Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for R&D tax credits were denied in each month in 2023.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC publish R&D statistics annually, the latest publication can be found on Gov.uk at Research and Development Tax Credits Statistics: September 2023.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for R&D tax credits were approved in each month in 2023.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC publish R&D statistics annually, the latest publication can be found on Gov.uk at Research and Development Tax Credits Statistics: September 2023.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for R&D tax credits were outstanding in each month in 2023.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC publish R&D statistics annually, the latest publication can be found on Gov.uk at Research and Development Tax Credits Statistics: September 2023.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the level of additional infrastructure required (a) in and (b) around the port of Holyhead to conduct checks on goods after the transition period.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Border Delivery Group is working with departments and with the Welsh Government to understand the implications at the border, including for infrastructure, of the end of the transition period.
This work will include working closely with ports and locations, including Holyhead, which may require new infrastructure.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the annual gross cost of checks on goods from the European Economic Area; and what estimate he has made of the (a) staffing costs and (b) infrastructure maintenance costs of those checks after December 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman
No cross-departmental assessment is held on the annual cost of checking goods from the EEA.
The Border Delivery Group will work closely with all relevant departments and the border industry to ensure that the necessary staffing and infrastructure is in place for new border controls at the end of the transition period.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice his Department has issued to businesses on the steps required to prepare for importing goods from the European Economic Area after December 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In January 2020, HMRC wrote to 219,000 VAT-registered businesses that trade with the EU, explaining the actions they need to take to prepare for changes to customs arrangements after the transition period. The letter set out that businesses will need to make customs declarations for GB-EU trade and that they should start to prepare for this now by considering whether they want to use a customs agent or make declarations themselves. It also explained that businesses will need an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number that starts with the letters GB to be able to submit customs declarations. HMRC has already issued around 200,000 of these. This letter was supported by emails and social media to reach a wider group of businesses.
Alongside this HMRC are continuing to engage with key stakeholders (including Business Representative Bodies and Trade Associations) to seek their input and amplify HMRC’s messaging to ensure it is wide reaching and readily available to those who need to take action. This includes monthly meetings with the top 35 organisations who represent over 500,000 businesses in the UK.
HMRC will continue to provide clear guidance on the actions businesses will need to take, and HMRC will engage with them throughout the transition period to support their readiness to comply with these new requirements.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he will announce a suspension of all Loan Charge activity whilst his Department's review is ongoing.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government remains committed to tackling tax avoidance schemes, but it has listened to concerns about the impact of the Loan Charge on individuals. An independent review is under way to consider the appropriateness of the Loan Charge as a policy response, and its impact on individuals.
The reviewer, Sir Amyas Morse, has been asked to provide recommendations by mid-November so that any individuals affected can have certainty about their next steps in advance of the 31 January 2020 Self - Assessment deadline.
While the Review is under way, it is right that the Loan Charge remains in force, in line with current legislation.
HMRC has made clear it will consider all personal circumstances to agree a manageable and sustainable payment plan wherever possible and there is no maximum limit on how long a customer can be given to pay the charge.
Further information about the Review and guidance for affected taxpayers is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/disguised-remuneration-independent-loan-charge-review.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government has taken to support people affected by the Equitable Life scandal.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
In 2010 the government allocated up to £1.5bn, tax free, for payment to affected policyholders. More detail on the history of the action taken on this issue can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equitable-life-payment-scheme-final-report
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to operate a triage system for imports in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
In the event of a 'no deal', the Government’s priority is to keep goods moving and avoid delays at the border. As the customs authority, HMRC will act to ensure that border processes are as smooth as possible, without compromising security.
After listening to concerns from businesses, the Government is introducing temporary easements for a ‘no deal’ scenario to help businesses keep trading. This includes Transitional Simplified Procedures (TSP), where once registered traders will be able to import goods from the EU into the UK without having to make a full customs declaration at the border and will be able to postpone paying any duties.
Border Force and HMRC will continue to carry out risk based checks on goods entering the UK as they do now.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the role of free ports in tackling global tax avoidance and evasion.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Free Trade Zones and ports play a clear role in facilitating legitimate international trade, but where there is lax oversight or weak governance they are susceptible to abuse by transnational criminal networks. Under the joint leadership of HMRC and the US Department of Homeland Security, the OECD Countering Illicit Trade Taskforce has made significant progress in developing draft guidance on measures to enhance the transparency of Free Trade Zones, so as to promote clean and fair trade and to make them unattractive to people and organisations looking to conduct tax evasion and commit crime.