This month in tax – February 2020
By Justine Riccomini, Head of Taxation (Scottish Taxes, Employment and ICAS Tax Community)
5 February 2020
Justine Riccomini advises on the key tax webinars, seminars and learning opportunities that CAs and tax professionals should be aware of in February and ahead. Members can also stay in touch by checking CA Connect.
Edinburgh Tax Network
The Edinburgh Tax Network, in conjunction with Terra Firma Chambers, will present a seminar entitled “(Tax) Year End Planning for Individuals & Owner Managed Businesses?” on Thursday 20th February.
The event will be held in the Mackenzie Building Old Assembly Close, Edinburgh.
The speaker will be Mike Martin, principal of The Number Crunchers.
Registration will commence at 5pm with the seminar starting at 5.30pm.
More events coming up:
- 27 February - Bob Langridge - Entrepreneurs’ Relief Bear Traps
- 26 March - Matthew Paul Clark - Tax Issues on Importing and Exporting
Further information and details of future meetings can be obtained by joining the mailing list held by seminars@terrafirmachambers.com.
Glasgow & Edinburgh Tax Discussion Groups
Glasgow
- 11 February - Benjamin Jones and Natalie Martin - IHT and Family Wealth – Thinking Outside the Box
10 March - Joanne Walker - Scottish Taxes Update
Further information on the above meetings can be found online here.
Aberdeen Tax Discussion Group
- 2 March - Peter Courtney and Julie Buchanan - International Tax Aspects
Further information on the above meetings can be found online here (https://www.tax.org.uk/membership-and-events/local-branches/united-kingdom/aberdeen)
Fraser of Allander Post Scottish Budget event
Annual Fraser of Allander Institute post-Budget briefing event for 2020/21.
Event Date: 7 February 2020
When: 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
Location: University of Strathclyde
The briefing will discuss the implications for public spending in Scotland, the latest forecasts from the Scottish Fiscal Commission and the winners and losers from the government’s tax policies.
Economists from the FAI will be joined by colleagues from business and public policy for a Q&A. Charlotte Barbour from ICAS will give her take on the tax implications of the Budget.
The event is free to attend. Please register on their Eventbrite page
Women in Tax events coming up
There are numerous events ahead for the Women in Tax network, designed for, but not exclusive to, women working in tax – in the profession, in-house, HMRC or anywhere else.
Networking Breakfast – Friday 7 February
08:00 – 09:30
Loudons (94B Fountainbridge, Edinburgh EH3 9QA)
As always, no need to sign up for these.
Tips and Lessons on Building a Career – Wed 19 February
18:00 – 19:30, with registration from 17:30.
ICAS, 21 Haymarket Yards, Edinburgh, EH12 5BH
Our panel includes Lucy O’Carroll, Director of Tax & Fiscal Sustainability in the Scottish Government, and Susie Walker, corporate Tax Partner and Head of Tax at Johnston Carmichael LLP.
This is a free event, but please do register using this link, where you can also find more information.
HMRC Talking points
HMRC Talking points dates for your diary are as follows: If you have missed one, you can usually catch up later.
Off-payrolling working rules from April 2020
This webinar gives an update to the reform of off-payroll working rules from April 2020 for public sector and medium and large sized organisations.
Negligible value claims and share loss relief
This webinar looks at certain conditions that must be met for your clients to claim an asset has be¬come of negligible value. It also gives an overview of share loss relief.
Thursday 6 February – midday to 1pm
Making Tax Digital – latest update
This webinar will provide the latest information on Making Tax Digital for VAT and enable agents to ask questions about any aspect of Making Tax Digital that they are unsure about.
Statutory Sick Pay
This webinar includes what you need to think about when an employee is sick, the qualifying conditions, what happens when an employee is not entitled to Statutory Sick Pay and how to pay Statutory Sick Pay.
Thursday 13 February – midday to 1pm
VAT reverse charge on construction services
Do you have clients who provide building services? If so, they could be affected by this reverse charge. This webinar will discuss how their cash flow may be impacted and what they need to do to prepare.
HMRC Community Forum on PAYE and Payroll Matters
HMRC has a new online customer forum where you can post questions on a range of tax topics that are answered by HMRC experts. The new forum includes “PAYE and Payroll for Employers”.
ICAS Members are encouraged to join this.
The Knowledge Base is a new feature which contains answers to FAQs on a variety of topics and where you can find information on a number of subjects to help with tax matters. Content is regularly updated and new material added.
Anyone can view the forum at https://community.hmrc.gov.uk. To post a question, simply register and create a profile.
The aims of the PAYE and Payroll for Employers Forum are:
- Provide HMRC with early identification of issues that are affecting employers, so that these can be progressed and resolved more quickly and help employers meet their obligations.
- Share thoughts, issues and concerns on new and current HMRC processes, policies and strategies with their peers, so that they can agree how potential changes may affect them.
- Quickly identify and recognise common errors and processing glitches, so they can be reviewed and investigated.
- Enable members to raise, discuss and possibly resolve potential issues with each other by sharing best practice or experience.
A registered forum member can:
- View posts
- Add or post topics / questions
Consultations
The ICAS tax team responds to many consultations on tax issues and welcomes members’ views to assist in preparing responses. If you have any comments on open consultations let us know.
Details of current consultations on tax issues can be found here: