017 and the Employer Bulletin: October 2017are available
• Draft guidance that will accompany the new penalty that can be applied on those who ‘enable’ tax avoidance schemes that are subsequently defeated has been published
• HMRC has published Spotlight 40, the latest in its series highlighting tax avoidance schemes which it says don’t work
• HMRC have published details of litigation decisions in 2016–17 where they consider tax avoidance was involved
• Use the online service or SA370 form to appeal against Self-Assessment penalties for sending late tax returns or payments
• The factsheet providing information about compliance checks into certain large, complex businesses and their tax affairs has been updated
• HMRC have released an updated organisation chart
• HMRC examples of phishing scams to get personal information has been updated