Year: 2026

HMRC VAT Notice 700/2 provides guidance on group and divisional VAT registration arrangements, explaining how businesses can register multiple entities under a single VAT number and the application procedures involved. The notice clarifies eligibility criteria for group registration, where a parent company can register subsidiary companies as a single entity for VAT purposes, and divisional registration for large businesses operating separate divisions. It sets out the specific forms traders must complete when applying for group or divisional registration status with HMRC.

Source: HMRC (GOV.UK) – Read the original

HMRC has published the technical specifications for the Alcohol and Tobacco Warehouse Declaration system, providing software developers with the requirements needed to build compatible applications. The specifications outline the data formats, system interfaces, and technical standards that developers must follow when creating tools to submit warehouse declarations for alcohol and tobacco products. This guidance enables third-party developers to integrate their systems with HMRC’s declaration requirements, ensuring compliance with UK customs regulations for alcohol and tobacco warehousing operations.

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HMRC has released helpsheet HS325 to assist self-employed individuals and business owners in identifying and calculating various forms of taxable income that fall outside standard employment or trading profits. The guidance covers how to properly report miscellaneous income sources within Self Assessment tax returns. This resource helps taxpayers ensure they capture all relevant income streams when completing their annual tax submissions.

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The GAAR Advisory Panel has issued an opinion from 30 January 2026 addressing arrangements where companies gift shares to employee trusts to reduce estate values for Inheritance Tax purposes and avoid Inheritance Tax on lifetime transfers. The guidance helps businesses and advisors identify whether such arrangements may constitute abusive tax arrangements under the General Anti-Abuse Rule. This opinion provides clarity on how GAAR principles apply to this specific category of estate planning strategies involving trust structures.

Source: HMRC (GOV.UK) – Read the original

HMRC has published its latest accredited official statistics on Capital Gains Tax, featuring data collected through Self Assessment and UK Property returns. The 2024 update introduces cryptoasset gains reporting for the first time, providing traders and tax professionals with comprehensive insights into how cryptocurrency transactions are being declared across the UK tax system.

Source: HMRC (GOV.UK) – Read the original

HMRC has published guidance explaining how the Human Rights Act applies to penalties imposed for inaccurate declarations involving legally privileged material. The factsheet sets out the framework for compliance checks and the circumstances under which human rights protections may apply when declarations relating to privileged information are found to be incorrect. This guidance helps traders and their advisors understand their rights and obligations when handling sensitive legal documents during customs procedures.

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The UK government is launching a consultation to gather stakeholder views on modernising its customs regime through digitalisation and updated international trade practices. The consultation seeks feedback on how technological advancement and streamlined processes could reshape customs operations across the sector. This initiative signals the government’s intention to evolve customs procedures to reflect contemporary trading conditions and digital capabilities.

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HMRC has published information about the number of ongoing investigations into corporate criminal offences, which fall under Part 3 of the Criminal Finances Act 2017. The Corporate Criminal Offences framework targets organisations that fail to prevent their employees from committing tax crimes or money laundering offences. This disclosure provides transparency on enforcement activity in this area of financial crime investigation.

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Individuals who have received notification from HMRC can now submit applications for refunds of Class 1 National Insurance contributions using form CA4361. This process applies to those identified by HMRC as eligible for such refunds through official correspondence. The form provides the formal mechanism for claiming back overpaid contributions in this category.

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A dedicated HMRC form now enables individuals to claim repayment of UK income tax that has been withheld from property income dividends distributed by UK Real Estate Investment Trusts. The form UK-REIT DT-Individual is designed specifically to address double taxation issues arising from REIT dividend payments. This allows eligible taxpayers to recover tax deducted at source under double taxation relief provisions. The form streamlines the claims process for investors receiving distributions from UK REITs.

Source: HMRC (GOV.UK) – Read the original