Our Articles

Please see below for our articles, which we hope you find useful in helping you to decipher VAT and TOMS. These articles, written by Laura Chipp, started out a while back on LinkedIn and the comments received made it clear that VAT and TOMS advice written in "plain English" was both rare and really useful! Please contact us if you'd like to discuss any of our article content.

The decision in Bolt Services UK Ltd - TOMS continues to apply to single services supplied by businesses other than "tour operators"

The decision in Bolt Services UK Ltd - TOMS continues to apply to single services supplied by businesses other than "tour operators"

Bolt has won its Tribunal case, meaning that TOMS continues to apply to businesses who are not "tour operators" and who sell single travel services

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Our first experience of reaching an agreement with HMRC via Assisted Dispute Resolution (ADR)

Our first experience of reaching an agreement with HMRC via Assisted Dispute Resolution (ADR)

We recently had our first experience at settling a case via ADR. Read on to see how this process can be a solution for a VAT dispute.

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The Golf Holidays Worldwide FTT case - TOMS and wholesale services

The Golf Holidays Worldwide FTT case - TOMS and wholesale services

Comments on the recent FTT decision which concerns the application of TOMS to wholesale services

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The Sonder Europe FTT case - TOMS can apply to serviced apartment operators

The Sonder Europe FTT case - TOMS can apply to serviced apartment operators

The FTT decision in Sonder Europe has finally been released and Sonder have won! This means it becomes less risky to use TOMS for serviced apartment operators but this should be applied with caution..

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What is the EU TOMS reform and why do we care after Brexit?

What is the EU TOMS reform and why do we care after Brexit?

The EU is planning to reform the TOMS rules, and post Brexit this may still impact UK tour operators. Here, we set out the reform possibilities and how this may affect you.

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Plans to make online travel booking agents “platforms” responsible for paying VAT in the EU

Plans to make online travel booking agents “platforms” responsible for paying VAT in the EU

We set out the proposals from the EU Commission to require online booking platforms to be responsible for paying local VAT on accommodation and transport from1 January 2025

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TOMS VAT Calculation Examples - the post-Brexit edition

TOMS VAT Calculation Examples - the post-Brexit edition

We have updated our "much-loved" TOMS VAT calculation article to cater for the post-Brexit world!

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Recent VAT developments for travel and serviced apartment businesses

Recent VAT developments for travel and serviced apartment businesses

VAT developments on travel booking platforms, German VAT and serviced apartment operators to welcome the start of 2023! :-)

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Limitations to the use of TOMS for serviced apartment operators

Limitations to the use of TOMS for serviced apartment operators

TOMS may be a preferred method of accounting for VAT for many serviced apartment operators. However, there are limitations on the use of this scheme, and we set out our comments on this here.

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The 2021 Autumn Budget - any VAT news?

The 2021 Autumn Budget - any VAT news?

The Autumn Budget was released today and we look at what (if any!) impact this has had on VAT

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Should I keep my TOMS transport company post-Brexit?

Should I keep my TOMS transport company post-Brexit?

Now that we have "Brexitted", the TOMS transport company may for some businesses have limited use. Read on to find out whether you should keep yours in operation.

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The 2021 Budget - VAT news

The 2021 Budget - VAT news

Here we analyse the announcements on VAT released in the March 2021 Budget

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VAT and Brexit - how do the changes affect goods?

VAT and Brexit - how do the changes affect goods?

On 1 January this year, the UK left the EU. This brings some changes to the VAT treatment of cross border goods transactions. Read on to see how these changes may affect your business.

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VAT and Brexit - how do the changes affect services?

VAT and Brexit - how do the changes affect services?

Here, we set out our comments on how the Brexit changes affect sales and purchases of services. For some, this will bring good news, but for others a little more paperwork and changes to time limits.

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TOMS changes post Brexit

TOMS changes post Brexit

We finally have confirmation on how TOMS will change post-Brexit. Read on to see how this will affect you...

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VAT rate reduction - hotels and serviced apartment operators

VAT rate reduction - hotels and serviced apartment operators

We set out our comments on what the VAT rate reduction means for the hotel and serviced apartment sectors

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VAT rate reduction for tourism and hospitality

VAT rate reduction for tourism and hospitality

On 8 July, a temporary reduced rate of VAT was announced for tourist accommodation, catering and admission to attractions. Here, we provide some commentary on what this may mean for the tourism sector

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Cancellations, refunds, bad debts and other Covid-related adjustments - how do we deal with the VAT?

Cancellations, refunds, bad debts and other Covid-related adjustments - how do we deal with the VAT?

Here we explain the VAT treatment of cancellations, refunds and other adjustments which unfortunately have become common for travel companies and many others over the Covid period

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VAT payments deferred until after 30 June (and other VAT cash flow ideas)

VAT payments deferred until after 30 June (and other VAT cash flow ideas)

On 20 March, the Chancellor announcements that VAT payments due up to 30 June would be deferred. Here, we set out the details on this and our advice to businesses in light of this.

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What does the 2020 Budget mean for VAT?

What does the 2020 Budget mean for VAT?

Here, we analyse the announcements from the 2020 Budget as to how they may affect our VAT system going forward,

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What does the election result mean for travel VAT?

What does the election result mean for travel VAT?

Whether you celebrated or commiserated Thursday’s election result, we now have a slightly clearer picture of what VAT may look like over the next few years. Read on for more details!

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The billback rules...explained in full!

The billback rules...explained in full!

The VAT billback rules can be important for disclosed agents, especially those with corporate clients. These are not always applied correctly, so here we explain the rules in full.

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Our first MTD experience - we made it!

Our first MTD experience - we made it!

In our first week of business as a new company we had our first taste of the new MTD rules, both for ourselves and for clients. Here, we share our experience (spoiler: it was all okay in the end!)

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TOMS VAT - serviced apartments

TOMS VAT - serviced apartments

As serviced apartments become more popular, we get asked about the VAT treatment regularly and whether TOMS (which is beneficial here!) may apply. Here we explain if and how TOMS applies.

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Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT and TOMS

Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT and TOMS

MTD requires an automated approach to VAT filing. This can be more complex for businesses using TOMS, and those with other VAT complexities. Here, we set out our suggestions for workarounds.

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How to act as agent for VAT

How to act as agent for VAT

How to act as an agent has always been a grey area, and in this article we examine the VAT cases over the past few years and look at the key factors to act as agent for VAT.

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TOMS VAT Calculation Examples

TOMS VAT Calculation Examples

The TOMS calculation can often seem confusing and a bit of an enigma. Here, we talk through some examples which will hopefully help demonstrate that TOMS is not such a big mountain to climb.

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