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If you have received your copy in August HMRC have confirmed that they will not charge interest on the second payment on account (normally due by 31 July) if payment is received by 27 September 2011.

The announcement that Mr Gaines-Cooper has lost his case at the Supreme Court last week has resulted in a number of headlines about the issue. The case went on for a long while, arguing that mere day counting for determining an individuals tax residency status is not enough and the IR20 Residents and non-residents leaflet should be looked at as a whole. They key point that was determined was the an individual should have a 'distinct break' in the pattern of their life in the UK in order to become non-resident. It is at this point that the day count is considered when looking at an individuals UK residency status.

If you received a penalty letter from HM Revenue & Customs then do not panic. HM Revenue & Customs have admitted that over 17,000 final reminder letters have been sent out in error. It would appear from reports that I have read that the incorrect notices relate to individuals who made their payments in December but had yet to be allocated correctly on HM Revenue & Customs system.

One of the biggest changes announced was the way that Child Benefits are to be withdrawn. As part of the budget the government have reintroduced the availability of claiming Child Benefits for households where someone earns up to £60,000. The amount of Child Benefit will be gradually reduced by way of an income tax charge where the individual earns between £50,000 and £60,000 per annum.

I have just finished working on a client’s affairs which very clearly highlights the need to have good advice so that your tax affairs are correctly structured and your will is effective.