The spending limit for contactless card payments has been increased from £30 to £45 effective 1 April 2020. The change in the limit had been under consideration and has now been expedited as part of the industry’s response to t... Read More

The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is a UK government department responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO seeks to ensure the smooth working of the devolution settlement in Northern Ireland. A new press release, jointly published by the NIO,... Read More

Following the recent cut in the Bank of England base rate from 0.25% to 0.1%, HMRC has announced changes to the rates of interest they charge.   The new late payment interest rate, applied to the main taxes and duties, took effect from 30... Read More

The phone number for the COVID-19 helpline launched earlier this month has been changed to 0800 024 1222. Calls to the previously published number will be redirected. The launch of the new number will help increase capacity.  The helpline... Read More

An interesting joint statement from the Government, Ofcom and the telecommunications industry has been published to help offer support to vulnerable consumers and those who may become vulnerable due to circumstances arising from COVID-19. The U... Read More

The launch of a new £500 million Hardship Fund in England was announced at Spring Budget 2020 by the Chancellor. On 24 March 2020, the Local Government Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP confirmed the Hardship Fund will provide council tax reli... Read More

HMRC has announced that taxpayers still using paper returns will no longer routinely do so. This is part of the efforts to encourage the use of online services and reduce the unnecessary use of paper. Last year, HMRC automatically sent out more... Read More

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has set up four new ministerial structures to coordinate, prioritise and respond to the Coronavirus pandemic. The new implementation committees will focus on health, public sector preparedness, economy and internati... Read More

In a joint statement from the BBC and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport it has been announced that the changes introducing television licence charges for the over-75s has been delayed. These changes had been due to come into effe... Read More

HMRC has launched new emergency measures to help those businesses and self-employed people affected by COVID-19 through the Time to Pay service. These arrangements are agreed on a case-by-case basis and are tailored to individual circumstances and li... Read More

The huge monetary and fiscal stimulus measures announced by the government and the Bank of England has seen amongst other measures interest rates lowered by 0.5% and a significant package of targeted measures to help support those affected. One... Read More

The First-Tier Tribunal (FTT) has recently published its decision in a long running case that focused on tax planning arrangements. This important decision represents a significant win for HMRC against a tax avoidance promoter in a case that has been... Read More