Category Archives: SME

VAT: New, important HMRC guidance for zero-rating exports

By   10 March 2026
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HMRC has updated its Notice 703 which explains the conditions for VAT zero-rating exports of goods. It is crucial for a business to have the correct documentation to evidence goods physically moving out of the UK. 

Information on official evidence has been updated in paragraphs 6.2, 7.1 and 7.2 as follows:

  • Para 6.2 Official evidence

Official evidence is an export declaration for the goods submitted to the Customs Declaration Service which has generated a departure confirmation. You will need the Movement Reference Number (MRN) or Declaration Unique Consignment Reference (DUCR) of the declaration. 

  • Para 7.1 Air and sea freight 
  • If you are using commercial transport documents as proof of export for goods exported outside the UK or EU by:
    • air — you must obtain and retain an authenticated basic master airway bill or house air waybill endorsed with the flight prefix and number, and the date and place of departure
    • sea — you must keep one of the copies of the bill of lading or sea waybill along with a note of the export declaration Movement Reference Number (MRN) or Declaration Unique Consignment Reference (DUCR) or, where a shipping company does not issue these, a certificate of shipment (certifying actual shipment) along with a note of the export MRN or DUCR, given by a responsible official of that company.

  • 7.2 Road freight

    The international consignment note provides evidence of the identity of the contracting parties when goods are transferred by road. It is in 3 parts and is completed and signed by the sender of the goods, the carrier and the person receiving the goods. If the international consignment note is used as part of the evidence, it is important that the information is complete and all the details legible. Where the overseas customer arranges for the goods to be collected ex-works the international consignment note alone is not conclusive evidence that the goods in question have left the UK. Read paragraph 6.6 for additional evidence required when making an indirect export.

    Where goods leave through a port using the Goods Vehicle Movement Service, you should retain the Goods Movement Reference of the vehicle for that journey. 

Failure to produce the appropriate and accurate evidence will result in output tax being due on the relevant goods. 

VAT: Composite or separate supplies – The A & D McFarlane case

By   10 March 2026
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Latest from the courts

Yet more on composite or separate supplies. As a background to the issue please see previous relevant cases here here here and here. This is the latest the seemingly endless and conflicting series of cases on whether certain supplies are multiple or single. 

In the First-Tier Tribunal case (FTT) of Alan and Diane McFarland the appellants operated a ‘bed and breakfast’ for other people’s cattle.

The issue

The VAT issue was whether there were separate supplies:

  • zero-rated supply of animal food
  • exempt supply of land.

Additionally, the appellant contended that the supply of animal food was a principal supply, and everything else, including the land, was ancillary. 

HMRC took the view that there was a single taxable supply of ‘animal care’ and not separate supplies of exempt stabling and zero-rated feed. It also rejected the claim that the appellant had an exclusive right of occupation over any defined area, noting that there was no agreement conferring such a right with the consequence that this could not be an exempt supply. On the zero-rated animal foodstuffs point; HMRC concluded that the supplies do not qualify for zero-rating as the food provided formed part of the overall service of animal husbandry.

Legislation

  • Exemption: right over land or any licence to occupy land – The VAT Act 1994, Schedule 9, Group 1,  item 1
  • Zero-rating: animal feeding stuffs – The VAT Act 1994, Schedule 8, Group 1, Item 2.

Decision

The FTT found that there was a single standard rated supply of ‘looking after’ cattle. The supply made by the appellant fell squarely within the Levob (Levob Verzekeringen BV [C-41/04]) category, being so closely linked that they form, objectively, a single, indivisible economic supply, which it would be artificial to split. – HMRC notes on Levob here.

The supply was a fully integrated package of services directed towards the rearing and finishing of cattle. This included: daily mixing and provision of feed, management of water and housing, maintenance of handling facilities, statutory record‑keeping, and disease‑control obligations. These activities were inseparable in practice and indispensable for the operation of the recipient’s cattle‑finishing business. Neither the accommodation nor the feed, nor any other individual component, was offered or taken independently. There was a single price for the complete service. There was also a single invoice and a single description of the supply on the invoice. There was no indication on the invoice that both exempt and zero-rated services were being supplied.

The appellant provided a single composite service of animal rearing and management, to which all elements, including accommodation and feed, were merely constituent elements.

The Tribunal also dismissed the alternative argument of the that the supply of food was the principal supply, with all other elements, including accommodation and the wider activities being merely ancillary. The provision of food was not an aim in itself. The food could not sensibly be separated from the accommodation, handling, record-keeping and welfare-related functions that were also performed. It was, therefore, not the principal supply but an integrated component of the single composite supply.

The appeal was consequently dismissed.

Commentary

Yet another case on the perennial composite/single supply issue. This case was relatively straightforward and the outcome was no surprise. It is essential that businesses that potentially deal with agent/principal matters or make supplies at different VAT rates consider their position. Contracts, other documentation and the commercial reality need to be considered. We recommend that in such circumstances a review is carried out specifically to establish the correct VAT position .

Charging EVs at public stations is at 5% VAT – The Charge My Street case

By   10 March 2026
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Latest from the courts

Reduced VAT rate for public EV charging

In the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) case of Charge My Street Limited (CMS) the issue was whether the supply of electric vehicle (EV) charging in public places qualified for the reduced rate of VAT – 5%.

The appellant contended that the reduced rate applied to its supplies because they were provided at a premises and were below the de minimis – 1000 kilowatt hours (kWh) a month applicable to domestic use of electricity.

HMRC formed the view that these supplies were standard rated at 20% on the basis that what was being provided was not for ‘domestic use’. Furthermore, the de minimis was breached because the supply should be calculated by reference only to the period during which the electricity was actually being provided, rather than to a specific person at any premises in a month.

Legislation

The relevant legislation is found at The VAT Act 1994, Schedule 7A, Group 1, Item 1, Note 5(g),

Decision

The FTT found that ‘premises’ for this purpose did not require any concept of legal ownership by the recipient of the electricity, nor was it confined to buildings, but could include defined public spaces, such as car parks. The judge also accepted CMS’s argument that the de minimis limit is measured in terms of how much electricity is provided by a supplier to a person at any premises in the relevant month. It was accepted that public EV charging would always be under the 1000 kWh limit.

The FTT allowed appellant’s appeal in principle.

A VAT Did you know?

By   25 February 2026
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Energy saving: Insulation, solar panels, wind turbines, wood-fuelled boilers and air-source heat pumps are subject to a reduced rate of VAT at 5%, but the installation of secondary or double glazing is at the standard rate of 20%.

EU – Elimination of the threshold-based customs duty relief

By   23 February 2026
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The EU will abolish the rule that Customs Duty does not apply to low value goods (less than €150) entering the EU
It will impose a fixed Customs Duty of €3 from 1 July 2026, until completion of the EU data hub which is expected to be on 1 July 2028.
When operational, the data hub will enable Customs Duty to apply to all imported goods, regardless of value, on an ad valorem basis.

Should I form a VAT Group? Pros and Cons

By   17 February 2026
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VAT Grouping

This is a very concise summary of matters that should be considered when deciding to form or disband a VAT. Grouping is optional although HMRC have powers to refuse an application in any case where it is necessary for the protection of the revenue.

What is a VAT group?

VAT grouping is a facilitation measure by which two or more entities can be treated as a single taxable person (a single VAT registration) for VAT purposes. The measure was once restricted to “Bodies Corporate” which includes; companies of all types and limited liability partnerships. However, from 1 November 2019, grouping is additionally available for all entities, including; partnerships, sole traders and Trusts in certain cases.

It is important to recognise the difference between a corporate group and a VAT group – these are two different things and it should not be assumed that a corporate group is automatically a VAT group.

It is worth remembering that it is possible to VAT group where no taxable supplies are made outside the group.

Pros

  • only one VAT return per quarter – less administration
  • the representative member accounts for any tax due on supplies made by the group to third parties outside the group. This is particularly helpful if accounting is centralised
  • no VAT on supplies between VAT group members. No need to invoice etc or recognise supplies on VAT returns
  • usually improves the partial exemption position if exempt supplies are made between group companies
  • may improve input tax recovery if taxable supplies are made to a partly exempt group company
  • if assets are hived up or down into a group company before a company sale to a non-grouped third party, the VAT consequences of the intra-group movement may be ignored
  • may provide useful planning opportunities/convenience at a later date
  • sales invoices issued, or purchase invoices received, in the wrong company name would not require time-consuming amendment
  • there may be cashflow benefits in respect of intra-group charges
  • reduced chance of penalties on intra-group charges

Cons

  • all members of the group are jointly and severally liable for any VAT due
  • former VAT group members are also liable for any VAT debts due during the period of VAT group membership
  • only one partial exemption de-minimis limit for group – which decreases the ability to fully recover input tax
  • obtaining all relevant data to complete one return may take time thus possibly missing filing deadlines
  • a new VAT number is issued (previous ones are cancelled – which may lead to administration etc issues)
  • the representative member needs all of the necessary information to submit a VAT return for the group by the due date
  • via anti-avoidance provisions, assessments can be raised on the representative member relating to earlier periods when it was not the representative member and even when it was not a member of the group at that time
  • the limit for voluntary disclosures of errors on past returns applies to the group as a whole (rather than each company having its own limit)
  • the payments on account (POA) limits apply to the group as a whole. This applies to a business whose VAT liability is more than £2 million pa. This adversely affects a business’s cashflow
  • the cash accounting limit of £1,350,000 applies to the group as a whole (rather than each company having its own limit)
  • Transfers of Going Concerns (TOGCs) acquired by a partly exempt VAT group may result in an irrecoverable VAT charge as a result of a deemed self-supply
  • an option to tax made by a VAT group member is binding on all present and future members of the VAT group. This is so even after a company has left the VAT group

We strongly recommend that professional advice is taken when a business is either considering forming a VAT group, or when thought is being given to disbanding one. Making the wrong decision could be very expensive indeed.  Specific matters that dictate VAT advice are when:

  • property is involved
  • inter-company charges are made
  • TOGCs are involved
  • costs in respect of restructuring are incurred (a current hot potato in the courts)
  • there is an international aspect to a group
  • a reverse charge applies
  • a company has been involved in the penalty regime
  • companies become insolvent
  • a VAT group is subject to POA
  • a company, or the VAT group, makes exempt supplies.

We are always happy to advise when required.

Updated Guidance on Zero-Rated VAT for UK Exported Goods and Customs Processes

By   17 February 2026
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HMRC has updated its guidance on applying zero-rated VAT to goods exported from the UK – VAT Notice 703.

The amendments reflect the latest legal requirements (the latest force of law) and customs processes as of 13 February 2026 and removes outdated customs terminology and guidance.

Summary

Goods exported from the UK can be zero‑rated provided they physically leave the UK and all HMRC conditions are met. Notice 703 sets out who can apply zero‑rating and the legal basis under the VAT Act 1994.

Conditions & time limits: Exporters must ensure goods are exported within specified time limits (generally within three months, but longer in some cases) and meet detailed conditions depending on whether the export is direct, indirect, or in special scenarios (eg; retailers, ships, aircraft).

Evidence & record‑keeping: Zero‑rating is only valid if acceptable proof of export is obtained and retained (such as customs declarations and commercial transport documents), with clear rules on records, customs systems, and compliance checks.

In order to zero-rate a supply, it is vitally important that exporters obtain the correct evidence that goods have physically left the UK and that all descriptions of the goods are accurate and satisfy HMRC requirements. There has been a significant amount of case law on export documentation (an example here) which illustrates that this is often an area of dispute.

A VAT did you know?

By   27 January 2026
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Crisps – spot the difference: Doritos, Monster Munch, Wotsits and poppadums are standard rated, however Pringles, Skips and Twiglets, are VAT free.

HMRC to end postal letters

By   21 January 2026
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No more snail mail.

HMRC has announced that it will end most postal letters from Spring 2026.

It will begin phasing out hard copy letters in favour of a ‘digital by default’ communication model. This shift is designed to modernise the tax system, improve communication speed, and save approximately £50 million annually in printing and postage costs by the 2028/29 tax year. 

Taxpayers who use the HMRC app will stop receiving paper letters automatically and will receive an email notification of when correspondence is available to view online.

The transition will start in spring 2026 and expand gradually as systems are updated. Paper letters will not disappear entirely. They will continue to be sent to those who are digitally excluded, such as the elderly or disabled, as well as those who actively opt out.