In Gareth Clark v HMRC [2017] TC5856 the First Tier Tax Tribunal (FTT) extended the scope of discovery assessments. The case concerned a pensions unauthorised payment charge. The decision was confirmed by the Court of Appeal in February 2020.

The government has announced major changes to its Making Tax Digital for business (MTD) proposals. MTD will initially only apply for VAT. VAT registered businesses are mandated into HMRC's plans for quarterly bookkeeping and reporting from 2019. MTD will not become compulsory for other businesses or taxes until at least 2021.

Responses to HMRC Consultation 'Making Tax Digital sanctions for late submission and late payment' have been mixed. Now the main bodies have published their responses to HMRC’s consultation it may be useful to see how their thoughts compare.

In Karen Vrange v HMRC [2017] EWHC 1055 a taxpayer who ignored warnings about the Swiss bank levy was unable to claim back the levy paid under the UK/Switzerland cooperation agreement following disclosure of her offshore bank accounts.

The Supreme Court has issued its judgement in RFC 2012 Plc (in liquidation) (formerly The Rangers Football Club Plc) v Advocate General for Scotland [2017] UKSC 45 and has agreed with HMRC that loans made to employees under the club's EBT loan scheme were in fact remuneration and so subject to tax and NIC.