HMRC has been given 28 days to delete an estimated five million taxpayer biometric ‘voice prints’ obtained from callers to its helplines, after an investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) found they were being held illegally in contravention of data protection rules

US lawmakers are planning to pass a bill to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from developing a free electronic tax filing system to help US taxpayers file digitally

Company boards are increasingly concerned about tax compliance and planning, partly because of initiatives such as Making Tax Digital for VAT and automatic exchange of tax information, driving a 20% hike in investment in tax technology

HMRC’s online page for inheritance tax (IHT) is currently unavailable, with the department stating it is working with its IT partners to provide an urgent fix for the unspecified difficulties

A cross-party group of MPs is calling for a 0.5% levy on the profits of social media companies, to be used to fund a new Social Media Health Alliance which would work to protect the health and wellbeing of young people

After four years in the making, HMRC decided to put out its updated cryptocurrency for individuals’ guidance at the end of 2019. Amy Austin, reporter at Accountancy Daily, gets industry reaction to see if anything has changed and whether the new guidance goes far enough 

Scammers are targeting self assessment taxpayers by email claiming they are entitled to tax refunds and asking for bank details to transfer the money

HMRC is investing more resources in technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and ground-breaking technology with the creation of the first innovation team at the tax authority briefed to collaborate with external IT specialists to develop innovative software to improve tax collection and close the tax gap

The arrival of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT reporting from April 2019 is forcing businesses to upgrade their accounting practices. David McGeachy and Alison Hobbs of Saffery Champness examine the future plans for the extension of MTD to all taxes

Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT, which goes live in April 2019, has left accountants confused and businesses struggling to keep up. James Bunney examines the current situation and what MTD means for the future of business tax

HMRC has collected over £200m in unpaid VAT from overseas sellers using online marketplaces in the past two years, since the introduction of a new regime to tackle tax avoidance which enables it to flag up those who are not registered for VAT

The pilot programme for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT has been extended by HMRC to all businesses that meet the requirements, giving those affected time to test their systems and train staff ahead of the April deadline

A dispute between investment management firm BlackRock and HMRC over VAT on financial services has seen the case referred to the European Court of Justice (CJEU) after the Upper Tribunal failed to reach a verdict, reports James Bunney

Kim Hau, senior proposition manager for Onesource Indirect Tax, explains the benefits of different Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT software solutions and why companies should embrace a comprehensive approach rather than a quick fix

HMRC has listened to public concerns and published revised guidance setting out the tax authority’s approach to taxing individuals who buy and sell cryptocurrencies confirming that capital gains tax (CGT), income tax and national insurance contributions may apply