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Consultation on options for the VAT registration threshold

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Following recommendations by the OTS in its report on VAT simplification, HM Treasury is consulting until 5 June 2018 on the effects of the current VAT threshold on business growth, and ways to smooth the cliff-edge effect for businesses of reaching the threshold.

Following recommendations by the OTS in its report on VAT simplification, HM Treasury is consulting until 5 June 2018 on the effects of the current VAT threshold on business growth, and ways to smooth the cliff-edge effect for businesses of reaching the threshold.

The chancellor announced at Autumn Budget 2017 that the government was not considering a reduction in the threshold. Policy options considered in this consultation include:

  • the EU proposal for SMEs, which would allow businesses to exceed the threshold by 50% for up to a year without registering, and introduce separate thresholds for absolute exemption and simplified administration;
  • two options for ‘administrative smoothing’, suggested by the OTS:
  • extending the first period for which a business has to account for and pay VAT to 6 months; and
  • applying the threshold test over two years rather than over a single year;
  • financial smoothing, including examination of practices in other countries, the OTS suggestion of early years’ reductions, and a progressive structure along income tax lines.

See http://bit.ly/2FPZLog.

Issue: 1391
Categories: News , Indirect taxes , VAT
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