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The European Commission has opened its consultation on its plans to reform the VAT rules for financial and insurance services, following the closure of the roadmap feedback period in November 2020. The Commission states that the current rules are criticised for being complex, difficult to apply and for not having kept pace with the developments of new services in the sector, which has led to a lack of VAT neutrality, legal uncertainty and high administrative and regulatory costs. The consultation seeks to obtain the views of stakeholders on the functioning of the current VAT rules as well as on possible changes to these rules. The answers provided will feed into the review of the relevant provisions of Council Directive 2006/112/EC (the VAT Directive) and will contribute to a possible future legislative proposal. The consultation closes on 3 May 2021.

The Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA) has published a suite of guidance in relation to the Welsh land transaction tax and landfill tax.

HMRC has updated its guidance with information on how to join the VAT deferral new payment scheme - the online service is open between 23 February and 21 June 2021.

HMRC has published new guidance for stakeholders with information on importing and exporting goods between Great Britain and the EU. While the Brexit transition/implementation period ended at 11 pm on 31 December 2020 (IP completion day), the government continues to issue new and updated Brexit webpages and guidance documents on the associated legal and practical changes. Further guidance may be issued post-IP completion day, so stakeholders are advised to monitor these pages for updates.

Treasury confirms van benefit charge and fuel benefit charges will be uprated by the CPI.

HMRC has published updated excise notices for stakeholders, covering subjects including EU trade in duty paid excise goods and Temporary Registered Consignees. While the Brexit transition/implementation period ended at 11 pm on 31 December 2020 (IP completion day), the government continues to issue new and updated Brexit webpages and guidance documents on the associated legal and practical changes. Further guidance may continue to be issued, so stakeholders are advised to monitor these pages for updates.

HMRC has published updated notice for stakeholders, with changes to the excise duty drawback for goods exported from Great Britain. While the Brexit transition/implementation period ended at 11 pm on 31 December 2020 (IP completion day), the government continues to issue new and updated Brexit webpages and guidance documents on the associated legal and practical changes. Further guidance may be issued post-IP completion day, so stakeholders are advised to monitor these pages for updates.

HMRC has updated its guidance on the self-assessment payments that were deferred due to coronavirus (COVID-19) to add information on payment of Class 2 National insurance contributions (NICs) through a Time to Pay arrangement and updated its section on paying in instalments .

HMRC has updated its notice at section 2.17 to include new updates on air source heat pumps.

HMRC has published an updated guidance for stakeholders. Subjects covered in this guidance include on how to apply for and use a general guarantee account to cover any import duty and import VAT due on goods when they enter the UK. While the Brexit transition/implementation period ended at 11 pm on 31 December 2020 (IP completion day), the government continues to issue new and updated Brexit webpages and guidance documents on the associated legal and practical changes. Further guidance may continue to be issued, so stakeholders are advised to monitor these pages for updates.

HM Treasury has announced that businesses which took out Bounce Back Loans to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will have greater flexibility to repay them, through ‘Pay as You Grow’ repayment options. The announcement means that borrowers will have the option to tailor payments according to their individual circumstances.

These Regulations amend sections 45D, 45DA, 45E and 104AA of the Capital Allowances Act 2001. They extend the availability of 100% first-year allowances (FYAs) for expenditure on low-emission cars, zero-emission goods vehicles and gas refuelling equipment for a further four years. The CO2 emissions thresholds for cars qualifying for FYAs and main rate writing down allowances (WDAs), and that for calculating lease rental restrictions are, however, being reduced.

In the ever-fast-moving world of tax announcements and developments, this news pulls together some of the key changes announced this week. Our commentary will be updated in due course to reflect these latest developments.

8 February 2021 - This roundup sets out the most important changes to HMRC manuals over the past week as curated by our editors.

HMRC has updated its guidance on Notices to be made under The Customs (Declarations) (Amendment and Modification) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. Subjects covered in this guidance include the changes resulting from the end of the Brexit transition period. While the Brexit transition/implementation period ended at 11pm on 31 December 2020 (IP completion day), the government continues to issue new and updated Brexit webpages and guidance documents on the associated legal and practical changes. Further guidance may be issued post-IP completion day, so stakeholders are advised to monitor these pages for updates.

HMRC has published a list of Notices made under the Customs (Import Duty) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018. Subjects covered in this guidance include the changes resulting from the end of the Brexit transition period. While the Brexit transition/implementation period ended at 11pm on 31 December 2020 (IP completion day), the government continues to issue new and updated Brexit webpages and guidance documents on the associated legal and practical changes. Further guidance may be issued post-IP completion day, so stakeholders are advised to monitor these pages for updates.

HMRC has asked the ATT to share information about the new SDLT surcharge for non-residents purchasing property in England and Northern Ireland from 1 April 2021.

HMRC has updated its collection of guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) confirming there is no right of appeal for taxpayers who are ineligible for the CJRS. Information has also been added in relation to non-monetary benefits and employer pension contributions under salary sacrifice schemes.

HMRC has published a report evaluating how powers, obligations and safeguards, introduced since 2012 to enable it to administer the tax system, have been implemented and operated. It is the culmination of work which HMRC undertook with taxpayer representative bodies.

These Regulations amend the amount of relevant rent specified within Regulation 2 of the Land Transaction Tax (Specified Amount of Relevant Rent) (Wales) Regulations 2018, SI 2018/133.