Tax Tribunal still lacks clarity

Tax Tribunal still lacks clarity

Ministry of Justice criticised for revealing key details of the new tax Tribunal system too late, as its timing coincides with the Budget and the recession

The Ministry of Justice is still to reveal key details of the new tax
Tribunal system, including confirmation of judges, with only a week to go before
it comes into effect.

The new system sees the amalgamation of the General Commissioners, the
Special Commissioners, the VAT and Duties Tribunal and the Section 703 Tribunal,
and will be separated into first and second tier tribunals as of 1 April.

Tax experts said that much of the information on the new system was coming
too late. ‘The first of April has crept up very quickly ­ we’re all going to
have to get up to speed,’ said Mike Warburton, senior tax partner at Grant
Thornton. He added that the timing of the new Tribunal has been poor, coinciding
with the Budget and the recession.

‘It’s a lot of change that could’ve come at a different time. It should all
be there by now,’ Warburton said.

Bill Dodwell, tax partner at Deloitte, said that the profession is yet to
learn who the new tribunal judges will be. ‘People have been applying for
Tribunal judge positions but I’m not aware of any more detail and it starts in a
week,’ he said.

The Tribunal judge’s application process is thought to have concluded in
October last year.

‘The ministry hasn’t done anything useful in distributing the information.
Everyone is dismayed at the lack of announcements,’ he said.

A spokeswoman for the Tribunals Service said reforms to the tax appeals
system have been in the pipeline for some time and extensive consultation was
undertaken with key stakeholders.

Share

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Resources & Whitepapers

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata
Professional Services

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata

3y

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folde...

In the past decade, the professional services industry has transformed significantly. Digital disruptions, increased competition, and changing market ...

View resource
2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

3y

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professi...

In recent months, professional services firms are facing more pressure than ever to deliver value to clients. Often, clients look at the firms own inf...

View resource
Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine
Accounting Firms

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

3y

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

In a world of instant results and automated workloads, the potential for AP to drive insights and transform results is enormous. But, if you’re still ...

View resource
Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021
Making Tax Digital

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

3y

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

The first phase of Making Tax Digital (MTD) saw the requirement for the digital submission of the VAT Return using compliant software. That’s now behi...

View resource