Dan Neidle

Did my tax avoidance for the day, and bought the chocolate bar on the right. \n\nChocolate bars sold to eat: 20% VAT\nChocolate bars sold for cooking: 0% VAT\n\nEven if exactly the same chocolate. \n\nSee https://lnkd.in/e-Nb7WPt\n\nI am avoiding tax, but this isn’t *really* tax avoidance - I talk about what the term means here: https://lnkd.in/ewEy4waG\n\nThe sin here is creating special VAT rates that don’t reflect a real difference in the products. Pretty much all special exemptions/0% rates do that - and we shouldn’t create any more of them.

It wasn't mentioned in the Chancellor's speech, but the Spring Statement papers contain a major suite of anti-tax avoidance proposals, probably the toughest ever introduced.

- criminalising breach of DOTAS
- stop notices that apply to everyone using the scheme, or a similar scheme
- new stop notices that can be sent to banks or others facilitating the scheme
- new DOTAS civil penalties
- an end to legal privilege when avoidance schemes are promoted as backed by a KC's opinion

I was less than flattering about the Autumn Budget, particularly the national insurance increase, farming inheritance tax change, and general failure to include any tax reform measures.

However the new anti-avoidance proposals are excellent, and should be welcomed by everyone who wishes to see the tax avoidance industry ended.

My immediate take: https://lnkd.in/dCb37BYM

Yet another win for Nadhim Zahawi’s strategy of using libel threats to keep his tax avoidance out of the papers:

https://lnkd.in/ewgDw6tu

(I do, however, unreservedly apologise for the hat, and I am willing to discuss compensation)

The Sunday Times link has changed - you may need to click the link above not the picture below. Weird.