VAT rate changes to 15%

Well, here it is - the announcement in the Pre-Budget Report of the VAT rate being reduced to 15%. The first VAT rate change since 1991, if I'm not mistaken. Personally, I don't see it making a big difference to the man in the street but it will have an effect on many businesses, unfortunately only from an administrative point of view. Changing computer systems, re-pricing goods on shelves and trying to find good answers to when or how the VAT rate should be applied to work in progress. These all have to be done, and it is unfortunate that my first anecdotal experience of how the VAT Office are dealing with it is not good. A client had received a VAT leaflet about the change through the post on Wednesday morning, couldn't really understand it, but he needed assurance that what he thought it said was correct. Phoned the VAT Office National Helpline, and was told something contradictory. Upon pointing this out, he was transferred to another operative, who gave him a third different answer. How is the average businessman supposed to deal with that? Hmmm.

www.davebrownvat.com

VAT return admin changes

In a remarkable burst of penny-pinching, HMRC have announced that they are no longer issuing pre-paid envelopes with VAT returns. They will still enclose an addressed envelope, but it will be up to the taxpayer to put a stamp on the envelope. They have not commented on whether an unstamped envelope will be put to one side, and therefore be dealt with as a late arrival, but I guess there is a possibility that it might count as a 'default'.

In a similar vein, they have also announced that VAT returns will no longer be input manually, but instead will be scanned and input automatically. This, of course, is dependent on the taxpayer writing neatly in all the relevant boxes. For those of you who submit repayment VAT returns, please be aware that if the machine can't read your writing, it will doubtless mean that your refund will be delayed. You have been warned...