The Living City Initiative is a scheme of property tax incentives covering various reliefs aimed at the regeneration of certain areas. The scheme offers relief from income tax or corporation tax for qualifying expenditure on the refurbishment and/or conversion of buildings located in Special Regeneration Areas (SRAs). Last week the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Simon Harris, signed orders to formally designate five additional towns, Athlone, Drogheda, Dundalk, Letterkenny and Sligo under the Initiative.  In addition, Revenue has published updated guidance on the Living City Initiative and has also published new guidance on different elements of the relief including,  owner occupier residential relief and commercial, rented residential and living over the shop elements of the relief. The guidance includes details of the Finance Act 2025 amendments to the Living City Initiative which took effect from 1 January 2026 and include: The introduction of section 372AAE into the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, which provides for a new living over the shop element to the scheme. Relief is available in respect of the conversion or refurbishment of certain commercial or industrial properties (which were rateable premises) into residential units. An amendment to the pre-1915 building age requirement that applied to the owner occupier and rented residential elements of the scheme, to provide that residential premises built before 1975 in Special Regeneration Areas will be eligible for relief. Confirmation that relief for qualifying expenditure on the rented residential, commercial and living over the shop elements of the scheme is allowed over two years at a rate of 50 percent per annum. Provision for up to a maximum of €300,000 in tax relief per undertaking over a rolling 3-year period for the rented residential, commercial and living over the shop element of the scheme and thereby removing the limit of €200,000 per project. The removal of the restriction on the rented residential and commercial elements of the scheme which required three times the amount of a grant received or receivable to be deducted from qualifying expenditure. It now instead provides that the amount of the grant received is to be deducted. The removal of the restriction on property developers or connected parties claiming relief in certain circumstances.  

In this week’s cross-border trading corner, we bring you the latest guidance updates and publications. The most recent Trader Support Service bulletin is also available as is the latest Brexit and Beyond newsletter from the Northern Ireland Assembly EU Affairs team. And finally the Government’s Borders Directorate Communications Team has sent an email about changes to the process for returning consignments rejected at EU Border Control Posts which come into effect from today, Monday 20 April 2026. The email also includes suggested actions to take. Miscellaneous guidance updates and publications This week’s miscellaneous guidance updates and publications are as follows: Amend or cancel a Customs Declaration Service import declaration, Report a problem using the Customs Declaration Service, The Customs (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, Customs declarants and declaration volumes for international trade in 2025, Method 1 - Transaction value, Advance valuation rulings, Customs valuation, Reference Document for The Customs (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, UK import trade in goods by country of origin and country of dispatch, 2024, Amend or cancel non-special procedure supplementary declarations, External temporary storage facilities codes for Data Element 5/23 of the Customs Declaration Service, and Internal temporary storage facilities (ITSFs) codes for Data Element 5/23 of the Customs Declaration Service.

TaxSource Total is Chartered Accountants Ireland searchable, complete and freely available online tax resource. This excellent online resource has now been updated for Finance Act 2025. The legislation available includes the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, the Stamp Duty Consolidation Act 1999, the Capital Acquisitions Tax Consolidation Act 2003, and the Value-Added Tax Consolidation Act 2010.  (Please note that previous users may need to clear their cache (Ctrl+F5) to enable access to the updated content.) 

The European Commission has published a study on wealth taxation  covering net wealth, capital and exit taxes to provide a better understanding of these taxes, their interrelation and consequences. 

The OECD has published the April 2026 Secretary-General Tax Report to G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. The report outlines recent developments in international tax co-operation, including the implementation of the BEPS minimum standards, the global minimum tax framework, and tax transparency.

In Irish news, Revenue has issued a press release with information for taxpayers affected by rising fuel costs and the Fiscal Monitor for March 2026 has been published. In UK news, you can read the final part of our series on the new financial and tax years which commenced earlier this month, and HMRC has provided clarification on how business cessations are treated under Making Tax Digital for income tax. In International news this week, the EU Parliament discuss the feasibility of a 28th tax regime. Ireland 1. Read the press release published by Revenue for taxpayers impacted by rising fuel and other costs. 2. The Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation have published the Fiscal Monitor for March 2026 which confirms an Exchequer deficit of €0.2 billion in the first quarter of 2026. UK 3. Read part three of our series ‘New tax and financial year: new rules for 2026 and beyond’ which looks at a range of miscellaneous changes. 4. HMRC has clarified the treatment of business cessations in the context of Making Tax Digital for income tax. International 5. The EU Parliament will discuss this week the draft report on the feasibility of a 28th tax regime and its potential to support EU competitiveness. Keep up to date with all the latest Irish, UK, and international tax developments through Chartered Accountants Ireland’s Tax Newsletter. Subscribe to the Tax News by updating your preferences in MyAccount. You can also read this week’s Cross-border developments and trading corner.  

Our third (and final) article in this series looking at the key changes to UK tax legislation which took effect due to the commencement of either the new Financial Year 2026 from 1 April 2026 or the new tax year 2026/27 which began on April 6 considers a range of miscellaneous changes. Part one of the series addressed Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and measures affecting tax agents. In part two we examined key changes to the capital taxes, income tax, corporation tax, and capital allowances. Personal taxes Due to the freezing of personal allowances and thresholds, there are only limited changes to income tax rates, thresholds, and allowances for 2026/27. The changes to be aware of are as follows: the dividend ordinary rate increased from 8.75 percent to 10.75 percent, and the dividend upper rate increased from 33.75 percent to 35.75 percent. The dividend additional rate remains at 39.35 percent,  the amount of the married couple’s allowance (MCA) increased from £11,270 to £11,700. The income limit for, and the minimum amount of the MCA, also increased from £37,700 to £39,200 and from £4,360 to £4,530 respectively, the amount of the blind person’s allowance increased from £3,130 to £3,250, the rate of income tax relief for individuals investing in new venture capital trusts scheme shares reduced from 30 percent to 20 percent, and the annual fixed amount for qualifying care relief increased from £19,690 to £20,440. Increases were also made to the weekly amounts as set out in the associated legislation.   Tax advantaged venture capital schemes Several changes were made to the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Venture Capital Trust scheme limits from 6 April 2026 (though it should be noted that these do not apply to specified companies in Northern Ireland):  the annual investment limit that a company can raise increased from £5 million to £10million, the overall investment limit increased from £12 million to £24 million, and the pre-investment gross assets threshold increased to £30 million from £15 million, and the post-investment threshold rose to £35 million from £16 million. Official rate of interest (ORI) HMRC has confirmed that the ORI, which is used to calculate benefits in kind in respect of employment-related loans and living accommodation, is unchanged at 3.75 percent from 6 April 2026. However, going forward, the ORI will be assessed quarterly, with any adjustments taking effect on 6 April, 6 July, 6 October and 6 January.  National minimum and living wage The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates both increased from 1 April 2026. Vaping products duty (VPD) VPD is a new excise duty on vaping products which will come into operation later this year from 1 October 2026. The duty will apply to vaping liquid which contains nicotine and either or both glycerine and glycol, or any liquid that is intended to be vapourised by a vape and is not a medical or tobacco product. It will be charged on vaping products that are produced in or imported into the UK. VPD will be charged a flat rate of £2.20 per 10 millilitres of vaping liquid, regardless of how much nicotine is contained in the product. Although the duty itself does not commence until October 2026, registrations for VPD and the VPD Stamps scheme opened from 1 April 2026. HMRC is therefore urging affected businesses to begin preparations now. VPD stamps will become mandatory for all vaping products from 1 April 2027. As a result, HMRC has also appointed a VPD Stamps scheme supplier which enables businesses to source duty stamps from one supplier.

HMRC has recently clarified the rules for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax in the context of the taxpayer having completely ceased their sole trade and/or property business before April 2026. The taxpayer (or their agent) should notify HMRC by phone or webchat if their 2024/25 income means that they would otherwise be within MTD for income tax from April 2026 but they ceased both these sources in 2025/26. Cessations must also be recorded on the 2025/26 self-assessment (SA) return as normal. By way of reminder, taxpayers must use MTD for income tax from April 2026 if their combined gross income from any sole trades or property businesses (MTD sources) conducted in 2024/25 exceeded £50,000, unless they ceased all their MTD sources in that year. As set out earlier, for complete cessations in 2025/26 the taxpayer or their agent should call or use webchat to inform HMRC of the cessation which should make clear that there is a cessation of all MTD sources.  HMRC will subsequently confirm that the taxpayer is not required to use MTD income tax for 2026/27 onwards and will update the taxpayer’s record to reflect this. Written confirmation will also be sent to the person who notified HMRC of the cessation, though there may be a delay in receiving this. HMRC can also be notified of cessations by letter, though HMRC has advised that telephone or webchat are preferrable.   If all MTD sources have not ceased, taxpayers still need to use Making Tax Digital for income tax from 6 April 2026. After signing up, they will be able to enter the end date of the ceased business using HMRC’s online service and they must also report the cessation as normal in their 2025/26 SA return. HMRC has updated its guidance on cessations as follows: Work out your qualifying income for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, Use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax - If your circumstances change – Guidance, and Use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax - Guidance - GOV.UK.

In this week’s detailed miscellaneous updates which you can read more about below, we update you on a range of matters including HMRC’s guidance recently published on the treatment of statutory sick pay (SSP) where a sickness absence includes time before and after the changes to SSP from 6 April 2026. In addition to the SSP changes, readers should also note the following updates: HMRC is holding a webinar later this week on payroll annual reports and tasks, In a recent guidance update, HMRC has confirmed that with effect for all previous and future tax years, employers are no longer required to report non-tax advantaged Employment Related Securities data if the employee is a short term business visitor who is covered by an EP Appendix 4 arrangement and no UK income tax or NIC would be due, An exemption from income tax on income earned in the UK by certain non-UK resident individuals in connection with the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games has been provided by draft secondary legislation, and The exemption from electronic filing of expenses and benefits forms for employers who cease to trade during a tax year (or insolvency practitioners who act on their behalf) has been put on a statutory footing with effect from 6 April 2026. Changes to SSP and sickness absences starting before and ending after 6 April 2025 HMRC has published guidance about the changes to SSP from 6 April 2026 and the impact this has on sickness absences which started before and end on or after the changes came into effect. From 6 April 2026, SSP: is available to all eligible employees regardless of their earnings, is payable from the first full day of sickness absence, and is paid at the lower of 80 percent of an employee’s average weekly earnings (AWE) or the weekly flat rate of £123.25. Employers are advised to: review their sickness absence policies, check their payroll provider is prepared, and share the changes with employees. Detailed guidance on how to treat SSP has also been published for sickness absences that started before and end on or after 6 April 2026.

In this week’s cross-border trading corner, we bring you the latest guidance updates and publications. The most recent Trader Support Service bulletin is also available as is the latest Brexit and Beyond newsletter from the Northern Ireland Assembly EU Affairs team. The House of Lords also recently debated the  Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee Report ‘Northern Ireland after Brexit: Strengthening Northern Ireland’s voice in the context of the Windsor Framework’ and the House of Lords European Affairs Committee recently held an initial evidence session on its new inquiry on Dynamic Alignment. Miscellaneous guidance updates and publications This week’s miscellaneous guidance updates and publications are as follows: Community and Common Transit UK offices list, Regulated aerodrome location codes for Data Element 5/23 of the Customs Declaration Service, External temporary storage facilities codes for Data Element 5/23 of the Customs Declaration Service, Data Element 2/3: Documents and Other Reference Codes (Union) of the Customs Declaration Service (CDS), CDS Declaration Completion Instructions for Exports, Appendix 2: DE 1/11: Additional Procedure Codes, Simplified Process for Internal Market Movements (SPIMM) and UK Carrier (UKC) Scheme: Additional Procedure Codes, and Data Element 2/3: Documents and Other Reference Codes (National) of the Customs Declaration Service (CDS).

Revenue has published new guidance on the tax treatment of payments and other benefits provided by a voluntary body. The guidance highlights key areas such as the tax treatment of travel and subsistence, payments to volunteers, and expense reimbursements.

Revenue has updated its guidance on the Charitable Donation Scheme to include an appendix illustrating the interaction of medical expenses claims and an approved body’s entitlement to relief on donations under section 848A TCA 1997.