As VAT reaches a historic milestone of fifty years in UK regulation, the top of VAT at an organisation supporting greater than 4,500 companies within the East Midlands is looking for drastic reform of Britain’s most contentious tax.

From April 2022 to February 2023, HMRC reviews that it collected a staggering £150.5 billion from VAT alone – however with 428,615 UK companies closing in 2022 amid unprecedented working prices and vitality costs, there are requires clearer regulation to keep away from surprising fees.

Head of VAT at Duncan & Toplis, Christine Newitt, says: “Valued Added Tax is a prolific income for the federal government, behind solely Nationwide Insurance coverage and Earnings Tax – nevertheless it’s simply essentially the most contested and contentious tax for UK enterprise homeowners.

“Within the 5 many years since VAT got here into drive on April 1, 1973, it has been a continuing minefield for companies struggling to navigate a system with extra exceptions than it has guidelines – usually leading to surprising interpretations by HMRC even for these of us within the career who perceive the tax.”

Christine represents companies on the VAT and duties group of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and speaks to native enterprise homeowners throughout the East Midlands day by day, a lot of that are searching for pressing recommendation on avoidable VAT pitfalls.

“I can confidently say that companies want fewer deliberately prohibitive guidelines and exclusions and clearer steerage,” provides Christine.

“VAT was launched as a directive from the European Union, however after Brexit, we’re now not sure to comply with these guidelines. Now we have an opportunity to reimagine VAT in a approach that might profit enterprise homeowners throughout the nation – VAT’s golden anniversary is a golden alternative for it to be reformed.”

Regardless of being in place for half a century, the administration of the VAT system has by no means saved tempo with advances in know-how and the worldwide market place. Christine thinks that companies may benefit from VAT being reformed to make it extra clear for enterprise homeowners, with a a lot diminished burden of administration.

“Some international locations like Brazil, for instance, have adopted a cut up cost system, the place VAT is cut up out on the level of sale and paid electronically on to the tax authorities.”

“This may be a daring transfer however will surely shift the onus from over-burdened enterprise homeowners, ensuring that HMRC at all times receives the tax it’s owed and giving companies the knowledge of understanding that, from a VAT perspective at the least, they received’t face any sudden surprises.” provides Christine

The feedback come simply days after companies reacted to an underwhelming Spring Price range, which Head of tax at Duncan & Toplis Nicholas Smith branded “a powerful disappointment for SMEs throughout the East Midlands and the UK.”

Nicholas Smith mentioned: “SMEs make up 99.9% of the UK economic system, in line with the federal government’s personal figures. So the place is the help for them as the price of residing disaster closes doorways throughout the nation?”

HMRC is at the moment specializing in broadening its Making Tax Digital initiative throughout all taxes, which goals to interchange the outdated paper methods with a completely digitised providing. Development in know-how and methods to deal with tax assortment is lengthy overdue.  It’s hoped that this can allow companies to submit updates for all taxes each quarter, relatively than yearly, and make data extra updated – however Christine maintains that, for some companies, it “doesn’t go far sufficient in giving companies readability and certainty of their tax affairs”.