HMRC has announced four new taskforces to investigate tax evasion in specific commercial and geographical sectors. The taskforces bring together various compliance teams for what they term an intensive burst of targeted activity.
This has always been an important distinction, as only furnished lettings entitle you to the valuable annual wear and tear allowance of 10% of the rents. Now it is definitely worth reviewing whether you could show the property is furnished given that the renewals basis for replacing items in commercial or residential properties let unfurnished ceased from 6 April 2013.
This is often a moot point, but following a recent tax tribunal decision (Elizabeth Moyne Ramsey v HMRC UKUT266) we now know that it is a business for the purposes of claiming CGT roll-over relief on incorporation of a property letting activity. That means no immediate tax charge on incorporation.
A consultation document has been published on an HMRC attempt to stop what they believe are artificial profit and loss allocation schemes involving members of LLPs (and indeed other partnerships) where some of the members are chargeable to income tax but others are not.
In the UK today, millions of people are failing to save enough to have the income they would like in retirement. Life expectancy is increasing but people are saving less in pensions.