Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to increase business investment in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Government continues to work towards leaving the EU with a deal, which will allow us to honour the referendum, while also protecting jobs and our economy. The government is committed to providing the right economic environment for businesses to invest and grow.
Businesses will also benefit from recently announced tax measures such as the introduction of a new allowance for the construction costs of new qualifying non-residential structures and buildings, which will provide billions of pounds of additional relief for UK businesses. The Government has also increased the Annual Investment Allowance from £200,000 to £1 million for two years, significantly increasing the amount of relief businesses receive on qualifying investment in the first year.
Additionally, our modern Industrial Strategy sets out a clear plan for how we can boost productivity throughout the UK, including increased public investment in infrastructure and R&D. At Budget 2018 we increased the size of the National Productivity Investment Fund to £37 billion and since 2010 there has been £600 billion of capital investment including in roads, rail, digital and skills.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding has been allocated to support small businesses to help with customs requirements after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The government is investing £8 million to increase capacity in the customs intermediaries sector, and help support business ahead of the UK leaving the EU. This includes £5 million in grant funding for training and IT improvements which is available to customs intermediaries and traders who complete customs declarations, and £3 million which is being used to increase training provision in this area.
Applications are still being received for the grant scheme, but as of 1 April 2019 378 applications have been submitted. Applications are subject to a review process once submitted, and so far 99 grants have either been offered or have already been paid.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to promote the grants available to small businesses in relation to new customs requirements after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
HMRC’s grant scheme to support customs intermediaries and traders has been promoted through numerous channels including; GOV.UK messaging and guidance, trade and regional media, HMRC social media, email communications to stakeholders, regular articles in established bulletins for agents and employers since December 2018, and inclusion within HMRC’s wider EU Exit communications such as the Partnership Pack.
Media activity has included an initial media statement in September 2018, followed by a press release in December 2018 and inclusion in a wider regional press release on preparing for EU Exit in February 2019.
We are also engaging with key industry stakeholders, including associations and representative bodies, through groups such as the Joint Customs Consultative Committee (JCCC) and the Customs Capacity Advisory Group (CCAG). In particular we have worked closely with the CCAG, which includes stakeholders such as the British Chamber of Commerce, British International Freight Association and Federation of Small Businesses, to help cascade the message to businesses.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve productivity in Yorkshire and the Humber.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
People across Yorkshire and the Humber are benefiting from investment that this Government is making to support productivity. There are now 225,000 more people in employment in Yorkshire and the Humber than in 2010 and close to 69,000 more businesses.
For example, at Spring Statement we announced the first allocation of the competitive element of the Transforming Cities Fund. This included over £6.4 million in funding for the Sheffield City Region and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. In addition, the Government has allocated more than £1.3bn from the Local Growth Fund to support economic activity across Yorkshire and the Humber. We are also continuing to back the Northern Powerhouse. At Budget 2018, we committed to a refresh of our ambitious Northern Powerhouse strategy for this year and we also announced up to £37m development funding to support Northern Powerhouse rail, which will connect cities across the North with faster, more frequent services, boosting regional productivity.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people are subject to the 2019 Loan Charge.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The charge on disguised remuneration (DR) loans will apply to outstanding DR loan balances on 5 April 2019. It is targeted at artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings were paid in the form of non-repayable loans made by a third party. The loans are provided on terms that mean they are not repaid in practice, so they are no different to normal income and are, and always have been, taxable.
The Government estimates that up to 50,000 individuals will be affected by the 2019 loan charge. Information is not held at constituency or regional level.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) wants to help people put things right and is working hard to help individuals get out of avoidance for good.
Anybody who wants to settle their tax affairs ahead of the 2019 loan charge or who is worried about being able to pay what they owe should get in touch with HMRC as soon as possible. HMRC have already provided a number of assurances, including that they will never force somebody to sell their main home to pay for their DR debt, or the loan charge.
HMRC has also widely publicised a simplification to the process for those who want to settle their use of DR schemes before the loan charge arises on 5 April 2019. DR scheme users who currently have an income of less than £50,000 and are no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need to give HMRC detailed information about their income and assets. This arrangement has been extended to seven years for scheme users who have an income of less than £30,000.
Those who consider they need more than five (or seven) years to pay what they owe or who earn £50,000 or more should still come forward and talk to HMRC about payment terms. There are no defined minimum or maximum time periods for payment arrangements but HMRC will ask for more information including details of their income and assets so that they can tailor any payment plan to their individual financial circumstances.
Since the announcement of the 2019 loan charge at Budget 2016, HMRC has now agreed settlements on disguised remuneration schemes with employers and individuals totalling over £1 billion. Around 85% of the settlement yield since 2016 is from employers, with less than 15% from individuals.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC has taken against the promoters of disguised remuneration schemes.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
This Government is committed to tackling avoidance in all its guises. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a suite of powers to tackle and challenge those who promote or otherwise enable tax avoidance and HMRC is using its powers to challenge major promoters of avoidance schemes, including disguised remuneration (DR) avoidance schemes.
In recent years, HMRC has been investigating over 100 promoters and others involved in avoidance, including disguised remuneration arrangements. In the last couple of years, HMRC has taken litigation action against 6 scheme promoters for failure to disclose under Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes (DOTAS) with others deciding to disclose to avoid litigation. Further cases will be litigated in the year ahead.
HMRC has used its powers under the Promoters of Tax Avoidance Schemes (POTAS) legislation to challenge promoters and made three successful complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority about misleading advertising; two of which relate to disguised remuneration schemes.
HMRC consider criminal investigation and referrals to prosecuting authorities where appropriate. Since the formation of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service on 1 April 2016, more than 20 individuals have been convicted for offences relating to arrangements which have been promoted and marketed as tax avoidance schemes, resulting in over 100 years custodial and more than 7 years suspended sentences being ordered. Additional matters are the subject of ongoing enquiries.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people are subject to the 2019 Loan Charge in Yorkshire and the Humber.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The charge on disguised remuneration (DR) loans will apply to outstanding DR loan balances on 5 April 2019. It is targeted at artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings were paid in the form of non-repayable loans made by a third party. The loans are provided on terms that mean they are not repaid in practice, so they are no different to normal income and are, and always have been, taxable.
The Government estimates that up to 50,000 individuals will be affected by the 2019 loan charge. Information is not held at constituency or regional level.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) wants to help people put things right and is working hard to help individuals get out of avoidance for good.
Anybody who wants to settle their tax affairs ahead of the 2019 loan charge or who is worried about being able to pay what they owe should get in touch with HMRC as soon as possible. HMRC have already provided a number of assurances, including that they will never force somebody to sell their main home to pay for their DR debt, or the loan charge.
HMRC has also widely publicised a simplification to the process for those who want to settle their use of DR schemes before the loan charge arises on 5 April 2019. DR scheme users who currently have an income of less than £50,000 and are no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need to give HMRC detailed information about their income and assets. This arrangement has been extended to seven years for scheme users who have an income of less than £30,000.
Those who consider they need more than five (or seven) years to pay what they owe or who earn £50,000 or more should still come forward and talk to HMRC about payment terms. There are no defined minimum or maximum time periods for payment arrangements but HMRC will ask for more information including details of their income and assets so that they can tailor any payment plan to their individual financial circumstances.
Since the announcement of the 2019 loan charge at Budget 2016, HMRC has now agreed settlements on disguised remuneration schemes with employers and individuals totalling over £1 billion. Around 85% of the settlement yield since 2016 is from employers, with less than 15% from individuals.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people are subject to the 2019 Loan Charge in Haltemprice and Howden constituency.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The charge on disguised remuneration (DR) loans will apply to outstanding DR loan balances on 5 April 2019. It is targeted at artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings were paid in the form of non-repayable loans made by a third party. The loans are provided on terms that mean they are not repaid in practice, so they are no different to normal income and are, and always have been, taxable.
The Government estimates that up to 50,000 individuals will be affected by the 2019 loan charge. Information is not held at constituency or regional level.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) wants to help people put things right and is working hard to help individuals get out of avoidance for good.
Anybody who wants to settle their tax affairs ahead of the 2019 loan charge or who is worried about being able to pay what they owe should get in touch with HMRC as soon as possible. HMRC have already provided a number of assurances, including that they will never force somebody to sell their main home to pay for their DR debt, or the loan charge.
HMRC has also widely publicised a simplification to the process for those who want to settle their use of DR schemes before the loan charge arises on 5 April 2019. DR scheme users who currently have an income of less than £50,000 and are no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need to give HMRC detailed information about their income and assets. This arrangement has been extended to seven years for scheme users who have an income of less than £30,000.
Those who consider they need more than five (or seven) years to pay what they owe or who earn £50,000 or more should still come forward and talk to HMRC about payment terms. There are no defined minimum or maximum time periods for payment arrangements but HMRC will ask for more information including details of their income and assets so that they can tailor any payment plan to their individual financial circumstances.
Since the announcement of the 2019 loan charge at Budget 2016, HMRC has now agreed settlements on disguised remuneration schemes with employers and individuals totalling over £1 billion. Around 85% of the settlement yield since 2016 is from employers, with less than 15% from individuals.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) current and (b) projected cashflow is for the High Speed 2 project in the next (i) 12 months, (ii) five years and (iii) 10 years.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
High Speed 2’s (HS2) funding envelope is £55.7bn (in 2015 prices).
At Spending Review 2015, HS2’s annual budgets were set for five years to 2020/21. In 2019/20 HS2’s budget is set at £4.694bn and in 2020/21 it is set at £4.647bn
Future HS2 budgets will be set at the Spending Review later this year.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Haltemprice and Howden)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral Answer by the Prime Minister, 2 March 2016, Official Report, column 946, if he will take steps to publish data on the number of active National Insurance numbers attributable to non-UK EU nationals.
Answered by David Gauke
I refer the honourable members to the recent HMRC release.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-credit-statistics-on-eea-nationals