HMRC

Tax avoidance campaigners have been granted permission by the High Court to challenge a deal between HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and investment bank Goldman Sachs.

The government's general anti-abuse rule (GAAR) targeting abuse of the tax system could hand HM Revenue & Customs discretionary power "at odds with the rule of law", a lawyer has warned.

More than 2,400 people have registered to disclose unpaid tax under the Liechtenstein Disclosure Facility (LDF) with £363 million already paid in tax bills, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

People who are will to pay into a pension but have not got around to signing up are collectively losing out on £2.5bn in income tax relief on contributions, analysis has found.

National Insurance (NI) contributions are due on pre-6 April 2006 employer payments into funded unapproved retirement benefit schemes (FURBS), the Court of Appeal has ruled.

SIPP

Advisers have been warned not to mislead and confuse HMRC by claiming to offer investment management services - a VAT chargeable activity - while lacking the necessary permissions to do so.

LOOSE ENDS

Retirement Planner's round-up of the top pension stories this week.

An unregulated property investment company has retracted claims its investments were approved by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to be purchased with a pension.