The Tax Law Rewrite Project of HM Revenue and Customs was a major effort to re-write the entire tax legislation of the United Kingdom in a format which is both more consistent and more understandable. It aimed to remove archaic language and impenetrable terminology from tax law and to replace it with modern language and terminology.
The project was set up in 1996 and produced five pieces of primary legislation and one piece of secondary legislation. A sixth and seventh bill went before Parliament. The project focussed purely on primary legislation but special dispensation was given to the re-writing of the regulations governing PAYE by the project.
The project began its work with the legislation covering capital allowances and the first legislation passed thanks to the project was the Capital Allowances Act 2001. The project then moved on to consider income tax. Three pieces of primary legislation relating to income tax—the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003, the Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005 and the Income Tax Act 2007—have been passed by Parliament. Their main change is to remove the concept of schedules from British income tax law. Previously income was assessed in one of six schedules (labelled from A through to F) depending on its source. The schedules have been replaced with everyday terminology. For example, Schedule A income is now referred to as property income and Schedule E income is now referred to as employment income.
It was felt that in addition to the primary legislation necessary for the project that one piece of secondary legislation would need to be rewritten. The PAYE system is intimately linked with income tax in British law and consequently the legislation governing it was dealt with by the project. The result was the Income Tax (PAYE) Regulations 2003.
Following the passage of the Income Tax Act 2007 attention was turned to corporation tax. The Corporation Tax Act 2009 applies to accounting periods ending on or after 1 April 2009. Two further bills were enacted in 2010 – the Corporation Tax Act 2010 and the Taxation (International and Other Provisions) Act 2010. Once these bills were enacted the Tax Law Rewrite Project was disbanded in April 2010 – see ICAEW report. [1] [2]
The legislation was scrutinized by the Joint Committee on Tax Law Rewrite Bills. [3]
National Insurance (NI) is a fundamental component of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. It acts as a form of social security, since payment of NI contributions establishes entitlement to certain state benefits for workers and their families.
Corporation tax in the United Kingdom is a corporate tax levied in on the profits made by UK-resident companies and on the profits of entities registered overseas with permanent establishments in the UK.
His Majesty's Revenue and Customs is a non-ministerial department of the UK Government responsible for the collection of taxes, the payment of some forms of state support, the administration of other regulatory regimes including the national minimum wage and the issuance of national insurance numbers. HMRC was formed by the merger of the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise, which took effect on 18 April 2005. The department's logo is the Tudor Crown enclosed within a circle.
In Canada, taxation is a prerogative shared between the federal government and the various provincial and territorial legislatures.
In the United Kingdom, taxation may involve payments to at least three different levels of government: central government, devolved governments and local government. Central government revenues come primarily from income tax, National Insurance contributions, value added tax, corporation tax and fuel duty. Local government revenues come primarily from grants from central government funds, business rates in England, Council Tax and increasingly from fees and charges such as those for on-street parking. In the fiscal year 2023–24, total government revenue was forecast to be £1,139.1 billion, or 40.9 per cent of GDP, with income taxes and National Insurance contributions standing at around £470 billion.
In the United Kingdom, a P60 is a statement issued to taxpayers at the end of a tax year. It is important a taxpayer does not destroy the P60 forms issued to them, as they form a vital part of the proof that tax has been paid. They were also issued in Ireland until the 2018 tax year.
A Finance Act is the headline fiscal (budgetary) legislation enacted by the UK Parliament, containing multiple provisions as to taxes, duties, exemptions and reliefs at least once per year, and in particular setting out the principal tax rates for each fiscal year.
The schedular system of taxation is the system of how the charge to United Kingdom corporation tax is applied. It also applied to United Kingdom income tax before legislation was rewritten by the Tax Law Rewrite Project. Similar systems apply in other jurisdictions that are or were closely related to the United Kingdom, such as Ireland and Jersey.
IR35 is the United Kingdom's anti-avoidance tax legislation, the intermediaries legislation contained in Chapter 8 of Income Tax Act 2003. The legislation is designed to tax 'disguised' employment at a rate similar to employment. In this context, "disguised employees" means workers who receive payments from a client via an intermediary, i.e. their own limited company, and whose relationship with their client is such that had they been paid directly they would be employees of the client.
The constitutional basis of taxation in Australia is predominantly found in sections 51(ii), 90, 53, 55, and 96, of the Constitution of Australia. Their interpretation by the High Court of Australia has been integral to the functioning and evolution of federalism in Australia.
The Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988, also known as ICTA, was the foremost United Kingdom Act of Parliament concerned with taxation until the Income Tax Act 2007 and the Corporation Tax Act 2010. ICTA was enacted in order to consolidate a number of earlier legislative provisions covering taxation. Originally, ICTA primarily covered income tax and corporation tax. It is the longest Act of Parliament to have ever been written.
An honorarium is an ex gratia payment, i.e., a payment made, without the giver recognizing themself as having any liability or legal obligation to the recipient for their volunteered services, or for services for which fees are not traditionally required. It is a common remuneration practice in schools or sports clubs, for teachers and coaches. Another example includes the payment to guest speakers at a conference meeting to cover their travel, accommodation, or preparation time. Services for funerals and/or memorial services are often paid by honorarium, as the clergy and other people such as musicians who commonly have roles at these events, out of care, do not have a set fee for services to grieving families. Likewise, wedding officiants are sometimes paid through honorarium. When required, honorariums may be termed altarages, although an altarage may be paid to a church or parish rather than a person.
Inland Revenue or Inland Revenue Department is the public service department of New Zealand charged with advising the government on tax policy, collecting and disbursing payments for social support programmes, and collecting tax.
The Ministry of Law and Justice in the Government of India is a cabinet ministry which deals with the management of the legal affairs, legislative activities and administration of justice in India through its three departments namely the Legislative Department and the Department of Legal Affairs and the Department of Justice respectively. The Department of Legal Affairs is concerned with advising the various Ministries of the Central Government while the Legislative Department is concerned with drafting of principal legislation for the Central Government. The ministry is headed by Cabinet Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal appointed by the President of India on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of India. The first Law and Justice minister of independent India was Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, who served in the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet during 1947–51.
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, or ZIMRA, is the body responsible for collecting taxes and other revenue streams for the government in Zimbabwe. It derives its mandate from the Revenue Authority Act, passed by the parliament of Zimbabwe in 2002 and other related legislation.
The history of taxation in the United Kingdom includes the history of all collections by governments under law, in money or in kind, including collections by monarchs and lesser feudal lords, levied on persons or property subject to the government, with the primary purpose of raising revenue.
Taxes in Germany are levied at various government levels: the federal government, the 16 states (Länder), and numerous municipalities (Städte/Gemeinden). The structured tax system has evolved significantly, since the reunification of Germany in 1990 and the integration within the European Union, which has influenced tax policies. Today, income tax and Value-Added Tax (VAT) are the primary sources of tax revenue. These taxes reflect Germany's commitment to a balanced approach between direct and indirect taxation, essential for funding extensive social welfare programs and public infrastructure. The modern German tax system accentuate on fairness and efficiency, adapting to global economic trends and domestic fiscal needs.
Taxation in Bhutan is conducted by the national government and by its subsidiary local governments. All taxation is ultimately overseen by the Bhutan Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue and Customs, which is part of the executive Lhengye Zhungtshog (cabinet). The modern legal basis for taxation in Bhutan derives from legislation. Several acts provide for taxation and enforcement only germane to their subject matter and at various levels of government, while a smaller number provide more comprehensive substantive tax law. As a result, the tax scheme of Bhutan is highly decentralized.
The Corporation Tax Act 2009 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It restated certain legislation relating to corporation tax, with minor changes that were mainly intended "to clarify existing provisions, make them consistent or bring the law into line with well established practice." The Bill was the work of the Tax Law Rewrite Project team at HM Revenue and Customs.
The Oil Taxation Act 1975 is a UK Act of Parliament relevant for UK enterprise law that was intended to ensure that oil and gas extraction companies operating in British territories and waters paid their fair share of tax. Over many years of amendments it was largely eliminated over 2015 and 2016, as the Petroleum Revenue Tax was cut to zero.