Fowl play: Morrisons loses £17m VAT battle over rotisserie chickens Retail Supermarket giant Morrisons faces a £17m tax bill after the First-Tier Tax Tribunal threw out its dispute over VAT on cool-down rotisserie chickens. The dispute arose from George Osborne’s controversial 2012 Finance Act changes that sought to clarify the VAT treatment of hot takeaway food, famously known as the “pasty tax” debacle. Morrisons tried to [...]
Holly Willoughby’s company survives HMRC tax battle Media A media company run by TV presenter Holly Willoughby has survived the latest round of a tax battle with HMRC. Roxy Media was facing a winding-up petition in the Insolvency and Companies Court over a tax debt reported to total £377,000. The petition, a serious statement of intent by a creditor to shut down a [...]
Top court sides with HMRC as NHS hospitals liable for VAT on parking fees Legal HMRC brought a case against a branch of NHS hospitals to the Supreme Court over whether VAT should have been charged on hospital car parking fees, and they’ve succeeded. Today marks the end of a five-year legal battle through each court stage over VAT on parking tickets used by patients, visitors, and hospital staff at [...]
Sweet relief: Ferrero’s Nutella biscuits remain VAT-free snack October 28, 2025 A Tax Tribunal ruled in favour of Ferrero UK, stating that their ‘Nutella Biscuits’ are zero-rated for VAT, in yet another food battle HMRC has had over the bizarre tax rules around food. The case centred on whether the ‘Nutella Biscuits’ were “biscuits… partly covered with chocolate or some product similar in taste and appearance” [...]
Former Chelsea footballer Craig Burley ordered to pay £466,000 to HMRC August 19, 2025 Scottish former footballer and current ESPN pundit Craig Burley has been ordered by the Tax Tribunal to pay HMRC nearly £466,000 in unpaid income tax
Upper Tax Tribunal dismisses JP Morgan Chase Bank VAT appeal June 20, 2025 Upper Tribunal judges have kicked out US banking giant JP Morgan Chase's appeal against HMRC's position on taxing intra-group services.
Wetherspoons fails to prove cider is not alcohol in tax dispute April 24, 2025 Budget boozer Wetherspoons unsuccessfully argued cider did not fall within the meaning of 'alcoholic beverages' in a VAT dispute with HMRC
Eat marshmallows with your hands? HMRC wants you to pay more tax March 24, 2025 A case over the VAT liability of giant marshmallows "has taken a new bizarre twist" following questions on how people eat the chewy sweets
Former Liverpool player loses £300,000 IR35 tax appeal March 18, 2025 Former Liverpool player and pundit Phil Thompson owes the tax agency nearly £300,000 after losing an appeal due to IR35
Naomi Campbell set to fight charity ban February 5, 2025 Supermodel Naomi Campbell has won her bid to appeal the charity ban imposed on her by the watchdog following findings that charity funds were misused.