Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he will include any provision in the forthcoming fiscal statement for support for households with the rising cost of domestic heating oil.
Answered by Felicity Buchan
Households who are connected to the electricity network but who use fuels other than gas, such as heating oil, to heat their homes will still receive support through the Energy Price Guarantee for their electricity costs, as well as the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme.
Where households are not able to receive support for their heating costs through the Energy Price Guarantee, the Government will provide an additional payment of £100 to compensate for the rising costs of other fuels such as heating oil, where despite significant increases, prices have risen at a lower rate than wholesale natural gas.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the business mileage allowance in the context of rising fuel and living costs.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government sets Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) to minimise administrative burdens. AMAPs aim to reflect running costs including fuel, servicing and depreciation. Depreciation is estimated to constitute the most significant proportion of the AMAPs.
Employers are not required to use the AMAPs. Instead, they can agree to reimburse the actual cost incurred, where individuals can provide evidence of the expenditure, without an Income Tax or National Insurance charge arising.
Alternatively, they can choose to pay a different mileage rate that better reflects their employees’ circumstances. However, if the payment exceeds the amount due under AMAPs, and this results in a profit for the individual, they will be liable to pay Income Tax and National Insurance contributions on the difference.
The Government keeps this policy under review.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the impact of business rates on the economic viability of music venues.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The Government is delivering a tax cut worth almost £1.7 billion for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses in 2022-23. Eligible properties will receive 50 per cent off their business rates bill, up to a maximum of £110,000 per business. Combined with small business rates relief, this means over 90 per cent of retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses will receive at least 50 per cent off their rates bills in 2022-23.
The multiplier has also been frozen for a further year, which is a tax cut worth £4.6 billion to businesses over the next 5 years.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take in 2021 to help people affected by the Equitable Life scandal.
Answered by John Glen
The methodology for calculating payments to Equitable Life policyholders was published in 2011 and can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/equitable-life-payment-scheme-design.
There are no plans to reopen the Payment Scheme or review the £1.5 billion funding allocation previously made to it. The Equitable Life Payment Scheme closed to claims in 2015 and further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the detailed calculations, including intermediary steps, used in determining payments under the Equitable Life Payment Scheme.
Answered by John Glen
The methodology for calculating payments to Equitable Life policyholders was published in 2011 and can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/equitable-life-payment-scheme-design.
There are no plans to reopen the Payment Scheme or review the £1.5 billion funding allocation previously made to it. The Equitable Life Payment Scheme closed to claims in 2015 and further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) adequate support is available from HMRC for people affected by the 2019 Loan Charge and (b) that further interest will not be accrued on outstanding loans due to the delays experienced with the HMRC help desk.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have put in place a series of measures to support those affected by the charge on Disguised Remuneration (DR) loans, which came into force on 5 April 2019.
Since 2017, HMRC have had a dedicated helpline for those who have used DR schemes. People can use this helpline to discuss their scheme use and different options to reach a settlement with HMRC. Call handlers are trained to support all callers, including those needing additional support. The helpline’s current average speed of answer is less than 60 seconds.
HMRC also recently announced an extension of their successful Needs Enhanced Support (NES) service to those undergoing compliance checks. This is being rolled out to DR scheme users first.
HMRC have already confirmed that scheme users who came forward to settle under the November 2017 published settlement terms and provided the necessary information by the deadline of 5 April 2019 will not be disadvantaged if settlement cannot be reached until after that date. Simplified payment arrangements were available as part of those terms.
Individuals who have not settled their DR scheme use with HMRC will need to report the outstanding loan amount on their 2018-19 tax return and pay the tax due, or agree an instalment arrangement, by 31 January 2020.
Anybody concerned about paying what they owe is advised to get in touch with HMRC as soon as possible. HMRC have a number of ways to help those who are genuinely unable to make a full payment of tax on time. There is no set minimum or maximum period within which a tax debt can be repaid.
In relation to interest, interest on late payments is designed to encourage people to pay their tax liabilities on time. It also serves to recompense the Exchequer for the delay in tax revenue paid later than the due date.
For the majority of DR scheme users, there is currently no interest accruing on the loan charge, as the liability has yet to arise.