Welsh Land Transaction Tax holiday extended
Following Rishi Sunak’s announcement of the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) holiday extension at last week's Budget, the Welsh government has decided to make a similar move with Land Transaction Tax. What are the key points?
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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?
The SDLT holiday extension was one of the worst-kept secrets ahead of the 2021 Spring Budget. However, there was no indication that the Welsh or Scottish governments had any plans to announce similar extensions. The Welsh government has now done so, extending the nil rate band for Land Transaction Tax (LTT) to 30 June 2021. The extension means that no LTT will be payable on residential purchases for consideration lower than £250,000 until after that date. However, unlike the SDLT extension there will be no transitional return to the standard level, with the threshold immediately returning to £180,000 from 1 July 2021. With the holiday being worth up to £2,450, the move will certainly help those who are struggling to complete transactions before the end of March but buyers should be aware that they will need to complete, not merely exchange contracts, by 30 June 2021 to avoid the cliff-edge.
So far, there is no indication that the Scottish government will follow suit and announce an extension, though this move from Cardiff will certainly put pressure on it to do so.
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