Left‑leaning Boat Dwellers Dodge Council Tax—Here’s the Law
Surprised to discover there's a bunch of people who claim to be on the Left, live on narrowboats moored at the same location for years, and don't pay council tax. We set out the actual law here: https://t.co/lGB1D2Dr6d
Blind Political Reports Test Bias Before Revealing Identity
New idea. Next time we publish a report on a politician, I’ll keep the politician’s name blanked out for a week, and let everyone take positions before they find out who it is.
Aging Population Drives Costs; Reform or Raise Taxes
I find this stuff pretty silly. The spending isn’t “the state”. It’s us. It’s the demographics of an aging population and the impact of that on the triple lock, social care and the NHS. We reform these or we pay more...
Tax Tribunal Scotland Site Lacks Security Certificate—Avoid It
Quick warning to tax people to not go to Tax Tribunals Scotland's website. No security certificate, so it's either been hacked or had an IT snafu. https://t.co/XaIJLHfAGO
Gifts Like Farage’s £5m Typically Avoid Tax
Lots of people asking if Farage would have been taxed on the £5m. The answer is: likely no. Gifts generally aren’t taxable. (save IHT, not relevant here) https://t.co/9XCFgiOsqA
Freeman on the Land Gets Six‑month Contempt Sentence
The High Court just sentenced a "freeman on the land" to six months for contempt of court, for breach of a planning injunction. He was lucky not to also get a contempt charge for his behaviour in court. https://t.co/OCOCTedbca
Report Uncovers $4 Bn Phantom Mining Company
This is pretty extraordinary. Our report into a $4bn mining company - that didn’t actually exist - is just a small part…
Govt to Retroactively Cancel Stamp Duty for 150k Tenants
We reported in January that an unanticipated effect of the Renters' Rights Act was to create a stamp duty liability for about 150,000 tenants. The good news is that the Government just announced it will legislate retrospectively to fix this:...
Expert Advises UHNW Clients on Advanced Tax Avoidance
I'm speaking at Spear’s 500 Live on 6 May - "bringing together the most senior and influential figures in private wealth, luxury and law" for "ultra-high-net-worth clients". Naturally I'll be talking about how they can avoid tax more successfully. https://t.co/sJTXik9aml https://t.co/Ha7mg0Sm2m
Beware: Recruitment Agencies Targeted by Bill‑of‑Exchange Tax Scam
Just heard about an insane "tax avoidance" scheme being pitched to recruitment agencies, involving paying HMRC with a "bill of exchange". I'd think it was a joke if it hadn't come from an unimpeachable source. If you come across this, do get...
Early Withdrawal Taxed on Interest You Never Received
A real gotcha: Someone withdrew money early from a NatWest fixed-term savings account. NatWest applied an early closure charge of 90 days interest. So they didn't receive 90 days-worth of interest. But they were still taxed on it! Whose fault? And...
Reform UK Deputy Skips £120k Tax on £600k Dividends
The deputy leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice, owns a property company - Quidnet REIT. From 2020 to 2022 it paid Tice and his trust £600k in dividends. Quidnet should have paid £120k of tax on those dividends. It didn't. A...
Failed Libel Suits Must Impose Hefty Penalties
I hope the FT gets indemnity costs. They must have spent a fortune on this. But even then, it wouldn’t be enough to deter Odey and others like him from trying to silence critics with libel actions. Failed libel actions...
High Court Dismisses £8m Claim, Barrister Pays Costs
An update on the attempt by a tax barrister to sue me for £8m. Last month, the High Court threw out the claim. The Court then made a highly unusual order: Mr Kamal was required to pay all of our costs, £146,644. And...
Accountancy Firm Threatens Legal Action, Demands Phone numberAccountancy Firm Threatens Legal Action, Demands Phone Number
Yesterday an Oxford accountancy firm gave us 24 hours to take down an article which said they'd knowingly filed false tax returns. Today they're sending bizarre emails saying I have to give them my phone number or they will "get it...