Last week, President Trump signed the Executive Order ‘Extending the Modification of the Reciprocal Tariff Rates’ which effectively extended the suspension of ‘reciprocal tariffs’ on EU imports until 1 August 2025. These ‘reciprocal tariffs’ were originally announced by President Trump in April this year and had been suspended until 9 July 2025.  Following the announcement of this further suspension, the US President sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announcing that a 30 percent tariff would be imposed on imports from the EU on 1 August 2025. In a statement following the announcement, the Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence, Simon Harris T.D. said: “There is no necessity to escalate the situation or to further increase the additional tariffs which have been imposed on the EU. The Government strongly supports the efforts by the European Commission to reach a mutually beneficial agreement with the US. The EU is at the negotiating table and will remain there. Now is the time to redouble our efforts and to seek to achieve positive results in the time available. The EU will remain united and focused as negotiations continue between now and 1 August.”

In this week’s post EU exit corner, we bring you the latest guidance updates and publications relevant in the post EU exit environment. The most recent Trader Support Service bulletin is also available as is the most recently published Brexit and Beyond newsletter from the Northern Ireland Assembly EU Affairs team. Miscellaneous guidance updates and publications This week’s miscellaneous guidance updates and publications are as follows: Check when you can account for import VAT on your VAT Return, External temporary storage facilities codes for Data Element 5/23 of the Customs Declaration Service, Internal temporary storage facilities (ITSFs) 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, Reference Documents for The Customs Tariff (Preferential Trade Arrangements) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, Reference documents for The Customs (Reliefs from a Liability to Import Duty and Miscellaneous Amendments) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, Reference document for authorised use: eligible goods and authorised uses, Customs, VAT and excise UK transition legislation from 1 January 2021, Reference Documents for The Customs (Tariff Quotas) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, Reference Documents for The Customs Tariff (Suspension of Import Duty Rates) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, Reference Document for The Customs (Origin of Chargeable Goods) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, Reference Document for The Customs Tariff (Establishment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, and Export goods from the UK: step by step.  

In this week’s detailed miscellaneous updates, which you can read more about below, HMRC has launched a new dedicated bereavement service helpline and the UK regulations for the new Crypto-Assets Reporting Framework and the updated Common Reporting Standard have been laid before Parliament. In other news this week: As Wimbledon’s strawberries and cream season comes to an end, the VAT debate over Marks and Spencer’s limited-edition strawberries and cream sandwich, inspired by the Japanese "fruit sando", continues to rumble on – will the taxman grab a bite? The scammers are out in force in recent week’s: HMRC’s latest Press Release on scams is warning of winter fuel scams, and After the announcement of the loss of £ 47 million as a result of successful taxpayer phishing scams, HMRC’s action against the fraudsters continues with the announcement of arrests in Romania, The latest schedule of HMRC Talking Points live and recorded webinars for tax agents are available for booking. Spaces are limited, so take a look now and save your place, and finally, Check HMRC’s online services availability page for details of planned downtime and the online services affected. New dedicated bereavement service helpline Bereaved taxpayers or their representatives are now able to report a death and settle the deceased’s tax affairs by calling HMRC’s new dedicated bereavement service helpline on‌‌‌ ‌‌0300‌‌‌ ‌‌322‌‌‌ ‌‌9620. Interactive Voice Response messages will direct taxpayers who ring this new number to PAYE, Self-Assessment, or Child Benefit depending on the service they need. This aims to get taxpayers/their agents to the right place first time around and will allow them to talk to someone about several matters during the same call. Crypto-assets reporting framework and updated Common Reporting Standard The UK regulations for the new Crypto-Assets Reporting Framework and the updated Common Reporting Standard (CRS2.0) have recently been laid before Parliament. Both will come into effect from 1 January 2026. In summary, these regulations will impact on a range of financial services businesses such as banks, asset managers and insurance companies and will also bring e-money providers and crypto-asset service providers into scope for the first time. Under both, there will be a £300 penalty per account for failure to collect a self-certification or to apply due diligence, and a £100 penalty per account for incorrect reporting. The regulations also introduce a penalty for customers of institutions who fail to provide a self-certification when requested of up to £300. HMRC has launched a Press Release highlighting these changes.

The Institute is pleased to advise that the link for booking the HMRC led webinar on Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax, which we covered in last week’s Chartered Accountants Tax News, is now open for booking. The webinar will take place on Tuesday 16 September 2025 from 1-2pm. HMRC has also recently launched its MTD comms campaign page ‘Making Tax Digital for Income Tax - HMRC guide.’ HMRC is holding two ‘Talking Points’ webinars this week on MTD for income tax which you can book at the below links: How to get ready for MTD if you are an agent, and Client authorisation and enrolment. The guidance on choosing more than one agent has also been updated: Use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.  

The second 2024/25 self-assessment (SA) payment on account for income tax and Class 4 National Insurance Contributions (NICs) is due for payment on or before midnight on Thursday 31 July 2025. Anyone who is self-employed is required to make two payments on account for 2024/25 unless: Their 2023/24 SA tax bill was less than £1,000, or  More than 80 percent of all the tax owed in 2023/24 was deducted at source, for example via PAYE.  Each payment on account made should be 50 percent of the person’s total income tax and Class 4 NICs liability for 2023/24. If the final tax liability in 2024/25 is greater than the total payments on account made, a balancing payment will be due on or before 31 January 2026.  If a taxpayer knows that their tax bill for 2024/25 is going to be lower than that in 2023/24, a claim can be made to HMRC to reduce payments on account. 

In a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament by the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, it is confirmed that draft clauses for the next Finance Bill will be published next week on Monday 21 July 2025. These are expected to cover pre-announced policy changes (there are no details of precisely what though) and will include “accompanying explanatory notes, tax information and impact notes, responses to consultations and other supporting documents”. This is traditionally known as legislation day or ‘L-day’. Coverage of L-day will feature in Chartered Accountants Tax News in due course. It remains unclear precisely which policy changes we may see draft legislation published for next week, particularly if drafting is still in progress for areas such as recent consultations or where decisions are still being made on the final details of specific policies. There is, however, some speculation that we may see draft clauses for the controversial changes to inheritance tax, including the curtailing of agricultural property relief and business property relief. The Institute has previously written to the Government on this and also responded to the technical consultation which took place earlier this year.

This is the key recommendation of the Institute’s Northern Ireland Tax Committee, chaired by Janette Burns, in its response last week to the UK Government consultation ‘Transfer pricing scope and documentation’. This consultation proposes to remove the medium sized transfer pricing exemption for cross-border transactions, which as the Committee has highlighted, will have a disproportionate impact in Northern Ireland for transactions with its nearest neighbour, Ireland. For that reason, the Committee recommends that the medium sized exemption remains for these transactions. The Committee also recommended that there be a transition period of at least three years before removal of the medium sized exemption, if this proceeds. It also took the opportunity to highlight the need for the regional impact of policy changes to be embedded throughout the UK tax policy consultation and implementation cycle in future.

In Irish news this week, we update you on our recent advocacy work in raising some of the issues affecting the all-island labour market and the Fiscal Monitor for June 2025 has been released. In UK news, read about the Institute’s recent meeting with HMRC to discuss the 2025 Spending Review and HMRC will deliver a webinar in September on Making Tax Digital for income tax. In International news, the FISC Subcommittee are meeting relevant stakeholders in Dublin this month to discuss Irish tax policies and to engage on critical issues. Irish 1. Read about the advocacy work undertaken by the Institute to highlight barriers to an all-island labour market. 2. The Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform have published the Fiscal Monitor for June 2025 which confirms an Exchequer surplus of €4.5 billion to the end of June. UK 3. The Institute met recently with HMRC to discuss the 2025 Spending Review. 4. HMRC will be delivering a webinar for our members in September on Making Tax Digital for income tax.   International 5. Read about the upcoming visit by the FISC Subcommittee to Dublin later this month. 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 post EU exit corner here.    

The European Commission has put forward a Recommendation on Tax Incentives to support the Clean Industrial Deal (CID) to build a competitive, climate-neutral industrial base. The initiative outlines a comprehensive framework to assist  Member States with designing cost-effective tax measures that stimulate investment in clean technologies and industrial decarbonisation.

Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) is a joint initiative of the OECD and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The OECD has published a report that charts the evolution of the initiative, highlights key milestones and examines the results achieved by TIWB over the past decade. The report also explores how TIWB will continue to innovate and explore opportunities to meet the rising demand for practical, hands-on capacity building from tax administrations worldwide.

The OECD has published a report which provides an overview of the activities by countries in 2024 and the results of effective collaboration in addressing tax evasion and avoidance, improving revenue mobilisation, and in advancing tax policy and administration reforms. The report also summarises a recently concluded independent evaluation of the group’s tax and development work

On 22 July,  members of the FISC Subcommittee will travel to Dublin for a day of meetings and discussions on tax policies, the fight against tax avoidance and tax simplification. The objectives of the visit are to gain a better understanding of Irish tax policies and to have direct engagement by the subcommittee with key policymakers, tax authorities and stakeholders on critical issues