Opus Insights
Insights
Tax, compliance and business commentary, updated as the rules change.
Showing 1–7 of 7 articles in General
Autumn Budget 2026 - Support for drivers
The Autumn Budget 2026 announced several measures aimed at helping drivers with the cost of fuel, business travel and electric vehicle charging. These include extending the temporary fuel duty cut, ma…
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HMRC reveals £42.8 billion outstanding tax debt
HMRC has revealed that it had £42.8 billion in outstanding tax debt at the end of March 2025, equivalent to 5% of total tax receipts. The figures appear in its corporate report, The HMRC tax debt stra…
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Could your area introduce a tourist tax?
Mayors and local leaders in England are to be given powers to introduce an overnight visitor levy, creating a new charge for people staying in short-term visitor accommodation.…
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HMRC targets persistent tax debts
HMRC is reviewing proposals to introduce new powers for recovering lower-value, persistent tax debts from individuals and businesses that repeatedly fail to engage with collection efforts. The proposa…
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Winter Fuel Payment opt-out deadline approaches
Pensioners who do not want to receive the Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2026-27 have until September to opt out. The payment will be recovered through the tax system from those whose total income exc…
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What is a reasonable excuse for missing a tax deadline?
Missing a tax deadline can result in penalties from HMRC, but a taxpayer may be able to appeal if they have a genuine reasonable excuse. Whether an excuse is accepted depends on the individual facts a…
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Budget date announced for 2026
The new Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey has confirmed, in a video message, that the next UK Budget will take place on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. Details of all the Budget announcements will…
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