HMRC has reduced late payment and repayment interest rates following the cut to the base rate.

The Bank of England cut the base rate to 5.0% on 1 August, the first reduction for over four years.

This has triggered a cut in HMRC interest rates which are pegged to the base rate.

From 20 August, the late payment interest rate was cut to 7.5% from 7.75%, where it had been for 12 months. The repayment interest rate was also reduced to 4.0% from 4.25% from 20 August.

HMRC late payment interest is set at base rate plus 2.5%. Repayment interest is set at base rate minus 1%, with a lower limit – or ‘minimum floor’ – of 0.5%.

Corporation tax self assessment interest rates relating to interest charged on underpaid quarterly instalment payments dropped to 6.0% from 6.25% from 12 August.

The interest paid on overpaid quarterly instalment payments and on early payments of corporation tax not due by instalments is down by 0.25% to 4.75% from 5% from 12 August.

Internet link: GOV.UK

The 5p cut in fuel duty to be scrapped in the upcoming Autumn Budget, according to the RAC.

The motoring organisation says that motorists in the UK are ‘not gaining any benefit’ and retailers have failed to pass on lower petrol and diesel prices to drivers.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently refused to rule out a rise in fuel duty and warned that the Autumn Budget will be ‘painful‘.

The RAC suggested that average petrol prices should be reduced from 142p per litre to 136p per litre and diesel prices from 147p per litre to 139p per litre.

Simon Williams, Head of Policy at the RAC, said:

‘We’d normally be against any increase in duty. But we’ve long been saying drivers haven’t been benefitting from the current discount due to much higher-than-average retailer margins.

‘As more and more EVs come on to the roads the government will need to tax drivers differently. We think replacing fuel duty with a pay-per-mile system as soon as possible is the way forward as then the only tax levied on fuel would be VAT. This would give retailers nowhere to hide.’

Freelancers want to see Chancellor Rachel Reeves use the Autumn Budget to move towards a fairer, simpler tax system, according to the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE).

IPSE’s research found that 80% of freelancers believe that government tax policies, such as IR35, are harming their businesses.

Meanwhile, just under half of freelancers reported having less confidence in the UK’s economic outlook for the coming year compared to the past 12 months – down from 63% in findings from Q1 2024.

IPSE’s Director of Policy, Andy Chamberlain, said:

‘For the past two years, the impact of record high inflation has been the main story in the business world. But for millions of freelancers, who are our very smallest businesses, the biggest barrier to growth has always been the tax system.

‘This is about more than just rates of tax. Convoluted tax rules like IR35 are crushing freelancers and the businesses they’ve worked so hard to build.

‘Rachel Reeves faces her first big test as Chancellor with a Budget in October and has made no secret of the need to raise money. But freelancers will be hoping that the Chancellor is also open to building a fairer, simpler tax system for millions of sole proprietors going it alone.’

Internet link: IPSE

The number of self-employed people aged 60 or over has reached a record level, according to analysis by Rest Less.

These numbers have increased by over a third in the past decade, totalling 991,432 self-employed people aged 60 or over in 2023.

The analysis found that while the number of self-employed workers in their 50s and older has grown since 2021, it is those in their 60s who have set the new high.

The total number of workers who are self-employed is about 4.3 million, after a two-year recovery following a sharp fall during the pandemic, according to the research.

Stuart Lewis, Chief Executive of Rest Less, said:

‘With the state pension age soon to be 67 and set to go higher still, many people are choosing to work beyond the point of traditional retirement.

‘For many, self-employment is a great option as it allows people to remain active and engaged in the community and workforce whilst also providing greater flexibility – leveraging their skills, experience and network to make an impact.

‘The decision to go self-employed can be driven by wildly different sets of circumstances from people living comfortably and pursuing an entrepreneurial passion to those who are forced to generate an income and have not been able to find a permanent solution in the mainstream workforce.’

Internet link: Rest Less

HMRC is failing on the key metrics of responsiveness, ease and accuracy, according to the annual HMRC Charter report.

The report reviewed HMRC’s performance against its Charter from April 2023 to March 2024.

The survey received over 1,600 responses, with complaints about service levels a recurring theme.

• ‘Being responsive’ scored the lowest of the Charter standards, with an average score of just 2.4 out of 10.
• ‘Making things easy’ and ‘getting things right’ also scored poorly, at 2.8 and 3.5 respectively.
• The remaining standards – ‘being aware of your personal situation’, ‘treating you fairly’, “recognising that someone can represent you’, ‘mutual respect’ and ‘keeping your data secure’ – scored higher at 4.1, 5.0, 5.7, 5.6 and 6.8 respectively.

Richard Wild, the Chartered Institute of Taxation’s (CIOT) Head of Tax Technical, said:

‘Significant time is lost every day for members, their clients, and indeed HMRC themselves, due to delays and inefficiencies in dealing with HMRC.

‘The three standards on responsiveness, ease and accuracy were by far the lowest scoring, which is disappointing as between them they represent the health of the tax system.

‘Businesses are prevented from operating effectively due to the inability to obtain timely registrations or responses. Taxpayers’ legitimate refunds are withheld or delayed. Guidance and correspondence from HMRC is misleading or incorrect. All these things are inhibitors on growth and investment.’

Internet link: GOV.UK CIOT