Planned Tax Consultations

Tuesday 24th May 2011 Written Statements

[The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Mr David Gauke)]

Since the June Budget 2010, the Government have taken a number of steps to improve tax policy-making, with consultation on policy and scrutiny of legislation as the cornerstones.

Budget 2011 announced a number of tax policy changes and longer-term tax reforms that will be subject to consultation. These are summarised in the tax consultation tracker, which is available on the HM Treasury website at:

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/tax_updates.htm

HMRC and HM Treasury are today publishing the following documents:

Employer asset-backed pension contributions—A consultation on changing tax rules in relation to the tax relief given to employers when they make asset-backed contributions to their defined benefit pension schemes.

Machine games duty—A consultation on the design characteristics of a new machine games duty.

Incapacitated person—A modern definition—A consultation on how best to modernise the language used to define an incapacitated person for direct tax purposes.

The following consultations are expected to be published before Parliament returns from recess on 6 June:

27 May

Tax reliefs—A consultation on abolishing a number of tax reliefs announced at Budget 2011, following the Office of Tax Simplification recommendations.

31 May

Capital allowances for feed-in-tariffs and renewable heat incentives—A consultation on the capital allowances treatment of plant and machinery that could qualify for feed-in-tariffs or renewable heat incentives.

Capital allowances for fixtures—A consultation on proposed changes to the capital allowances fixtures rules.

Capital allowances anti-avoidance legislation—A consultation on improvements to capital allowances anti-avoidance legislation to make it clearer and more effective.

High-risk tax avoidance schemes—A consultation on proposals to list certain high-risk tax avoidance schemes in regulations. Users of listed schemes would be required to disclose their use to HMRC and be subject to an additional charge on tax underpaid as a result of using the scheme.

Establishing the future relationship between the tax agent community and HMRC—A consultation on options for implementing HMRC’s agent strategy, and ways in which tax agents and HMRC can work together more effectively.

Tackling VAT evasion on road vehicles brought into the UK—A consultation on the implementation and design of a joint HMRC-DVLA initiative to combat VAT evasion on road vehicles brought into the UK.

Any changes to these planned dates will be publicised on the tax consultation tracker.