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International Tax Investigations in the U.K.

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International Tax Investigations in the U.K.

It is no secret that the U.K. government is anxious to raise revenue as the public sector debt is estimated to be equivalent to 98.5% of G.D.P. (approximately £2.7665 trillion). The Labour government is dead set on raising income. Non-dom taxation is gone, tax rates are on the rise, and what was capital gains for certain carried interests is ordinary income. Part of the labor program is an attack on tax evasion and avoidance. There are plans for the Labour government to invest £855m over five years in resources for H.M.R.C. to raise £2.7 billion per annum from this investment. In those circumstances, it is not unexpected that assertions of tax fraud and evasion will be raised against those caught up by the compliance initiative. Gary Ashford, a partner of Harbottle & Lewis in London, explains H.M.R.C.’s definition of tax fraud and goes on to discuss the steps that are available for those wishing to make a voluntary disclosure. It is not a pretty picture, especially for those having used offshore vehicles.

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Square Pegs in Round Holes – You Like "To-May-To" and I Like "To-Mah-To"

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Square Pegs in Round Holes – You Like "To-May-To" and I Like "To-Mah-To"

In a post-COVID-19 world, anecdotal evidence suggests that individuals and families are relocating to new jurisdictions of residence. Equally, individuals have evidenced renewed vigor in acquiring and structuring assets across a range of jurisdictions. When the individual is a U.S. citizen and the place to relocate or acquire assets is the U.K., care must be taken to avoid common – and not so common – traps and pitfalls regarding taxation. In their article, Ed Powles, a Partner of Maurice Turnor Gardner, London and Emma-Jane Weider, the Managing Partner of Maurice Turnor Gardner, London, identify areas for which tax planning is crucially important prior to a move. Included are (i) tax residence and domicile rules for individuals, (ii) residence tests for trusts, companies, and charities, (iii) identifying areas for which income tax treaties do not necessarily provide relief against double taxation, and (iv) ways in which gift and estate planning, dissolution of marriages, forced heirship, and structures to own personal use residential real property are affected by the move.

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The U.K. Growth Plan 2022

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The U.K. Growth Plan 2022

Three weeks after Liz Truss became Prime Minister of the U.K., the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, announced the new Government’s Growth Plan. Billed as a “Mini Budget,” it became a far greater set of announcements than expected. Among other items, tax rates are slashed at the corporate and individual levels, allowances for businesses are increased, and investment zone benefits enhanced. Kevin Offer, a Partner at Hardwick and Morris L.L.P., London summarizes the provisions.

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U.K. Mandatory Disclosure Regime (DAC6)

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U.K. Mandatory Disclosure Regime (DAC6)

DAC6, adopted by the European Commission and enacted into law in the U.K., imposes a mandatory obligation on intermediaries, or individual or corporate taxpayers, to make disclosures to H.M.R.C. of certain cross-border arrangements and structures that could be used to avoid or evade tax. It also provides for automatic exchanges of information among E.U. Member States. Intermediaries know a cross-border arrangement is reportable when it meets certain hallmarks. In his article, Gary Ashford, a non-lawyer partner of Harbottle & Lewis, London, explains in plain English all the key terms and obligations. The European Commission has proposed that Member States defer the start date for reporting, however, the U.K. Government has not made any public announcement. This article is timely for those who are intermediaries in a reportable transaction.

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IR35 – Why Are U.K. Businesses So Concerned?

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IR35 – Why Are U.K. Businesses So Concerned?

New U.K. tax rules are being introduced from April 2020 to make businesses liable for determining the employment tax status of contractors who work through personal service companies (“P.S.C.’s”). These outsourcing arrangements have had a devastating effect on tax collections and funding for National Insurance, the U.K. version of Social Security. The goal of the new rules is to make customers of P.S.C.’s liable for collecting wage withholding tax and National Insurance contributions that are not collected by the P.S.C. when the worker of the P.S.C. would otherwise be properly characterized for U.K. tax purposes as an employee of the customer of the P.S.C. under tests published by H.M.R.C. Any company involved in the P.S.C. arrangement may have inchoate liability for payments of wage withholding tax and National Insurance. Penny Simmons, of Pinsent Masons LLP, London, explains the scope of the exposure and expounds on procedures that should be adopted in advance of the April 2020 effective date.

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Insights Vol. 6 No. 1: Updates & Other Tidbits

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Insights Vol. 6 No. 1: Updates & Other Tidbits

This month, Rusudan Shervashidze and Stanley C. Ruchelman look at several interesting items, including (i) the publication of draft legislation by the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey, and Isle of Man calling for the existence of economic substance for resident companies engaged in certain businesses and defining what that means, (ii) the denial of benefits incident to foreign earned income for a military contractor in Afghanistan who maintained a place of abode in the U.S., (iii) an increase in fees charged by the I.R.S. to issue residency certificates, (iv) the establishment of a working group to combat transnational tax crime through increased enforcement collaboration among tax authorities in several countries, and (v) changes to China’s residency rules and the sharing of taxpayer financial information under C.R.S. 

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The U.K. Digital Sales Tax – It Could Be You

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The U.K. Digital Sales Tax – It Could Be You

On November 7, 2018, the U.K. government confirmed that it will proceed with the introduction of a digital services tax ("D.S.T.") on large businesses. The tax will be charged beginning April 2020. It will apply to three key areas, which the government has concluded derive a huge value from the participation of U.K. users and are largely untaxed. Eloise Walker of Pinsent Masons, London, provides an overview of the D.S.T., cautioning that problems exist in identifying both the revenue to which the D.S.T. will apply and the hallmarks of jurisdiction that must exist in order for the tax to be imposed.

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U.K. Requirement to Correct

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U.K. Requirement to Correct

The “Requirement to Correct” (“R.T.C.”) rules for offshore tax affairs in the U.K. threaten steep penalties if noncompliant taxpayers at April 5, 2017, do not take action to correct the relevant noncompliance by September 30, 2018. In a detailed look at the R.T.C. rules, Gary Ashford of Harbottle & Lewis L.L.P., London, explains the ins and outs of the provisions, including (i) the definition of offshore noncompliance, (ii) covered taxes, (iii) penalties, (iv) the reasonable cause defense, (v) disqualified advice that cannot be reasonable cause, (v) the method that must be followed to implement a valid correction, (vi) the statute of limitations, and (vi) recent guidance from H.M.R.C. regarding last minute notifications by noncompliant taxpayers. The final date for completing a correction is December 29, 2018.

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Failure to Prevent – The Future of Adviser Obligations

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Failure to Prevent – The Future of Adviser Obligations

The concept of failure to prevent has grown from its roots in the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and is making inroads into the responsibilities of tax advisers.  The recent trend begs the question, do advisors have a duty to prevent the evasion or improper reduction of tax or to report the activity in advance?  A team of international advisors looks at the evolution of obligations: Peter Utterström of Peter Utterström Advokat AB, Stockholm, looks at the origin of the concept.  Gary Ashford of Harbottle & Lewis, London, looks at recently adopted legislation in the U.K. imposing strict liability on advisers to naughty clients.  Lawrence Feld, Attorney at Law, New York, looks at its presence in the U.S. Swiss Bank Program of the Justice Department.  Dick Barmentlo of Jaegers & Soons, Amsterdam, addresses a recent case in the Netherlands that imposes civil liability on a Netherlands trust company and its employees for lost taxes suffered by the Dutch tax administration.

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Doing Business Post-Brexit: What to Expect in the United Kingdom

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Doing Business Post-Brexit: What to Expect in the United Kingdom

The U.K. is firmly on course to leave the E.U., with a target date of March 29, 2019.  After a difficult period of 18 months, agreements to address two important “divorce” issues – the exit payment and the status of Brits in the E.U. and Europeans in the U.K. on Brexit Day – have been reached, while a decision has been made to defer discussions regarding the border with Northern Ireland.  Graham Busch of Gerald Edelman, Chartered Accountants, London, addresses these and other settled issues as well as those for which a decision has been kicked down the road.

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The U.K. Trust Registration Service: Impact for Trustees

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The U.K. Trust Registration Service: Impact for Trustees

The past few years have seen a steep increase in trust reporting obligations in the context of F.A.T.C.A. and the Common Reporting Standard.  Trustees must come to grips with a new set of record keeping and disclosure obligations introduced by the U.K. Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017, which came into force from June 26, 2017.  Jennifer Smithson and Isobel Morton of Macfarlanes LLP, London, explain the wide-ranging effect of the regulations and the dividing line between non-U.K. trustees that fall inside the regime and those who are outside.

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An American In London: Due Diligence Observations

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An American In London: Due Diligence Observations

Performing due diligence on private companies for a potential merger or acquisition has been described as an exercise in educated guessing.  The quality of the target’s financial information, potential hidden liabilities, financing, and similar deficiencies may result in a valuation that is neither straightforward nor reliable.  When the target is abroad, the culture, language, and business norms may cause the educated guess to be more guess and less educated.  Knowing how to overcome this dilemma is a skill set that can be obtained only through experience.  Nick Magone, founder of Magone & Company, P.C., in Roseland, New Jersey, shares his experiences in performing due diligence on potential target companies in the U.K.  His advice?  Numbers are only the beginning.

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Pancake Day – End to Permanent Non-Domicile Status and Charging Non-Doms I.H.T. on U.K. Residential Property

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Pancake Day – End to Permanent Non-Domicile Status and Charging Non-Doms I.H.T. on U.K. Residential Property

 In July, the U.K. government announced that proposals removed from the Finance Bill that was announced in March would be reproposed with a retroactive effective date, as if adopted when originally proposed.  This is bad news for non-domiciled individuals (“Non-Doms”) in general and for the estates of Non-Doms who died between March and the ultimate date of enactment.  If retroactive effective dates remain in the bill, rights granted by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which were incorporated into U.K. law by the Human Rights Act 1998, could be violated.  William Hancock and Daniel Simon of Collyer Bristow L.L.P. explain that Non-Doms should expect “too little jam and too little cream” on their pancakes if the provisions are enacted retroactively.

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High-Speed Tax Reform: The U.K. Diverted Profits Tax & Restrictions on Corporate Interest Deductions

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High-Speed Tax Reform: The U.K. Diverted Profits Tax & Restrictions on Corporate Interest Deductions

Among the most notable changes made to U.K. corporate tax over the past 24 months are the introduction of the diverted profits tax (“D.P.T.”) and the reduction of tax relief for corporate interest payments.  D.P.T. is aimed at multinationals operating in the U.K. that try to avoid maintaining a permanent establishment in order to escape U.K. corporate tax.  D.P.T. is imposed at the rate of 25% and treaty relief is not available.  The reduction in relief for corporate interest payments implements the recommendations of B.E.P.S. Action 4.  Eloise Walker and Penny Simmons of Pinsent Masons, London, explain the working of these provisions.

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U.K. Drops Changes to Non-Domicile Regime, But Likely Not for Long

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U.K. Drops Changes to Non-Domicile Regime, But Likely Not for Long

After months of H.M.R.C. consultation, a new regime was put in place for non-domiciled U.K.-resident individuals (“Non-Doms”) on April 6, 2017, only to see the legislation pulled from Finance Bill 2017 on April 25.  The snap election in the U.K. put consideration of Non-Dom taxation on hold when 72 of the 135 clauses were removed from the bill.  This allowed Parliament to approve the legislation in two hours.  Gary Ashford of Harbottle Lewis, London, summarizes the short-lived provisions and those that failed to be enacted on April 6.  The proposed regime remains a work in process, and enacting legislation could be back on the table as early as this fall.

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U.K. Criminal Penalties for Improper Tax Planning – Could You Be Effected?

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U.K. Criminal Penalties for Improper Tax Planning – Could You Be Effected?

New powers have been given to H.M.R.C. in recent legislation, and new criminal and civil penalties have been enacted as part of a massive legislative program designed to stop U.K. residents from participating in offshore tax avoidance and evasion schemes.  Several criminal penalties are directed to advisory firms that facilitated tax offenses.  In certain circumstances, advisory firms based outside the U.K. will be at risk of prosecution.  Gary Ashford of Harbottle and Lewis L.L.P., London, and Stanley C. Ruchelman examine the new provisions.

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A Year of Guest Features

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A Year of Guest Features

This month, we reminisce on the best of 2016, with articles contributed by guest authors from around the world.

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U.K. Tax Residency Rules for Individuals and Companies

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U.K. Tax Residency Rules for Individuals and Companies

Richard Holme and Simon Tadman of Creaseys, U.K., explain the wonderfully complex set of rules that are applied to determine whether an individual is a resident of the U.K. for income tax purposes and whether a company is a tax resident for corporation tax purposes. Can the new Statutory Residence Test bring certainty to the determination in light of the increase in complexity?

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Insights Vol. 3 No. 9: Updates & Other Tidbits

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This month, the authors look briefly at several timely issues, including (i) the filing of appeals briefs in two major cases lost by the I.R.S., Altera and Xilinx, (ii) recent competent authority activity between the U.S. and India, (iii) the future of U.K. automobile assembly plants operated by U.K. subsidiaries of Japanese automakers, and (iv) final State Department rules concerning the revocation of U.S. passports issued to individuals who have a seriously delinquent tax debt.  Kenneth Lobo, Michael Peggs, Nina Krauthamer, and Sultan Arab contribute.

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Further Developments for U.K. Non-Dom Individuals

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Further Developments for U.K. Non-Dom Individuals

A significant claw back of benefits for individuals with Non-Dom status was first announced in the Summer Budget of 2015.  In August, H.M.R.C. proposed implementing legislation in a follow-up consultation document.  Specific benefits covered included inheritance tax for shares of envelope companies owning U.K. residential real property, deemed domicile rules for long-term U.K. residents, and several provisions to lessen the impact of these changes.  Gary Ashford of Harbottle & Lewis, London explains.

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