The Chancellor has waived import taxes on medical equipment crucial to the fight against coronavirus, in a bid to reduce red tape to ensure equipment gets to frontline health workers faster

HMRC has deferred by one year the deadline for businesses reporting under Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT to meet the requirement to have ‘digital links’ within their recordkeeping for transferring information from Excel spreadsheets and other data sources to their online VAT filing

As EU governments make rapid changes to VAT reporting and payment schedules in light of the coronavirus pandemic, tax authorities across member states are taking very different approaches, with complex schemes with disparate qualifying criteria, payment deferrals and some taking no action as yet 

Businesses planning to use the three-month VAT payment deferral need to cancel their direct debits to ensure payments are not automatically deducted

The government has announced a three-month deferral for VAT payments until end June for all UK businesses with HMRC working all hours to thrash out the detail

HMRC has released a slew of research reports on progress with its flagship Making Tax Digital (MTD) online reporting regime, suggesting that businesses which have fully automated are seeing some benefits, but those with a hybrid approach are finding the transition more challenging

The manufacturer of a range of vegan truffle balls has failed in a bid to have the product zero rated for VAT as food, with the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) ruling they are a sweet treat for occasional enjoyment rather than a meal replacement

The VAT threshold has been held at £85,000 in Budget 2020 with the government committing to its triple lock on VAT rates but has outlined plans for a number of reviews in light of the UK’s departure from the EU

In this month’s VAT updates, Graham Elliott considers charity construction relief in Marlow Rowing Club, HMRC’s reaction to the News Corp decision and the supply of medics in Archus Trading Ltd

In our regular Q&A series from Croner Taxwise, VAT advice consultant, Sally Atkins, looks at the VAT implications of paying for staff gym memberships and subsidised healthy meals 

The government is consulting on plans to create up to 10 freeports across the UK, with tariff flexibility, customs facilitations and tax measures designed to encourage global trade and attract inward investment post-Brexit

In this month’s VAT updates, Graham Elliott considers digital newspapers in News Corp v HMRC, ongoing DIY housebuilder time limits cases and new regulations relating to call off stocks

In this month’s round up of all the tax news, kickboxing company loses VAT case, Dixons loses bouncing cheque claim, TheWorks faces £350k VAT bill, and homeowners face seismic CGT shift

Frasers Group, formerly known as Sports Direct International, says it has largely resolved a €674m (£571m) probe into its tax affairs after Belgian tax authorities cancelled most of the bill

IntegraFin Holdings plc (IHP), parent company of UK investment platform Transact, has been hit with an unexpected £4.3m VAT bill after HMRC challenged its inclusion of its Australian operations within its UK VAT group