The Treasury has published its proposed next steps on tackling evasion and avoidance. James Bullock (Pinsent Masons) reviews the detail.
Tax-geared penalties
In Eclipse Film Partners No. 35 LLP, the Court of Appeal ruled that the film partnership’s activities did not constitute trading. Chris Bates and Judy Harrison (Norton Rose Fulbright) examine the judgment and consider the consequences
The PAC continued its inquiry over the role of HSBC’s private Swiss bank in facilitating tax avoidance and evasion with a heated two-hour hearing on Monday 9 March.
The European Commission is hunting down unlawful state aid in the tax field. George Peretz QC (Monckton Chambers) explores the consequences for taxpayers.
HMRC’s chief executive, Lin Homer, announced last week in a Treasury Select Committee hearing that the French authorities have formally agreed that HMRC can share stolen HSBC Suisse customer account data with other law enforcement agencies and regulators, for the purposes of pursuing criminal off
Failed scheme and negligence
Criticism of HMRC’s failure to prosecute HSBC Swiss tax evaders has been quite unfair, writes Jonathan Fisher QC (Devereux Chambers). There are problems with criminal prosecution and the decision to focus on tax collection through civil settlement is the right one. It makes little sense to criminally prosecute these cases.
The penalty for late self-assessment filing needs rethinking. HMRC's recent discussion document looks promising, writes Paul Aplin.
The substantial shareholdings exemption is in danger of being misunderstood, warns Heather Self (Pinsent Masons)