Tax

New powers enabling councils to charge up to double the full rate of council tax on second homes have been agreed by the Scottish Parliament. Councils will be able to increase the charges from 1 April 2024, with rates for the first year being based on those from 2023-24.

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that a Scottish company director had acquired a securities option from his company as part of measures to financially rescue it and became subject to income tax after an appeal against an Inner House decision to the opposite effect was made by HM Revenue and Customs. V

Collected property taxes in Scotland have risen almost 50 per cent in the past two years, according to recent analysis. Property firm DJ Alexander Ltd reports that revenues from the Scottish government’s Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) in June 2023 stood at £61.7 million from 8

Potential changes to the council tax system that could see those in the highest value properties asked to pay more if they can afford to have been published. A joint consultation with COSLA is seeking views on plans to increase the amount paid by people in bands E, F, G and H. This aims to address c

Scottish taxpayers could see the amount they pay in tax go up after the Scottish government publishes its income tax plans in December. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt yesterday used his first Autumn Statement to announce a number of measures aimed at raising an additional £25 billion in tax revenue, o

Tackling climate change should be a top priority for the UK government after addressing the cost-of-living crisis and NHS waiting lists, according to a new survey of nearly 6,000 adults in the UK.

Not a single company has been prosecuted by HMRC under corporate tax evasion powers introduced five years ago. An offence for companies failing to stop those associated with the business from enabling tax evasion came into force in September 2017 under the Criminal Finances Act.

The key principles and objectives that underline the Scottish government’s approach to taxation have been published. Setting out the overall approach to tax policy and delivery, the Framework for Tax looks at how devolved powers are used to achieve Programme for Government commitments and info

A new student clinic at Edinburgh Law School will be the first of its kind in Scotland and only the second in the UK when it opens its doors next month. The Scottish Tax Clinic, run by the university in conjunction with charity partner TaxAid, represents a significant expansion of pro bono tax servi

More than one in four businesses that deferred tax payments during the initial lockdown last year still owe HMRC billions of pounds. A total of 156,500 out of 590,000 businesses that utilised Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s VAT deferral between March and June have failed to make contact with HMRC to

The General Court of the European Union has dismissed an action brought by Nike and Converse against the European Commission's decision to initiate a formal State aid investigation in respect of their tax arrangements in the Netherlands. In 2019, the Commission decided to initiate a formal investiga

A Supreme Court VAT ruling issued today in favour of care home operator Balhousie Holdings sets a significant precedent for UK businesses. The ruling – the culmination of a lengthy legal battle dating back to 2015 – hinged on the process by which Balhousie, owner of Scottish-based Balhou

HMRC will not penalise Self Assessment customers for filing late online tax returns as long as they file by 28 February 2021. Taxpayers are still obliged to pay their bill by 31 January and more than 8.9 million customers have already filed their tax return. Interest will be charged from 1 February

Richard Douglas-Home looks at proposed changes to the capital gains tax regime. The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) is an independent office of the Treasury, set up in 2010 to provide advice to the government on simplifying the UK tax system. It will produce reports either on its own initiative o

Taxes on land and property could help Scotland develop a robust economy, according to a new report published today. The report – Land and property taxation in Scotland: Initial scoping of options for reform – has been written for the Scottish Land Commission by Alma Economics.