HMRC issues new fraud warning
HMRC is warning customers to be especially vigilant to fraudsters at this time of year due to the busy tax return season. What do you need to know?
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Accounting for VAT if there is no cash payment
Your business has submitted repayment returns for the last two quarters and you are concerned that you might have underpaid output tax on some supplies where no money has changed hands. Are your concerns justified?
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Treatment of distributions under review
The government has launched a consultation on modernising the tax treatment of distributions and repayments of capital by companies. The proposals could affect the distinction between dividends taxed as income and capital payments subject to CGT. What changes are being considered?
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Tax relief on equipment you haven’t paid for (yet)
The timing of tax relief for purchases of equipment isn’t straightforward when payments are delayed or goods are purchased through hire purchase (HP) agreements. How can you use these rules to your advantage and get tax relief before you’ve paid the final invoice?
Fraud involving bogus contact purporting to be from HMRC is on the increase. Its latest press release, issued this week, reports that in the year to August 2022, over 180,000 cases of suspicious contact were referred to it. Nearly half of these were scams involving promises of fake tax refunds, designed to trick you into disclosing your bank details. In recent years, fraudsters are getting more brazen, often calling from numbers that genuinely look like HMRC. Upon answering (or checking a voicemail), you may be told that you need to urgently pay money or you will be arrested.
HMRC’s Director general for Customer Services said: “Never let yourself be rushed. If someone contacts you saying they’re from HMRC, wanting you to urgently transfer money or give personal information, be on your guard. HMRC will never ring up threatening arrest. Only criminals do that. Tax scams come in many forms. Some threaten immediate arrest for tax evasion, others offer a rebate. Contacts like these should set alarm bells ringing, so take your time and check HMRC scams advice on GOV.UK.”
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