Tag Archives: court

VAT: Subjects normally taught in schools – The Premier Family Martial Arts case

By Marcus Ward 20 January 2020

Latest from the courts

In the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) case of Premier Family Martial Arts LLP the issue was whether kickboxing was a subject that is ordinarily taught in schools (or universities). If it was, then the education exemption at VAT Act 1994, Schedule 9, group 6, item 2 would apply as it was supplied by a partnership. If not, the tuition would be subject to VAT.

Background

The FTT found that kickboxing is a “striking” martial art. In terms of its physical attributes, kickboxing involves a mixture of boxing, karate and taekwondo and therefore includes all elements of the striking”martial arts. All martial arts involve common physical attributes such as co-ordination and balance. It also stated that; perhaps more significantly, all martial arts emphasise, in addition to the physical aspects of the various forms of martial arts, aspects of personal development such as self-discipline, respect for others, confidence, manners, teamwork and focus which meant it should be considered more than recreational. There was also evidence to the mental and social benefits of the practice of martial arts.

However, this was insufficient to qualify it as a subject “ordinarily” taught in schools. The subject does not feature on the national curriculum, there is no formal qualification or external accreditation requirement to become a kickboxing teacher and there was no formal external validation of the qualifications achieved by children who attend the Appellant’s classes.

Decision

Consequently, the tuition failed the exemption test, the appeal was dismissed and the charges for tuition were therefore subject to VAT.

Commentary

This case demonstrates that there are fine lines between different types of tuition and to which the education exemption applies. It is never safe to simply assume that a subject is ordinary taught in schools. Although many subjects are (to my mind; surprisingly) considered as exempt, it is always better to check.

As the old joke goes: two men punching each other – what’s that a bout?

VAT: Digital newspapers zero-rated. The News Corp case

By Marcus Ward 10 January 2020

Latest from the courts

Hot on the heels of the update to e-publications here comes new from the Upper Tribunal (UT) in the News Corp UK and Ireland Ltd case.

Background

The issue was whether electronic editions of The Times (plus other e-newspapers from the same company: The Sunday Times, The Sun and The Sun on Sunday) were “newspapers” within the meaning of The VAT Act 1994, Schedule 8, Group 3, Item 2 and could therefore be treated as zero rated.

The relevant part of Schedule 8, Group 3 (where relevant), lists the following items:

“1 Books, booklets, brochures, pamphlets and leaflets.

2 Newspapers, journals and periodicals…”,

At the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) the appeal was dismissed, and the decision went in favour of HMRC. Details here. The facts were consistent throughout both hearings.

Decision

The UT agreed with the FTT in that there was no material difference between the two types of supply despite the sale of e-newspapers being supplies of services and the sale of physical newspapers being supplies of goods.

That being the case, it was possible to interpret Schedule 8, Group 3. Item 2 as extending to e-publications, which, of course, did not exist when the legislation was drafted in 1972. Consequently, the appeal was allowed, and the e-newspapers were zero rated. Such treatment did not extend the scope of UK zero rating which would not be permitted by the EU.

The UT also indicated that the zero rating would be subject to some restrictions in respect of what may be treated as e-publications.

It was observed that it is important that the legislation should be interpreted in a way that maintained its relevance and that the “always speaking” * principle is preserved.

Commentary

The EC European Council (EC) has previously agreed to allow Member States to apply reduced VAT rates to electronic publications. This UT case appears to confirm that this will extend to UK zero rating. Other Members States have already applied reduced rates or are in the process of doing so. The UK have not previously announced its approach, so this decision is likely to force their hand (notwithstanding the fallout from Brexit…).

Action

Supplies or e-publications should review their sales and decide whether their supplies are on fours with this case. If so, it may be possible to make a retrospective claim for overpaid output tax, subject to certain conditions.

Recipients of such supplies should consider approaching their suppliers and obtain a repayment of overpaid VAT if it represents a cost to them.

“Always speaking” is an influential principle that is recited in materials on legislative drafting as the justification for using the present tense, adopted in many common law jurisdictions as a principle of interpretation, and accepted as a foundation for the linguistic analysis of the use of tense in statutes. It is particularly relevant where technology has outpaced the law.

VAT: New guidance on Cryptoassets

By Marcus Ward 9 January 2020

HMRC Guidance

Further to my articles on cryptocurrencies here, here and here HMRC have update their guidance on cryptoassets which was published on 20 December 2019.

Background

VAT is due in the normal way on any goods or services sold in exchange for cryptoasset exchange tokens.

The value of the supply of goods or services on which VAT is due will be the pound sterling value of the exchange tokens at the point the transaction takes place.

Definition

Cryptocurrency (an example being Bitcoin) is a line of computer code that holds monetary value. Cryptocurrency is also known as digital currency and it is a form of money that is created by mathematical computations. In order for a Bitcoin transaction to take place, a verification process is needed, this is provided by millions of computer users called miners and the monitoring is called mining. Transactions are recorded in the blockchain which is public and contains records of each and every transaction that takes place. Cryptocurrency is not tangible, although they may be exchanged for traditional cash. It is a decentralised digital currency without a central bank or single administrator (which initially made it attractive) and can be sent from user to user on the peer-to-peer network without the need for intermediaries.

Cryptoassets

For VAT purposes, bitcoin and similar cryptoassets are to be treated as follows:

exchange tokens received by miners for their exchange token mining activities will generally be outside the scope of VAT on the basis that:

- the activity does not constitute an economic activity for VAT purposes because there is an insufficient link between any services provided and any consideration; and
- there is no customer for the mining service

when exchange tokens are exchanged for goods and services, no VAT will be due on the supply of the token itself
charges (in whatever form) made over and above the value of the exchange tokens for arranging any transactions in exchange tokens that meet the conditions outlined in VAT Finance manual (VATFIN7200), will be exempt from VAT under The VAT Act 1994, Schedule 9, Group 5, item

The VAT treatments outlined above are provisional pending further developments; in particular, in respect of the regulatory and EU VAT positions.

Bitcoin exchanges

In 2014, HMRC decided that under The VAT Act 1994, Schedule 9, Group 5, item 1, the financial services supplied by bitcoin exchanges – exchanging bitcoin for legal tender and vice versa – are exempt from VAT.

This was confirmed in the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) in the Swedish case, David Hedqvist (C-264/14). The appellant planned to set up a business which would exchange traditional currency for Bitcoin and vice versa. It was not intended to charge a fee for this service but rather to derive a profit from the spread (the difference between his purchase and sell price).

Questions were referred to the CJEU on whether such exchange transactions constitute a supply for VAT purposes and if so, would they be exempt.

The CJEU referred to the judgment in First National Bank of Chicago (C-172/96) and concluded that the exchange transactions would constitute a supply of services carried out for consideration.

The Court also ruled that the exchange of traditional currencies for non-legal tender such as Bitcoin (and vice versa) are financial transactions and fall within the exemption under VAT Directive Article 135(1) (e).

A supply of any services required to exchange exchange tokens for legal tender (or other exchange tokens) and vice versa, will be exempt from VAT under The VAT Act Schedule 9, Group 5 item 1.

Commentary

As always, the legislation and case law often struggles to keep pace with technology and new business activities. Although the focus of the guidance is more towards direct taxes, it is a helpful summary of HMRC’s interpretation of UK and EU law and decided case law.

VAT: e-publications – New reduced rates

By Marcus Ward 8 January 2020

Background

Further to my article on the ongoing issue of e-books, in October 2018, the European Council (EC) agreed to allow Member States to apply reduced VAT rates to electronic publications (eg; e-books and e-newspapers) thereby allowing alignment of VAT rates for electronic and physical publications. The reasoning was for the EC to modernise VAT for the digital economy, and to keep pace with technological progress.

Under Directive 2006/112/EC, electronically supplied services are taxed at the standard VAT rate, whereas physical publications of the dead tree variety; books, newspapers and periodicals, benefit from non-standard rates in many Member States – these goods being zero rated in the UK and around 5% or below in other countries.

Amendments to the Directive allowed Member States to apply reduced VAT rates to electronic publications as well. Super-reduced and zero rates will only be allowed for Member States that currently apply them to physical publications.

The new rules will apply temporarily, pending the introduction of a new, ‘definitive’ VAT system. The EC has issued proposals for the new system, which would allow member states more flexibility than at present in setting VAT rates.

New rates

Some Member States have now introduced reduced rates:

Austria 10%, from 1 January 2020

Belgium 6%, from 1 April 2019

Croatia 5%, from 1 January 2019

Czech Republic new 10% rate from 1 May 2020

Finland: 10% from 1 July 2019

Germany 7%, from 1 January 2020

Ireland 9%, from 1 January 2019

Luxembourg 3%, from 1 May 2019

Malta 5%, from 1 January 2019

The Netherlands 9%, from 1 January 2020

Poland 5%, from 1 November 2019

Portugal 6%, from 1 January 2019

Slovenia 5% from 1 January 2020

Sweden: 6%, from 1 July 2019

It is anticipated that the remaining Member States are likely to introduce reduced rates in the future. The UK, being subject to Brexit, is in a more complicated position. If the UK brought e-publications in line with the VAT treatment of physical publications, it would apply the zero rate. However, the current EU legislation prevents any introduction of new zero rating. As matters stand, the UK may only apply the zero rate after an exit from the EU.

Watch this space…

VAT: The Default Surcharge. Is it fair and proportionate?

By Marcus Ward 6 January 2020

What is the Default Surcharge?

Default Surcharge is a civil penalty to “encourage” businesses to submit their VAT returns and pay the tax due on time the charge is introduced via VATA 1994 s 59(A).

When will a Default Surcharge be issued?

A business is in default if it sends in its VAT return and or the VAT due late. No surcharge is issued the first time a business is late but a warning – a Surcharge Liability Notice (SLN) is issued. Subsequent defaults within the following twelve months – the “surcharge period” may result in a surcharge assessment. Each time that a default occurs the surcharge period will be extended. There is no liability to a surcharge if a nil or repayment return is submitted late, or the VAT due is paid on time but the return is submitted late (although a default is still recorded).

How much is the surcharge?

The surcharge is calculated as a percentage of the VAT that is unpaid at the due date. If no return is submitted the amount of VAT due will be assessed and the surcharge based on that amount. The rates are:

2% for the first default following the SLN, and rises to
5%
10%
15% for subsequent defaults within the surcharge period.

A surcharge assessment is not issued at the 2% and 5% rates if it is calculated at less than £200 but a default is still recorded and the surcharge period extended. At the 10% and 15% the surcharge will be the greater of the calculated amount or £30.

Specific issues

The default surcharge can be particularly swingeing for a fast-growing company. Let’s say that a small company grows quickly. In the early days the administration was rather haphazard, as is often the case, and a number of returns and payments were submitted late. Fast forward and the turnover, and the VAT payable, has grown significantly. Being late at this time means that the amount of default surcharge is considerably higher than when the original default which created the surcharge took place. This leads us onto whether the surcharge is proportionate.

A business with cashflow difficulties may well ask whether it should be penalised by HMRC for having those difficulties; which of course will add to the problem.

Proportionality

The existing, long-standing default surcharge regime has always had issues with the principle of proportionality. The regime has regularly been challenged in the Courts.

Is it proportionate that a same penalty is applied for a payment which is one day late and one which is one year late? This is a matter which has concerned both HMRC and the Courts for a number of years.

In the Upper Tribunal case of Total Technology (Engineering) Ltd the Judge concluded that it was possible for an individual surcharge to be disproportionate, but that the system as a whole was not fundamentally flawed. It is also worth noting that in In Equoland judgment the judge stated that a penalty which is automatic and does not take into account the circumstances is at the least tending towards being disproportionate.

Disagreement over a surcharge

If you disagree with a decision that you are liable to surcharge or how the amount of surcharge has been calculated, it is possible to:

ask HMRC to review your case
have your case heard by the Tax Tribunal

If you ask for a review of a case, a business will be required to write to HMRC within 30 days of the date the Surcharge Liability Notice Extension was sent. The letter should give the reasons why you disagree with the decision.

Defence against a surcharge

In order to have a surcharge withdrawn (it cannot be reduced, as it is one of the few penalties that cannot be mitigated in any circumstances) it is necessary to demonstrate that a business had a reasonable excuse for the default. This is a subject of an article on its own. Certain factors, like relaying on a third party are not accepted as a reasonable excuse. HMRC state that a business will not be in default if they, or the independent tribunal, agree that there is a reasonable excuse for failing to submit a VAT Return and/or payment on time.

There is no legal definition of reasonable excuse but HMRC will look closely at the circumstances that led to the default.

If the circumstance that led to the default were unforeseen and inescapable and a business is able to show that its conduct was that of a conscientious person who accepted the need to comply with VAT requirements, then it may amount to a reasonable excuse.

What sort of circumstances might count as reasonable excuse?

HMRC provide guidelines on circumstances where there might be a reasonable excuse for failing to submit a VAT Return and/or payment on time. These include:

computer breakdown
illness
loss of key personnel
unexpected cash crisis – where funds are unavailable to pay your tax due following the sudden reduction or withdrawal of overdraft facilities, sudden non-payment by a normally reliable customer, insolvency of a large customer, fraud or burglary. A simple lack of money is unlikely to be accepted as a reasonable excuse.
loss of records

Ongoing issues

HMRC is considering whether and how it should differentiate between those who deliberately and persistently fail to meet administrative deadlines or to pay what they should on time, and those who make occasional and genuine errors for which other responses might be more appropriate. This has been a lengthy process to date.

A previous HMRC document highlighted two issues with the current VAT default surcharge regime.

while the absence of penalty for the initial offence in a 12-month period gives business the chance to get processes right, some customers simply ignore this warning
is there an issue of proportionality, ie; the failure to distinguish between payments that are one or two days late or many months late?

It is possible that in the future we may hear proposals for the system being amended. if this is the case, I think we can anticipate the introduction of mitigation and suspension.

VAT: Issue of zero-rating certificate – The Westow Cricket Club case

By Marcus Ward 18 December 2019

Issue an incorrect certificate to obtain zero rated building work at your peril! Don’t get caught out – A warning.

In the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) case of Westow Cricket Club (WCC) the appeal was against a penalty levied by HMRC for issuing a certificate to a contractor erroneously under The VAT Act 1994, Section 62 (1).

Background

WCC was an entity run by volunteers but was not a charity, although it was a Community Amateur Sports Club (“CASC”). It decided to build a new pavilion and wished to take advantage of certain zero rating which was available for the construction of a building that the

“…organisation (in conjunction with any other organisation where applicable) will use the building, or the part of the building, for which zero-rating is being sought …..solely for

a relevant charitable purpose, namely by a charity in either or both of the following ways:

….(b) As a village hall or similarly in providing social or recreational facilities for a local community.”

– Public Notice 708 para 14.7.1.

To ensure that the issue of such a certificate was appropriate, the appellant wrote to HMRC giving details about the building project and seeking guidance on the zero rating of supplies to WCC in the course of the construction of the pavilion. The response was important in this case as WCC sought to rely on it as a reasonable excuse. Part or the reply stated:

“HM Revenue & Customs policy prevents this Department from providing a definitive response where we believe that the point is covered by our Public Notices or other published guidance, which, in this case, I believe it is. In view of the above, please refer to section 16 of Public Notice 708 Buildings and construction. This explains when you can issue a certificate. Section 17 includes the certificates. Furthermore, I would refer you to sub-paragraph 14.7.4 which covers what is classed as a village hall or similar building. Providing the new pavilion meets the conditions set out, and it appears to do so, the construction work will be zero-rated for VAT purposes…”

Decision

Regrettably, the FTT found that, despite HMRC’s letter expressing a ‘non definitive’ view; which was wrong, this was insufficient to provide reasonable excuse and could not be relied upon. The FTT made references to the fact that the club was not a charity and could not therefore issue the certificate. Consequently, the 100% penalty was applicable and not disproportionate (the penalty imposed is nothing more than the VAT that would have been paid by any other CASC seeking to build a pavilion incurring a vatable supply of a similar sum).

Commentary

HMRC was criticised for potentially leaving taxpayers in ‘no man’s land’ by expressing a view whilst at the same time saying that this was not a definitive response. This is a common tactic used by HMRC and one which many commentators, including myself, have criticised.

Tribunal’s unease

The judge commented that he trusted that HMRC will take note of his concerns and if this is a matter of policy to revisit it in light of the comments made in this decision. Let us hope HMRC listens. It is also an important case for charities (and others) to note when considering if they are able to obtain the construction of buildings VAT free. This is not a straightforward area, and the penalty for getting it wrong is clearly demonstrated here.

Always get proper advice – and don’t rely on vague rulings from HMRC!

VAT: The extent of exempt childcare. The RSR Sports case

By Marcus Ward 3 December 2019

Latest from the courts

In the RSR Sports Limited First Tier Tribunal (FTT) case the issue was whether the provision of holiday camps for children was exempt healthcare via VAT Act 1994, Schedule 9, Group 7, item 9 – “services… closely linked to the protection of children and young persons” and supplies of “welfare services”

Background

The Appellant traded under the name of Get Active Sports. It provided various services including the provision of school holiday camps which were the subject of the appeal.

The holiday camps were Ofsted registered and “pupils will be safe and receiving the best possible childcare”. The appellant worked with children aged 4-16 and had specially designed programmes from multi-sports and games to themed arts and crafts. The staff that provided the holiday camp services were not required to have any teaching or coaching qualifications (but needed to be DBS checked). They were just required to ensure that the children were kept busy with a variety of activities and were kept safe.

The appellant considered that these supplies constituted supplies of “ services…closely linked to the protection of children and young persons” – within the meaning of Article 132(1)(h) of Council Directive 2006/112/EEC and supplies of “welfare services” under UK legislation as above. HMRC submitted that the predominant element of that single composite supply was the provision of activities because, weighing up objectively, from the position of the parents whose children attended the holiday camps, the importance to those parents of the childcare aspects of the holiday camps in comparison to the importance to them of the various activities which were made available at the holiday camps, the latter outweighed the former. The supplies did not fall within the exemption and should have therefore properly been treated as standard-rated as the primary aim of the appellant in running the camps was to offer sports and activities to the attendees and that the childcare was simply a by-product of the activity-based courses.

Decision

It was decided that the holiday camp services involved the provision of activities in the course of caring for children during the school holidays. In other words, the holiday camp services included both an activities element and a childcare element.

Although the judge commented that; it was fair to say that this case was finely-balanced, the services provided by RSR amounted to a single composite supply of which the predominant element was childcare (as opposed to the provision of activities) and therefore they fell within the scope of the above provisions and qualified for the exemption

The FTT agreed with HMRC that one element of the holiday camp services was the provision of activities, but it did not agree with the proposition that just because the provision of activities was an element of the services, that inevitably means that the provision of those activities, as opposed to the provision of childcare, was the predominant element of its supply.

Commentary

It looks like another close call, but the Tribunal appears to have got it right. An interesting aspect was RSR considering it strange that by offering activities to the children, as opposed to sitting them down in front of a television, the appellant was to deprive itself of the ability to bring the its services within the scope of the exemption. The mere fact that the appellant was encouraging parents to choose active childcare arrangements over more passive ones should not cause the relevant services to fall outside the exemption. So a “bit” of sport was OK, but not too much…

VAT: The importance of accurate accounts – The Euro Systems case

By Marcus Ward 3 December 2019

Latest from the courts

In the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) case of Euro Systems (Scotland) Ltd (ESSL) the issue was whether the systems and controls of the appellant could be relied on, or whether an exercise carried out by HMRC which reconciled VAT declarations with unaudited accounts was to be preferred.

Background

HMRC issued an assessment which was a combination of input VAT claimed being overclaimed, and output tax being understated. This was on the basis that the inspector had concerns over the accuracy of records being kept, these were mainly spreadsheets and Sage. A comparison between annual accounts and the relevant returns was made leading to the assessed amount. ESSL had grown quickly, and HMRC considered that the record keeping had not kept pace. An additional point was; why was the business continuing in a VAT repayment situation if it was growing steadily and making profits as per the annual accounts?

The bookkeeping and other administration was carried out by an unqualified and unsupervised receptionist.

The appellant’s director said that the information used to generate the VAT returns was the same as that provided to a firm of chartered accountants to prepare the annual accounts for ESSL, additionally, it had several corruptions within the Sage system, which resulted in a loss of data.

Decision

It was accepted that the appellant had carried out a lot of work to investigate the records due to the corruption of Sage and manually listing many thousand invoices to support input tax claims. However, due to the number of errors and inaccuracies, the records could not be relied on and the figures from HMRC were to be preferred as the accounts had some inherent integrity from being based on double-entry accounting.

The assessment was consequently made in HMRC’s “best judgement”.

Best judgement is set out in the Van Boeckel test:

Van Boeckel “does not envisage that burden being placed on the commissioners of carrying out exhaustive investigations”.

“What the words “best of their judgment” envisage … is that the commissioners will fairly consider all material placed before them and, on that material, come to a decision which is one which is reasonable and not arbitrary as to the amount of tax which is due.”

Subject to an adjustment for the duplication of some figures by HMRC the appeal was dismissed.

Commentary

Similar reconciliations to the one carried out here, plus bank reconciliations and similar, are a staple in a standard VAT inspection. How these are carried out, and the weight given to them can be contentious and they are often used for more than a broad-brush credibility exercise. We have a good track record in having this type of assessment reduced or removed and, in nearly every case, it is worthwhile challenging any such assessment.

Of course, this case provides a reminder, should one be required, that accurate and timely records are vital to ensure tax compliance and, as we always say: Right Tax, Right Time!

VAT: Input tax claim – business or personal? The Taylor Pearson (Construction) Ltd case

By Marcus Ward 3 December 2019

Latest from the courts

In the Taylor Pearson (Construction) Ltd (TPCL) First Tier Tribunal (FFT) case the issue was whether input tax incurred on professional fees in respect of tax planning and the issue of new (E Class) shares to directors was for business purposes or for the benefit of the directors in their personal capacity.

Background

The overall issue in this appeal was whether the company was entitled to deduct input VAT in relation to services provided by tax advisers as to how the company might reduce its tax and NIC liabilities in rewarding its directors and reduce the income tax liabilities of the directors. There are two specific issues:

Whether the services supplied were used for the purpose of the company’s business within the meaning of VATA 1994, section 24.
Whether the services supplied do not have a direct and immediate link with taxable output supplies because they have a direct and immediate link with exempt supplies, being the issue of share capital in the company.

HMRC argued that this appeal is similar to Customs and Excise Commissioners v Rosner [1994] STC 228 and Finanzamt Köln-Nord v Becker (Case C-104/12) in which input VAT incurred in defending the sole trader or individual employees personally, in criminal proceedings entirely unconnected to the business, was held not to be deductible.

Another issue, which was dealt with fairly perfunctory, was whether the issue of new shares was a supply for VAT purposes to which an element of the input tax could be attributed. As per the Kretztechnik ECJ case and subsequent HMRC guidance – the issue of shares was not a supply and the company was entitled to recover the associated input tax to the extent that its business activities generated taxable supplies (business of making supplies of construction goods and services in TPCL’s case).

Decision

In respect of whether the expenditure was for the benefit of the business, the judge stated that “...The advice in question was provided to the company and although the directors were significant beneficiaries of the arrangements that was entirely in their capacity as directors and employees of the company and not in any personal capacity.”

Further:

“…HMRC argued that the incentivisation of employees did not have a direct and immediate link with the purposes of the business I do not consider that this argument has any merit whatsoever and do not understand why HMRC put it forward. This concerns me.”

It is no wonder that the judge commented on this. This appeal was completely on all fours with the FTT case of Doran Bros (London) which HMRC did not appeal.

Consequently, it was decided that:

the services were used for the purposes of the company’s business, and
they did not have a direct and immediate connection with the issue of share capital.

The appeal was therefore allowed.

Commentary

It was a surprising decision by HMRC to take this to FTT. Case law in respect of Kretztechnik is well established and the purpose to which the funds created by a new share issue were put appears irrelevant. I also find it difficult to see how HMRC could ignore Doran Bros which was very clear and on all fours with this case, while referencing cases in which companies defended its directors against accusations of wrongdoings. In this case, the business purpose was to reward and incentivise TPCL’s directors.

This can be a difficult area of the tax and HMRC’s approach in this case demonstrates that it is prepared take these cases as far as possible. It is nearly always the case that VAT incurred on expenditure which is designed to increase staff morale and performance is a business expense.

VAT: Place of supply of matchmaking. The Gray & Farrar case

By Marcus Ward 26 November 2019

Latest from the courts

The Gray & Farrar International LLP (G&F) First Tier Tribunal (FTT) case.

The romantic side of VAT (well…if romance comes at a cost of £15,000 a time).

The issue here was the place of supply (POS) of the services provided by G&F to clients all over the world.

Background

The Appellant ran an exclusive matchmaking business. It provides its services to clients in many jurisdictions. It argued that its supplies to non-taxable (individuals) persons who reside outside the EU where outside the scope of UK VAT because the POS was where the supply was received. HMRC formed the view that these services did not fall within the required definition of “consultancy” such that the POS was where the business belonged. As G&F belonged in the UK, the relevant services were subject to VAT. So, the issue was: whether matchmaking could be regarded as a consultancy service.

Legislation

The EU legislation is found at The Principal VAT Directive, Article 59(c) (“para(c)”) and in the UK law at The VAT Act 1994, Schedule 4A para 16(2)(d).

In the words of para (c):

“the services of consultants, engineers, consultancy firms, lawyers, accountants and other similar services, as well as data processing and the provision of information”

So, did G&F’s services fall within para (c)?

Decision

The judge stated that “… the services provided by the appellant must be compared with services “principally and habitually” provided by a consultant…and that such similarity is achieved when both types of service serve the same purpose.” And that consultancy is “advice based on a high degree of expertise” or “specialist and expert advice by someone with extensive experience/qualifications on the subject”. Was matchmaking that?

Well, the FTT decided that services would fall within para(c) if they are services of the sort which are primarily and habitually supplied by one or more of the specifically listed suppliers and that “consultants” are not limited to persons who are members of the liberal professions but to persons who are in ordinary usage “consultants” and typically act in an independent manner – that is to say are not dependent on, or integrated with, their client.

HMRC argued that what G&F were providing was the possibility of entering into a long-term happy relationship: and that was what the Appellant was selling. The FTT accepted that that dream was what the typical client would want, but saw a difference between what is provided and the reason the service is wanted. It gave the example of a school providing education, not the hope of a good job.

Further, HMRC contended that G&F’s activities went far beyond the provision of advice and information because they involved all the other elements that go into the service of matchmaking. Those activities included ascertaining and executing the needs of the client, reading the non-verbal clues, reading body language, and the inexplicable magic of applying knowledge based on intuition and experience to identify people who may be compatible. The FTT said that that was all very well but drew a distinction between the skills required by the seller and what was sold.

Split decision

A first Tribunal member concluded that the material elements of the supply consisted only of the provision of information and expert advice, and the supply fell within para (c).

Another Tribunal member considered that the actions of the liaison team in G&F promoted and helped the making of a successful relationship, but he was not persuaded that the support provided by the liaison team assisted the provision of information about a potential partner or served the supply of G&F’s MD’s advice that a particular person might be suitable. It was support in the developing of a relationship – support in addition to the use of the information and expert advice received – and was not shown to be sufficiently inconsequential to say that it was just part of those elements. The liaison team provided a form of ready-made confidante for the client with whom he or she could discuss a relationship and his or her hopes and concerns for it or for other relationships. It enabled him or her to obtain the kind of support one might obtain from a friend – a listening ear or sounding board – and informal advice.

As two members of the Tribunal disagreed on the outcome, it fell to the judge to give a casting vote; which he did in favour of dismissing the appeal.

So, in this case at least, matchmaking is not consultancy. (Although I like the definition of the service being “inexplicable magic”).

Commentary

If it easy to make assumptions about the precise nature of a type of service. In order for certain services to be UK VAT free they need to meet the relevant criteria fully. “Consultancy” is a bit of a catch all, but this case illustrates the dangers of a lack of analysis. This was a close case and I could see the decision going the other way on another day quite easily.