‘In Bilta (UK) Ltd (in liquidation) & Others v Tradition Financial Services Ltd [2021] EWCA Civ 221 the Court of Appeal examined the principles to be applied when a party seeks an adjournment because a witness is unable to attend the trial due to ill-health.’
No. 5 Chambers, 4th March 2021
Source: www.no5.com
‘In this post, Jacob Gilkes, a member of the tax team at CMS, previews the decision awaited from the UK Supreme Court in the matter of Balhousie Holdings Limited v The Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs, which concerns whether a sale and leaseback transaction should be regarded for VAT purposes as a disposal by the seller of its “entire interest” in the building.’
UKSC Blog, 25th February 2021
Source: ukscblog.com
‘In this case note, Jack Williams of Monckton Chambers analyses the recent decision of the Upper Tribunal in Colchester Institute Corporation v HMRC [2020] UKUT 0368 (“Colchester”). In summary, in overturning the First Tier Tribunal’s decision, the Upper Tribunal held that state-funding did have a sufficient link to the provision of education and vocational training provided by a college to constitute supply of services for consideration and economic activity. Nevertheless, HMRC was entitled to set-off input tax to reduce the taxpayer’s repayment claim. The implications of the case are likely to be profound: many businesses – educational and otherwise – supplying services that are funded by state agencies are now likely to argue that their provision of services does, in fact, constitute the supply of services for consideration and economic activity. That being so, there would be no need to account for output tax on those services and any accounted for with HMRC may be recoverable.’
Monckton Chambers, January 2021
Source: www.monckton.com
‘The caps set out in the Civil Procedure Rules on the costs payable by losing parties in Aarhus Convention claims are inclusive of VAT, the Court of Appeal has ruled as part of the third Heathrow runway litigation.’
Local Government Lawyer, 13th January 2021
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The former owner of BHS has been convicted of evading tax on £2.2m of income he received from buying the failed high-street chain. Instead of paying the tax he knew he owed, Dominic Chappell, 53, spent a fortune on a luxury lifestyle that included a £90,000 yacht, a Bentley Continental car, a Bahamas holiday and some expensive Beretta guns, Southwark Crown Court heard.’
The Independent, 5th November 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The First-tier Tribunal has refused to grant HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) a wasted costs order despite its opponents instructing their QC on the wrong issue.’
Litigation Futures, 23rd July 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘The Appellant (“the taxpayer”) operates bingo clubs. Customers pay a fee, which entitles them to play in a number of bingo games (collectively, a “session”). The present dispute arises from a change in guidance given by HMRC about how participation fees should be calculated. Until 2007, the guidance stated that bingo promoters should calculate the participation fees separately for each game. In February 2007, HMRC issued Business Brief 07/07, which stated that participation fees should be calculated on a session by session basis.’
UKSC Blog, 24th June 2020
Source: ukscblog.com
‘Supplies of theatre and museum tickets fall within the ‘cultural exemption’ under Schedule 9 of the VAT Act 1994. However, the business model of many cultural venues does not rely solely on income from ticket sales. As well as funds from public grants and endowments, many venues also make taxable supplies of food and drink at on-site bars and restaurants, or sell other merchandise too. On the input side, venues will have paid VAT on the costs of staging productions or putting on exhibitions. The present appeal concerned whether the Royal Opera House’s production costs fell to be attributed solely to its exempt sales of tickets and taxable sales of programmes, or alternatively to a wider range of taxable supplies, principally its bar and restaurant offerings.’
Monckton Chambers, June 2020
Source: www.monckton.com
‘In HMRC v Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation [2020] UKUT 132 (TCC), the Upper Tribunal (Morgan J and Judge Timothy Herrington) held that VAT paid on theatre production costs was not recoverable on the basis of an economic link to taxable catering supplies, overruling a decision in the Opera House’s favour at first instance. The ruling will be significant not just for the wider theatre industry, but more generally as regards the relevance of ‘commercial reality’ arguments to questions of input tax deduction.’
Monckton Chambers, 3rd June 2020
Source: www.monckton.com
‘Carbon credit VAT fraud has been the subject of an increased investigation by the government and prosecuting authorities, but the bodies generating carbon credits are usually based overseas and authorities in the UK have no control of the quality or validity of the carbon credit schemes.’
St Paul's Chambers, 23rd April 2020
Source: www.stpaulschambers.com
‘The case concerned whether Zipvit, a trader selling vitamins and minerals by mail order, is entitled when accounting for VAT on its sales to make deductions of input VAT (the tax paid by the trader on goods and services purchased in connection with its business, as opposed to output VAT, which is the tax charged to the consumer by the trader on its goods or services) in respect of the price of postal services supplied to it by Royal Mail.’
UKSC Blog, 1 April 2020
Source: ukscblog.com
‘In the 1984 film Karate Kid, Mr Miyagi admonished Daniel: “I say; you do. No questions”. However, with VAT, there are always questions.’
3PB, 29th January 2020
Source: www.3pb.co.uk
‘A major publisher has been successful in overturning a previous ruling that found that the digital versions of its newspapers were subject to VAT charges.’
OUT-LAW.com, 8th January 2020
Source: www.pinsentmasons.com
‘Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper group could be set for a substantial financial windfall after successfully arguing that the Times’ digital edition is effectively a print newspaper because its website is rarely updated.’
The Guardian, 6th January 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Litigants do not owe a duty of care to their opponents, the Court of Appeal has made clear.’
Litigation Futures, 18th December 2019
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Advice on incentivising employees in a tax efficient manner has a direct and immediate link to the purposes of the business and so VAT input tax should be recoverable, even if the employees are directors and shareholders, the UK’s First-tier Tribunal (FTT) has ruled.’
OUT-LAW.com, 10th December 2019
Source: www.pinsentmasons.com
‘A High Court ruling refusing to set aside £4.3m judgment in default in a suppressed sales case shows the strength of the litigation funding model used by Manolete Partners, it has been argued.’
Litigation Futures, 5th December 2019
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘The government has pledged to not use Henry VIII powers to make Brexit legislation after a public law charity threatened legal action.’
Law Society's Gazette, 17th October 2019
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Coming into effect on 1 October 2019, the reverse charge in relation to building and construction services is set to bring about a major change in how VAT is handled in the construction sector. All those involved – including developers – need to be aware of when it will apply and how it will work.’
Practical Law: Construction Blog, 3rd September 2019
‘Personal Injury analysis: Frances Lawley, barrister at Zenith Chambers, explores the decision in British Airways Plc v Prosser, which found that a solicitor can recover VAT on a medical reporting organisation fee.’
Zenith PI Blog, 9th May 2019
Source: zenithpi.wordpress.com
© Inner Temple Library 2024