A February 2026 First-tier Tribunal ruling has shifted the burden of proof on HMRC’s Joint and Several Liability Notices. Combined with a £175m AI enforcement contract, every director who has been connected to a restructured or insolvent company since 2020 needs a personal risk assessment now.
Plat UK Limited v HMRC [2026] UKFTT 999 (TC): The First-tier Tribunal dismisses a £470,894 VAT appeal after a luxury goods trader failed to hold valid VAT invoices. Five CFO actions on procurement, invoice compliance, and protecting input tax deductions.
Today is the statutory deadline for filing HMRC Employment-Related Securities annual returns. EMI options not notified by midnight will lose their tax advantages permanently. Here is exactly what every CFO needs to do — and what Finance Act 2026 has just changed about the EMI regime.
The Upper Tribunal has set aside a £2 million Director’s Liability Notice in Ashley Charles Trees v HMRC [2026] UKUT 00092 (TCC), finding HMRC’s conduct an abuse of process. The case clarifies the limits of personal VAT penalty exposure for directors — and the procedural rights that CFOs must be prepared to assert.
LP due diligence in 2026 is more forensic than ever — and the burden of proof lands on the finance function. Why LP-grade reporting is also exit-readiness, and the practical steps portfolio CFOs should take this quarter.
The Upper Tribunal’s decision in UK Care No. 1 Ltd v HMRC clarifies when cross-border loan relationship losses are blocked as ‘imported losses’ under s.327 CTA 2009 — and when they are not. With £150 million at stake and PE structures routinely using offshore SPVs, this is a ruling every CFO involved in cross-border debt or migration transactions needs to understand.
HMRC’s Timely Payments consultation closes 4 August 2026 and proposes collecting ITSA liabilities through PAYE from April 2029. Here is what every CFO needs to know about the cash flow, payroll administration, and governance implications — and seven actions to take before the deadline.
The UK Supreme Court unanimously dismissed BlueCrest’s appeal on 1 July 2026, confirming that significant influence under the salaried members rules must derive from the LLP agreement itself — not informal or de facto influence. With a £197 million tax bill at stake, this is the most important LLP tax ruling in a decade. Here is what every CFO and managing partner must do now.
HMRC wants to make Direct Debit mandatory for all VAT and PAYE payments — affecting up to 87% of registered businesses. The consultation closes 16 August 2026. Here’s what every CFO needs to know about working capital, treasury risk, and the six actions to take now.
On 26 June 2026, a deadline quietly passed and almost no one outside the tax profession noticed. It was the
