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1082321

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Social Security: Reciprocal Arrangements
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether A1 forms for artists and musicians will be accepted after the UK leaves the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Wantage
	tabling member printed	Mr Edward Vaizey
	uin	228645
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2019 answer text <p>The Withdrawal Agreement provides for the continuation of social security coordination, which will maintain the current rules on A1 certificates in the UK and EU until the end of the implementation period in December 2020.</p> answering member constituency Central Devon answering member printed Mel Stride question first answered 12/03/2019 17:36:28 answering member 3935 label Biography information for Mel Stride
	tabling member	1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot

1082115

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Debt Collection: Corruption
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to (a) reform and (b) tackle widespread corruption in the debt collection industry.
	tabling member constituency	Crewe and Nantwich
	tabling member printed	Laura Smith
	uin	228671
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2019 answer text <p>The government transferred the regulation of debt collection industry acvtivity to the Financial Conduct Authority in 2014. FCA regulation of debt collection agencies (DCAs) provides strong protections for consumers.</p><p> </p><p>In particular, DCAs under FCA regulation have to comply with the FCA’s high-level principle to treat customers fairly, offer appropriate forbearance, and signpost individuals to free, impartial debt advice should a consumer be in default, or in arrears difficulty.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 11/03/2019 14:10:09 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
	tabling member	4648 label Biography information for Laura Smith

1082271

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Crowdfunding
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the competitiveness of the UK peer-to-peer lending sector compared to (a) the US, (b) China and (c) the rest of the world.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	228623
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government has introduced a robust and proportionate regulatory regime for peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, balancing the need for consumer protection with allowing the sector to grow, innovate and provide competition in the lending market.</p><p> </p><p>The British Business Bank’s Small Business Finance Markets 2018/19 report sets out that P2P business lending increased to nearly £2.3bn in 2018, and assesses the P2P business lending markets in the UK, the USA and China. The report notes that the increased regulation in the P2P market in the UK has been mostly seen as positive, in contrast to China where regulators were slow to address the sector, leading to opportunities for fraudulent activity.</p><p> </p><p>The UK has been independently ranked by EY and Deloitte as the world’s leading hub for Fintech – the best place in the world to start and grow a Fintech firm. The Government is committed to ensuring that it remains the best place in the world for Fintech, and has set out how it intends to do that in the ambitious Fintech Sector Strategy, launched in March 2018.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 13/03/2019 17:03:31 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

1082272

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Individual Savings Accounts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have invested in an Innovative Finance ISA; and what assessment he has made of the level of uptake of that ISA.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	228624
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2019 answer text According to HMRC statistics, 31,000 innovative finance ISA accounts were subscribed to during the 2017-18 tax year.<p> </p>The Innovative Finance ISA increases the investment options available to investors and forms part of the wider ISA family. An attractive market for peer to peer lending within ISA already exists, with sufficient providers offering a product which meets the needs of lenders and investors. answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 11/03/2019 14:11:56 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

1082273

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Bank Cards: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the comparative merits of flat rate Interchange Fees as opposed to fees proportional to the value of the transaction; and whether his Department plans to exercise section 7 of the Interchange Fee (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018 to decrease the per transaction interchange fee.
	tabling member constituency	Windsor
	tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
	uin	228625
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government is open to hearing views on this issue, and digital payments more broadly, as evidenced by its call for evidence on cash and digital payments in the new economy. Amongst other things, this explored how the Government can best support digital payments. The Government will formally respond to the call for evidence in due course.</p><p> </p><p>The European Commission is in the process of reviewing the effectiveness of the Interchange Fee Regulation as part of its usual process. The Payment Systems Regulator, who is the UK’s lead competent authority for the Interchange Fee Regulation, is also conducting a review into the supply of card-acquiring services. Amongst other things, this review will examine the fees merchants pay for these services. The Government has therefore not made a formal assessment of the Interchange Fee Regulation.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 11/03/2019 14:15:55 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
	tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

1082291

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Tax Avoidance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that the review of the loan charge is undertaken (a) independently and (b) rigorously.
	tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
	tabling member printed	Nic Dakin
	uin	228630
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2019 answer text <p>Disguised Remuneration (DR) schemes are contrived arrangements that pay loans in place of ordinary remuneration with the sole purpose of avoiding income tax and National Insurance contributions. The loans are provided on terms that mean they are not repaid in practice, so they are no different to normal income and are, and always have been, taxable.</p><p> </p><p>The Government chose to accept Section 95 and will lay a report by 30 March which will review the effect of changes made to the time limits for recovery or assessment where tax loss arises in relation to offshore tax, and compare these with other legislation including the charge on DR loans. The Government will consider all the relevant evidence available in the timeframe legislated by Finance Act 2019. The charge on DR loans is unchanged as a result of the new clause and will apply to DR loan balances on 5 April 2019.</p><p> </p><p>HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has also widely publicised a simplification to the process for those who want to settle their use of DR schemes before the loan charge arises on 5 April 2019. DR scheme users who currently have an income of less than £50,000 and are no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need to give HMRC detailed information about their income and assets. This arrangement has been extended to seven years for scheme users who have an income of less than £30,000.</p><p> </p><p>Those who consider they need more than five (or seven) years to pay what they owe or who earn £50,000 or more should still come forward and talk to HMRC about payment terms. There are no defined minimum or maximum time periods for payment arrangements but HMRC will ask for more information including details of their income and assets so that they can tailor any payment plan to their individual financial circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>Anyone who is worried about being able to pay what they owe should get in touch with HMRC as soon as possible.</p><p> </p><p>Since the announcement of the 2019 loan charge at Budget 2016, HMRC has now agreed settlements on disguised remuneration schemes with employers and individuals totalling over £1 billion. Around 85% of the settlement yield since 2016 is from employers, with less than 15% from individuals.</p> answering member constituency Central Devon answering member printed Mel Stride grouped question UIN 228631 question first answered 11/03/2019 17:19:35 answering member 3935 label Biography information for Mel Stride
	tabling member	4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin

1082292

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Tax Avoidance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that the review of the loan charge will report by the end of March 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
	tabling member printed	Nic Dakin
	uin	228631
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2019 answer text <p>Disguised Remuneration (DR) schemes are contrived arrangements that pay loans in place of ordinary remuneration with the sole purpose of avoiding income tax and National Insurance contributions. The loans are provided on terms that mean they are not repaid in practice, so they are no different to normal income and are, and always have been, taxable.</p><p> </p><p>The Government chose to accept Section 95 and will lay a report by 30 March which will review the effect of changes made to the time limits for recovery or assessment where tax loss arises in relation to offshore tax, and compare these with other legislation including the charge on DR loans. The Government will consider all the relevant evidence available in the timeframe legislated by Finance Act 2019. The charge on DR loans is unchanged as a result of the new clause and will apply to DR loan balances on 5 April 2019.</p><p> </p><p>HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has also widely publicised a simplification to the process for those who want to settle their use of DR schemes before the loan charge arises on 5 April 2019. DR scheme users who currently have an income of less than £50,000 and are no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need to give HMRC detailed information about their income and assets. This arrangement has been extended to seven years for scheme users who have an income of less than £30,000.</p><p> </p><p>Those who consider they need more than five (or seven) years to pay what they owe or who earn £50,000 or more should still come forward and talk to HMRC about payment terms. There are no defined minimum or maximum time periods for payment arrangements but HMRC will ask for more information including details of their income and assets so that they can tailor any payment plan to their individual financial circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>Anyone who is worried about being able to pay what they owe should get in touch with HMRC as soon as possible.</p><p> </p><p>Since the announcement of the 2019 loan charge at Budget 2016, HMRC has now agreed settlements on disguised remuneration schemes with employers and individuals totalling over £1 billion. Around 85% of the settlement yield since 2016 is from employers, with less than 15% from individuals.</p> answering member constituency Central Devon answering member printed Mel Stride grouped question UIN 228630 question first answered 11/03/2019 17:19:35 answering member 3935 label Biography information for Mel Stride
	tabling member	4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin

1082293

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Tax Avoidance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that HMRC treats people affected by the loan charge in a sensitive and supportive but appropriate way.
	tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
	tabling member printed	Nic Dakin
	uin	228632
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/03/2019 answer text <p>HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) wants to help people put things right and is working hard to help individuals get out of avoidance for good.</p><p>Anybody who wants to settle their tax affairs ahead of the 2019 loan charge or who is worried about being able to pay what they owe should get in touch with HMRC as soon as possible.</p><p>HMRC have already provided a number of assurances, including that they will never force somebody to sell their main home to pay for their DR debt, or the loan charge.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC has also widely publicised a simplification to the process for those who want to settle their use of DR schemes before the loan charge arises on 5 April 2019. DR scheme users who currently have an income of less than £50,000 and are no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need to give HMRC detailed information about their income and assets. This arrangement has been extended to seven years for scheme users who have an income of less than £30,000.</p><p> </p><p>Those who consider they need more than five (or seven) years to pay what they owe or who earn £50,000 or more should still come forward and talk to HMRC about payment terms. There are no defined minimum or maximum time periods for payment arrangements but HMRC will ask for more information including details of their income and assets so that they can tailor any payment plan to their individual financial circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC takes its duty of care very seriously for vulnerable people and people who are worried or anxious about their tax affairs. HMRC has guidance and training in place for their staff on how to provide support, and can refer customers to HMRC’s specialist team for those who need enhanced support where appropriate. They will tailor their support to meet the needs of the individual.</p> answering member constituency Central Devon answering member printed Mel Stride question first answered 11/03/2019 17:11:29 answering member 3935 label Biography information for Mel Stride
	tabling member	4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin

1082303

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Medical Treatments: Tax Allowances
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to EIM21774 of the Employment Income Manual, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the tax exemption for employer-funded medical treatment; and what estimate he has made of the (a) cost to the public purse of implementing that exemption, (b) savings accrued to the public purse of the use of that exemption and (c) amount that has been claimed by employers under that exemption since its introduction.
	tabling member constituency	Cleethorpes
	tabling member printed	Martin Vickers
	uin	228637
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2019 answer text <p>Employers normally incur expenditure on employee healthcare for a business purpose and can deduct this when calculating the employer’s own taxable profits.</p><p>However, from 1 January 2015, the Government also exempted any benefit in kind or payment of earnings, up to an annual cap of £500 per employee, from a charge to income tax when an employer meets the cost of recommended medical treatment. There is also a corresponding National Insurance contributions disregard.</p><p>Medical treatment is recommended where it is provided in accordance with a recommendation from an occupational health service in order to help an employee return to work after a period of absence due to ill-health or injury. The 28 consecutive day qualifying period makes sure that the tax exemption is targeted at those cases in greatest need of support. Evidence showed that sickness absence cases lasting four weeks or longer were at the greatest risk of turning into long term cases.</p><p>The Government ensured that this exemption would be easy to understand and administer, so employers do not need to inform HMRC about payments for treatments covered by the £500 per employee per year limit. This means that information is not available to assess the direct impact of the exemption. However, the Government estimated in 2014 that employees working for approximately 10,000 businesses each year would benefit and Table 2.2 of Budget 2014 set out the expected cost to the Exchequer of £20 million per annum by 2018-19.</p><p>The Government keeps all taxes under review.</p> answering member constituency Central Devon answering member printed Mel Stride grouped question UIN 228638 228639 question first answered 13/03/2019 16:38:16 answering member 3935 label Biography information for Mel Stride
	tabling member	3957 label Biography information for Martin Vickers

1082304

	registered interest
	date	05/03/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Medical Treatments: Tax Allowances
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussion he has had with the Secretary of State for (a) Work and Pensions and (b) Health and Social Care on reform of the tax exemption for employer-funded medical treatment.
	tabling member constituency	Cleethorpes
	tabling member printed	Martin Vickers
	uin	228638
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2019 answer text <p>Employers normally incur expenditure on employee healthcare for a business purpose and can deduct this when calculating the employer’s own taxable profits.</p><p>However, from 1 January 2015, the Government also exempted any benefit in kind or payment of earnings, up to an annual cap of £500 per employee, from a charge to income tax when an employer meets the cost of recommended medical treatment. There is also a corresponding National Insurance contributions disregard.</p><p>Medical treatment is recommended where it is provided in accordance with a recommendation from an occupational health service in order to help an employee return to work after a period of absence due to ill-health or injury. The 28 consecutive day qualifying period makes sure that the tax exemption is targeted at those cases in greatest need of support. Evidence showed that sickness absence cases lasting four weeks or longer were at the greatest risk of turning into long term cases.</p><p>The Government ensured that this exemption would be easy to understand and administer, so employers do not need to inform HMRC about payments for treatments covered by the £500 per employee per year limit. This means that information is not available to assess the direct impact of the exemption. However, the Government estimated in 2014 that employees working for approximately 10,000 businesses each year would benefit and Table 2.2 of Budget 2014 set out the expected cost to the Exchequer of £20 million per annum by 2018-19.</p><p>The Government keeps all taxes under review.</p> answering member constituency Central Devon answering member printed Mel Stride grouped question UIN 228637 228639 question first answered 13/03/2019 16:38:16 answering member 3935 label Biography information for Mel Stride
	tabling member	3957 label Biography information for Martin Vickers