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27 September 2000
Revenue news
News for employers
The Revenue has published issue 6 of the Employer's Bulletin recently. The following snippets are of particular interest, but the whole bulletin is available on the Revenue's website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk, or from local Revenue offices.
P46 forms
News for employers
The Revenue has published issue 6 of the Employer's Bulletin recently. The following snippets are of particular interest, but the whole bulletin is available on the Revenue's website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk, or from local Revenue offices.
P46 forms
Revenue news
News for employers
The Revenue has published issue 6 of the Employer's Bulletin recently. The following snippets are of particular interest, but the whole bulletin is available on the Revenue's website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk, or from local Revenue offices.
P46 forms
With regard to completing forms P46, the pay-as-you-earn employer's notice to the Revenue about new employees, the Revenue has asked that in order to prevent the system getting clogged with paperwork, employers hold onto the P46 until the employee's first pay day even if the employer needs the Revenue to trace the National Insurance number. Sending P46s for people who, for one reason or another, do not actually start work can cause confusion on their tax records.
With regard to employment agencies and other employers with high staff turnover, the knock-on effect of sending in forms P46 before the first pay day, or having missing or wrong National Insurance numbers, is extra work for payrolls in answering 'what-is-going-on' queries from the Revenue. This can reach epic proportions for employers with high staff turnover, such as agencies.
National minimum wage
There are changes for some young people on the national minimum wage start. From 1 October, people under 19, or in the first year of training and under 26, will not be entitled to the national minimum wage if they are in one of the following schemes:
* modern apprentices;
* national traineeships;
* foundation modern apprenticeships;
* skillseekers (Scotland);
* jobskills traineeships (Northern Ireland).
These and other changes, for instance to travel time, on call time and how the national minimum wage applies to students, are in the second edition of The Detailed Guide to the National Minimum Wage. This is available from the national minimum wage helpline, tel: 0845 6000 678. There are also regular updates on the Department of Trade and Industry website at www.dti.gov.uk/er/nmw.
The youth rate (18-21 years old inclusive) from 1 June 2000 is £3.20 an hour. From 1 October 2000, the main rate is increased from £3.60 to £3.70 an hour.
Valuation Office changes
The report of the five yearly review of the Valuation Office Agency has recently been published. It recommends that the Valuation Office leads the modernisation of the rating valuation system to move it away from the current culture of using appeals to arrive at acceptable valuations.
Specifically, the report recommends that the office adopts a 'right first time' approach by:
* improving the quality of the information on which it bases valuations for rating and council tax;
* standardising its valuation procedures;
* involving ratepayers and council taxpayers in valuations at an earlier stage and keeping them better informed so that there is a greater acceptance that valuations are right and fewer appeals; and
* increasing the range of services that it offers through the Internet to include appeals against council tax bandings and returns of information by ratepayers.
The report also recommends that the office remains as an executive agency of the Inland Revenue, with improved arrangements for its governance and management. A revised framework document for the Valuation Office reflecting these recommendations will be published later this year.
The report of the review of the Valuation Office Agency is available on the Inland Revenue's website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk, and by calling Capital and Savings Division on 0207 438 6742.
(Source: Valuation Office Agency press release dated 13 September 2000.)
Conferences
Key Haven seminar
Tax planning and fundraising for charities is the subject of an afternoon seminar to be held by Key Haven Publications plc in London on 19 October 2000. Speakers will be Robert Venables QC, Christopher McCall QC and James Kessler. The seminar will examine recent statutory developments with charitable giving, in particular the new Gift Aid régime and relief for gifts of unquoted securities, as well as other technical issues relating to fundraising by charities.
For booking, contact Key Haven on 020 8780 2522. The booking fee is £325 plus VAT.
Chartered Institute of Taxation
The London Branch of The Chartered Institute of Taxation is currently arranging a joint evening with Inland Revenue Inspectors and other staff in London to be held on 1 November 2000 commencing at 6 pm. It will be at Euston Tower, 286 Euston Road, London NW1, where the main London Euston tax offices are housed. The event will be largely informal, giving an opportunity for those attending to have informal discussions on topical issues and practical problems viewed from the profession and from within the Revenue. Attendance is free to all but please book places in advance by telephoning 020 7586 3740.
News for employers
The Revenue has published issue 6 of the Employer's Bulletin recently. The following snippets are of particular interest, but the whole bulletin is available on the Revenue's website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk, or from local Revenue offices.
P46 forms
With regard to completing forms P46, the pay-as-you-earn employer's notice to the Revenue about new employees, the Revenue has asked that in order to prevent the system getting clogged with paperwork, employers hold onto the P46 until the employee's first pay day even if the employer needs the Revenue to trace the National Insurance number. Sending P46s for people who, for one reason or another, do not actually start work can cause confusion on their tax records.
With regard to employment agencies and other employers with high staff turnover, the knock-on effect of sending in forms P46 before the first pay day, or having missing or wrong National Insurance numbers, is extra work for payrolls in answering 'what-is-going-on' queries from the Revenue. This can reach epic proportions for employers with high staff turnover, such as agencies.
National minimum wage
There are changes for some young people on the national minimum wage start. From 1 October, people under 19, or in the first year of training and under 26, will not be entitled to the national minimum wage if they are in one of the following schemes:
* modern apprentices;
* national traineeships;
* foundation modern apprenticeships;
* skillseekers (Scotland);
* jobskills traineeships (Northern Ireland).
These and other changes, for instance to travel time, on call time and how the national minimum wage applies to students, are in the second edition of The Detailed Guide to the National Minimum Wage. This is available from the national minimum wage helpline, tel: 0845 6000 678. There are also regular updates on the Department of Trade and Industry website at www.dti.gov.uk/er/nmw.
The youth rate (18-21 years old inclusive) from 1 June 2000 is £3.20 an hour. From 1 October 2000, the main rate is increased from £3.60 to £3.70 an hour.
Valuation Office changes
The report of the five yearly review of the Valuation Office Agency has recently been published. It recommends that the Valuation Office leads the modernisation of the rating valuation system to move it away from the current culture of using appeals to arrive at acceptable valuations.
Specifically, the report recommends that the office adopts a 'right first time' approach by:
* improving the quality of the information on which it bases valuations for rating and council tax;
* standardising its valuation procedures;
* involving ratepayers and council taxpayers in valuations at an earlier stage and keeping them better informed so that there is a greater acceptance that valuations are right and fewer appeals; and
* increasing the range of services that it offers through the Internet to include appeals against council tax bandings and returns of information by ratepayers.
The report also recommends that the office remains as an executive agency of the Inland Revenue, with improved arrangements for its governance and management. A revised framework document for the Valuation Office reflecting these recommendations will be published later this year.
The report of the review of the Valuation Office Agency is available on the Inland Revenue's website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk, and by calling Capital and Savings Division on 0207 438 6742.
(Source: Valuation Office Agency press release dated 13 September 2000.)
Conferences
Key Haven seminar
Tax planning and fundraising for charities is the subject of an afternoon seminar to be held by Key Haven Publications plc in London on 19 October 2000. Speakers will be Robert Venables QC, Christopher McCall QC and James Kessler. The seminar will examine recent statutory developments with charitable giving, in particular the new Gift Aid régime and relief for gifts of unquoted securities, as well as other technical issues relating to fundraising by charities.
For booking, contact Key Haven on 020 8780 2522. The booking fee is £325 plus VAT.
Chartered Institute of Taxation
The London Branch of The Chartered Institute of Taxation is currently arranging a joint evening with Inland Revenue Inspectors and other staff in London to be held on 1 November 2000 commencing at 6 pm. It will be at Euston Tower, 286 Euston Road, London NW1, where the main London Euston tax offices are housed. The event will be largely informal, giving an opportunity for those attending to have informal discussions on topical issues and practical problems viewed from the profession and from within the Revenue. Attendance is free to all but please book places in advance by telephoning 020 7586 3740.
