In the wake of the campaign for free school meals during the summer holidays, RSM’s Chris Etherington looks at what other options are on the menu to tackle childhood hunger

The tax gap, which is the difference between tax that should be paid and what is actually paid, has fallen to 4.7%, its lowest recorded rate, according to HMRC estimates

Early reaction to the Chancellor’s summer update of measures to combat the economic challenges posed by Covid-19 has been largely positive, although there has been surprise at the lack of support for some badly affected sectors such as retail and aviation

Just four months after his first Budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled a summer economic update designed to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a commitment to encouraging job creation through a government ‘plan for jobs’ and stimulus for consumer spending

HMRC has been forced into a rapid U-turn after publishing guidance indicating that employees would face a taxable benefit in kind when their employer pays for coronavirus testing, following an outcry from MPs

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is to deliver a ‘summer economic update’ tomorrow, 8 July, outlining the government’s plans to support the economy through the first phase of recovery from the coronavirus crisis, with likely options including temporary tax cuts, funding for green projects, and job creation schemes

Covid-19 has prevented access to land and property of significant national value, but HMRC is granting owners leeway over its tax incentive scheme, say Withers’ Charlie Tee and Louise Williamson

Extracting cash from your pension might seem an obvious source of income during the Covid-19 crisis, but complex tax rules mean it should only be a last resort, says LEBC Group’s Kay Ingram

Tax credit claimants urged to check their renewal figures and tell HMRC if any changes need to be made by 31 July, or risk receiving too much or too little credits which will be clawed back through possible penalties

The growing budget deficit is concentrating minds on radical reforms to inheritance tax, which now appear more attractive in the current climate, say Judith Millar and Alastair Collett of BDB Pitmans

The Treasury should make more use of carbon taxes and consider other changes in tax policy in order to support efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and bolster public finances, according to the Committee on Climate Change (CCC)

RSM tax partner Chris Etherington highlights the tax allowances for working from home, but warns against designating a room solely as an office

The government is missing out on up to £20bn a year in tax from the UK’s richest individuals, because of the failure to tax all income and capital gains at the same rate as earnings, according to academic research

Over threequarters of UK workers are willing to pay additional income tax to fund the government’s £300bn of borrowing to fund the Covid-19 response, with many labelling the move ‘a necessary evil’, a survey by AJ Bell has found

The richest 20% of UK households are set to save £23bn by mid-June as a result of reduced spending during lockdown, more than six times as much as the savings made by the poorest 20% of households, according to calculations from the New Policy Institute (NPI)