HMRC confirms closure of VAT helpline
The VAT registration helpline, which many businesses use to raise queries about whether they need to register for VAT, is to be closed at very short notice. Why is HMRC scrapping the service and when?
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Advance assurance pilot confirmed
There have been a number of changes to how research and development tax credits are claimed in recent years. HMRC has now confirmed that a pilot of a new clearance procedure will begin later this year. What do we know so far?
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Homeworking: claiming input tax on subsistence expenses?
Some of your staff work remotely, but their homes aren’t suited to it. You have agreed to pay for rented office space, or for refreshments if they work from, say, a café. Can you claim input tax on these expenses?
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Beating the landlord tax hikes
Once again, landlords will be hit by tax increases announced in the Budget, even if they are operating through a company. What are the changes, and can anything be done to mitigate them?
The VAT registration helpline will no longer operate from Monday 22 May. HMRC notified registered agents with just five days’ notice earlier this week. Initially, there was some confusion as the email stated that the closure date would be 22 May 2024. However, it has since transpired this was an error. Justifying the move, HMRC stated that 85% of the calls to the helpline are businesses or agents requesting updates regarding applications. HMRC feels that staff time would be far better spent on actually processing VAT registrations instead. This follows a temporary cessation of the service in early May, which allowed more than 4,000 additional items of post to be processed.
If you have submitted a registration, HMRC is asking that you use the “Where’s my reply?” tool to let you know approximately when to expect a response. However, HMRC also says that registrations can take up to 40 days. If you haven’t had your response in this window, contact HMRC using the dedicated email vrs.newregistrations@hmrc.gov.uk.
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