Tax and Financial Planning

When a mortgage brokerage agrees to arrange finance for a customer, does that mean that it has provided a guarantee that the required funding will be found? This question was...

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have won yet another victory in a tax case in circumstances in which the facts were such that it is very unlikely indeed that a...

Marrying or forming a civil partnership in order to save tax may not be romantic, but a recent case showed the benefits of so doing when a man married his...

When a transaction occurred that should have aroused suspicion, the subsequent investigation by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) led to fines for three of the people involved. The transaction...

A recent tax case shows the lengths HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will go to when they think there is tax to be gained by adopting an aggressive attitude with...

Under changes to pensions rules recently announced by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), those aged 60 or over now have the option of taking a lump sum from personal pensions...

Although most people know that gifts will normally not be subject to Inheritance Tax if the donor survives for seven years after they are made, it is less well known...

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are quick to recognise easy pickings when transactions occur and the conditions for relief against the relevant taxes are not met. One of HMRC’s...

Recent reports showing an increase in fraud, and newspaper headlines regarding the conviction of a banker and financial adviser after more than £1.4 million was stolen from the investment accounts...

So-called ‘discounted gift schemes’ have been used in Inheritance Tax (IHT) planning for many years. The basic idea behind them is that a gift is made by a person whose...