Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the preparedness of SMEs in dealing with the migration from the manual taxation to Making Tax Digital regime.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Businesses who are registered for VAT and whose taxable turnover exceeds the VAT registration threshold of £85,000 will be required to keep their records digitally and file their VAT returns using Making Tax Digital (MTD) compatible software for periods starting on or after 1 April. For the majority of businesses, who file quarterly, their first MTD returns won’t be due until August or later. Small businesses with turnover below the VAT threshold are not required to join, but can do so voluntarily.
HMRC are using a range of methods to communicate with businesses and agents, both paid for and free, in order to ensure businesses are aware of the changes and know what they need to do to prepare.
Thousands of businesses have already joined the MTD VAT pilot service. HMRC are on track to have written to every business who is required to join MTD by the end of February, encouraging them to join the pilot and pointing them to the range of help and support that is available.
HMRC’s Impact Assessment for MTD, published on 1 December 2017, was developed through a widespread and comprehensive programme of work that considered the costs and requirements of businesses across the VAT population. The methodology and modelling has been rigorously reviewed, including by trusted external stakeholders such as the Administrative Burdens Advisory Board (ABAB). The Impact Assessment considered the requirements for businesses of different sizes and practices, including small businesses.
Businesses and accountants are making preparations for the introduction of MTD, and thousands have already joined the pilot on a voluntary basis to test the service before they are mandated to use it. Most businesses will not need to submit their first VAT return through the new service until August at the earliest. For the first year, penalties will not be issued for late filing, only for late payment.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to SMEs of Making Tax Digital.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Businesses who are registered for VAT and whose taxable turnover exceeds the VAT registration threshold of £85,000 will be required to keep their records digitally and file their VAT returns using Making Tax Digital (MTD) compatible software for periods starting on or after 1 April. For the majority of businesses, who file quarterly, their first MTD returns won’t be due until August or later. Small businesses with turnover below the VAT threshold are not required to join, but can do so voluntarily.
HMRC are using a range of methods to communicate with businesses and agents, both paid for and free, in order to ensure businesses are aware of the changes and know what they need to do to prepare.
Thousands of businesses have already joined the MTD VAT pilot service. HMRC are on track to have written to every business who is required to join MTD by the end of February, encouraging them to join the pilot and pointing them to the range of help and support that is available.
HMRC’s Impact Assessment for MTD, published on 1 December 2017, was developed through a widespread and comprehensive programme of work that considered the costs and requirements of businesses across the VAT population. The methodology and modelling has been rigorously reviewed, including by trusted external stakeholders such as the Administrative Burdens Advisory Board (ABAB). The Impact Assessment considered the requirements for businesses of different sizes and practices, including small businesses.
Businesses and accountants are making preparations for the introduction of MTD, and thousands have already joined the pilot on a voluntary basis to test the service before they are mandated to use it. Most businesses will not need to submit their first VAT return through the new service until August at the earliest. For the first year, penalties will not be issued for late filing, only for late payment.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department has spent on publicity and advertising relating to the migration of businesses to the Making Tax Digital regime.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Businesses who are registered for VAT and whose taxable turnover exceeds the VAT registration threshold of £85,000 will be required to keep their records digitally and file their VAT returns using Making Tax Digital (MTD) compatible software for periods starting on or after 1 April. For the majority of businesses, who file quarterly, their first MTD returns won’t be due until August or later. Small businesses with turnover below the VAT threshold are not required to join, but can do so voluntarily.
HMRC are using a range of methods to communicate with businesses and agents, both paid for and free, in order to ensure businesses are aware of the changes and know what they need to do to prepare.
Thousands of businesses have already joined the MTD VAT pilot service. HMRC are on track to have written to every business who is required to join MTD by the end of February, encouraging them to join the pilot and pointing them to the range of help and support that is available.
HMRC’s Impact Assessment for MTD, published on 1 December 2017, was developed through a widespread and comprehensive programme of work that considered the costs and requirements of businesses across the VAT population. The methodology and modelling has been rigorously reviewed, including by trusted external stakeholders such as the Administrative Burdens Advisory Board (ABAB). The Impact Assessment considered the requirements for businesses of different sizes and practices, including small businesses.
Businesses and accountants are making preparations for the introduction of MTD, and thousands have already joined the pilot on a voluntary basis to test the service before they are mandated to use it. Most businesses will not need to submit their first VAT return through the new service until August at the earliest. For the first year, penalties will not be issued for late filing, only for late payment.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list the planned large-scale national infrastructure projects which have been cancelled by (a) private sector entities, (b) public sector entities and (c) public private partnerships in each of the last nine years; and what the (i) location and (ii) estimated value was of each such project.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline, published annually by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, provides updates on the progress of the priority projects listed in the National Infrastructure Delivery Plan 2016-2021.
Please see the latest 2018 Analysis of National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline here : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-infrastructure-and-construction-pipeline-2018
Link to the National Infrastructure Delivery Plan 2016-2021: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-infrastructure-delivery-plan-2016-to-2021
The IPA has published data on PFI / PF2 projects which are in procurement, construction or operation annually. The latest dataset is available here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the factors effecting the UK's position in the G7 growth table.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Since 2010, our economy has grown for 8 consecutive years and we’ve seen faster growth than France, Italy and Japan over this period. As a result, the UK economy is currently 17.1% larger than it was in 2010, and 10.8% larger than its pre-crisis peak.
The fundamentals of our economy are strong and the independent Office for Budget Responsibility revised up its forecast for cumulative GDP growth at Autumn Budget 2018.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October to Question 183422 on Public Finance and with reference to his financial statement of 29 October 2018, if he will provide a formal definition of the word austerity; and by what methodology his Department measures austerity in public policy.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Budget showed how the hard work of the British people is paying off. Our balanced approach means that our public finances have reached a turning point and austerity is coming to an end. We are providing more support for our vital public services like the NHS, cutting income tax for 32 million people and investing for the long term to boost growth and deliver higher living standards, while remaining committed to fiscal discipline.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library research or analysis undertaken or commissioned by his Department on the Brexit dividend.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
Once we have left the EU we will no longer pay annual membership subscriptions and this money will be available to spend on our domestic priorities.
At Budget 2018, the OBR estimated the gap between the financial settlement and the membership counterfactual. This is set out in table 4.30 in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2018 to Question 182119 on Poverty, what steps he is taking to empower civil servants in his Department deliver on civil service competency 8 delivering value for money in the context of policy formulation relating to poverty reduction.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
HM Treasury carefully considers the impacts of policy choices on households at different levels of income. The department publishes distributional analysis of the impacts of decisions on tax, welfare, and spending on public services at each fiscal event, and has done so since 2010.
The government has set out that it is committed to tackling the root causes of poverty, including education and worklessness. This approach is working, with 1,000,000 fewer people, including 300,000 fewer children, in absolute poverty (before housing costs) since 2010, both record lows.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the year on year changes to central government grants to the UK Fire and Rescue service in each of the last seven years.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
Overall Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) will receive around £2.3 billion in 2018/19. Single purpose FRAs will see an increase in core spending power of 1.2% in cash terms in 2018/19 and an overall increase of 0.3% from 2015/16 to 2019/20.
Financial reserves held by single purpose FRAs increased by 80% to £545 million between 31 March 2011 and 31 March 2018. This is equivalent to 42% of their core spending power.
As fire services are devolved, these figures apply to England only.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made on the effect of the level of poverty on (a) the cost of public services, and b) revenue accrued to the public purse.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The government is focused on tackling the root causes of poverty, such as education and worklessness, to improve the lives of people in our country.
Since 2010 the number of people in poverty has fallen – there are 1,000,000 fewer people, including 300,000 fewer children, in absolute poverty (before housing costs), both record lows. Helping people off welfare and into work, helps the economy grow, means we can spend more on other priorities like the NHS and infrastructure and gives more people the opportunity to get on in life. Since 2010 there are 3.3m more people in work and the unemployment rate is at its lowest since 1975.
HM Treasury does not analyse the aggregate impact of the level of poverty on public services and government revenue.