Help with short-term business visitors
HMRC has issued new guidance for employers and advisers on the tax and National Insurance contribution (NIC) treatment of short-term business visitors, aimed at:
- UK employers which have overseas workers performing duties in the UK on a short-term basis;
- the workers themselves; and
- agents and the professional bodies.
Supporting people to buy their first home
The Scottish government has introduced a new scheme to help people on low incomes and in priority groups buy their first affordable home. This has now opened for applications.
The Open Market Shared Equity Scheme (OMSE) is available for first-time buyers and priority access groups who can’t afford the full price of a home. This includes social renters, disabled people, people aged 60 and over, members of the armed forces and veterans.
HMRC to start signing up taxpayers for MTD
According to the ICAEW, HMRC will sign up taxpayers which they believe are within scope of Making Tax Digital (MTD) that have not done so from September 2026. Taxpayers and their agents are encouraged to take action before HMRC does.
As things stand, it appears that although there are approximately 864,000 taxpayers who are within MTD, only 570,000 are signed up and only 436,000 have submitted an initial MTD quarterly update.
IHT on pensions: Technical Note 2
HMRC has issued a further technical note, which provides additional information to that provided in technical Note 1, relating to Inheritance Tax (IHT) on pensions announced at the Autumn Budget 2024. In particular, it provides more information about:
- notional pension property (unused pension funds and pension death benefits) and how it will be treated for IHT purposes;
- information sharing requirements;
- withholding notices and operation of the process;
- pensions direct payment scheme notices and operation of the process; and