Highlights from the broader tax news for the week ending 11 October 2023, including: VAT helpline survey for insolvency practitioners; VAT treatment of drugs and medicines; and a platform change for HMRC’s CEST tool.
VAT helpline survey
HMRC’s Insolvency team is commissioning a series of surveys to obtain feedback from insolvency practitioners. The first survey concerns insolvency practitioners’ experience in contacting HMRC through the VAT helpline. Find out more.
VAT treatment of drugs and medicines supplied under patient group directions
HMRC has published Revenue and Customs Brief 7 (2023). The brief sets out a change to the VAT treatment of drugs and medicines, which took effect on 9 October 2023. The change extends the zero rate of VAT on prescriptions to drugs and medicines supplied through patient group directions until 31 March 2027.
CEST platform change
HMRC has moved its Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) tool onto a new platform. No changes have been made to the question logic. The two key changes are that users can now review the answers to their questions after each section and the employment status manual guidance has been embedded into the tool.