TaxSource Total

Here you can access summary of the key current tax developments in Ireland, the UK and internationally as reported by Chartered Accountants Ireland

The report of key tax developments are displayed per year, per month, by Ireland, the UK or International and by report title

HMRC toolkits and a New Helpline on the way for Agents

Pre-return Support Toolkits

HMRC has been developing a series of ‘toolkits’ which are designed to help agents preparing tax returns.

Each toolkit deals with a particular aspect of a tax return for example, capital allowances on plant and machinery, or the treatment of personal/non-business expenditure. The toolkit literature takes the form of a checklist of potentially difficult or problematic issues, together with a more detailed explanation of each issue and a signpost to further information (generally to the HMRC manuals). The issues in the checklist are based on the HMRC's perception of risk, in other words, on the things that people frequently get wrong. The idea is to help people get returns right first time and so reduce the need for compliance work and save time and costs for everyone.

The first toolkits are due in mid-May, one of which will deal with the 2009/10 Trust and Estate tax return.

There is no obligation to use a toolkit, and there are a variety of ways in which an agent might use one. One option would be to print off the checklist and work through it.

Professional bodies have been involved in developing the toolkits, and prototypes have been tested with agents preparing 2008/09 tax returns.

Trust and Estate Tax Return

The 2009/10 Trust and Estate tax return contains a new feature, a tickbox, to confirm whether a toolkit has been used in preparing the return.

Agent Dedicated Line for Trusts

HMRC is also introducing a new Agent Dedicated Line specifically for trusts enquiries which will be launched in the summer. As well as offering help and support, HMRC will collect information from the calls to the new helpline, to identity areas where more guidance might be needed.

HMRC has also been discussing this development with professional bodies, and has made assurances that staff on the helpline will be able to handle agent questions.

The full text of a letter from HMRC to the professional bodies outlining these changes, which are intended to provide support to agents involved in trust and estate work, is available here.