As the UK braces itself for a second wave of COVID-19 the UK Chancellor has announced the Treasury’s Winter Economy Plan with the aim of protecting jobs and supporting businesses over the coming months.

Despite the measures introduced in the Chancellor’s Summer Statement (reported by us https://www.proskauer.com/blog/chancellors-summer-statement-focuses-on-hospitality-sector), the UK’s

Following the European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) rulings in Meo and Vodafone Portugal, HMRC has recently updated its VAT manual and published a brief (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revenue-and-customs-brief-12-2020-vat-early-termination-fees-and-compensation-payments/) stating that payments arising out of early contract termination will now be treated as consideration for a taxable supply therefore subject to VAT.

As the UK’s lockdown is relaxed and unemployment figures are expected to continue to rise, the UK Chancellor gave his summer statement announcing measures to stimulate the economy as it recovers from the effects of coronavirus with a clear emphasis on encouraging people to spend money, particularly in the hospitality sector, to try to protect as many jobs as possible.

The UK Chancellor stated the stark fact that in the space of two months during the pandemic the UK’s economy contracted by 25%, which is the same amount as it grew in the previous eighteen years and the IMF expects this to be the deepest global recession since records began. In the Chancellor’s words “the job has only just begun”. The summer statement’s focus was the Chancellor’s plan for jobs: supporting people to find jobs, creating jobs and protecting jobs. Key points to note:

In light of COVID-19, and in response to requests from European trade associations, the European Commission has published its proposal to amend Directive 2011/16/EU which deals with various strands of administrative co-operation in the field of taxation. Significantly, the proposal includes an extension to the time limit for reporting information