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Margin scheme meaning

Published by a LexisNexis Tax expert
What does Margin scheme mean?
A VAT accounting method that lets dealers pay VAT only on their profit margin when reselling eligible second-hand goods, rather than on the full selling price. In the UK it is provided for in VAT legislation (including the VAT (Special Provisions) Order 1995) and HMRC guidance; in Ireland it is implemented in the Value-Added Tax Consolidation Act 2010 and Revenue guidance. It applies to goods only (not services), typically second-hand goods, works of art, antiques and collectors’ items, and certain used motor vehicles. It is usually available where the item was acquired without VAT being charged, or where any VAT on purchase was not deductible (for example, purchases from private individuals or from suppliers using a margin scheme). Common users include art and antique dealers, second-hand car dealers and auctioneers. Key features: - VAT is due on the positive difference between selling price and purchase price (the margin), using the VAT fraction. - Input tax on purchase is not recoverable and VAT must not be shown separately on the sales invoice. - Strict stock-book and invoice records are required. - The scheme is optional and cannot be mixed with normal VAT for the same item. Rules are broadly consistent across England &...
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NEWS
UK tax weekly briefing for lawyers: key cases (BlueCrest, Fisher, E.On), VAT and R&D updates, HMRC guidance, consultations and trackers—11 January 2024

In this issue: Business structures Taxes management and litigation Employment taxes Companies and corporation tax VAT Environment Individuals and income tax Dates for your diary Trackers Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Latest Q&A Useful information Business structures Court of Appeal upholds UT and FTT decisions that incentivisation awards to partners are subject to income tax (HMRC v BlueCrest Capital Management LP and others and Andrew Dodd and others v HMRC) As noted below, in HMRC v BlueCrest Capital Management LP; and Andrew Dodd v HMRC [2023] EWCA Civ 1481, the Court of Appeal examined the tax position of awards granted to partners under an incentivisation scheme. It affirmed the rulings of the First-tier Tax Tribunal (FTT) and the Upper Tribunal (UT) that, although the awards were not profit share allocations, they still represented income and were chargeable to income tax as miscellaneous income under section 687...

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NEWS
Smith v DPP: Judicial review upholds CPS non-prosecution but expects fuller reasons after unlawful killing inquest; clarifies ‘realistic prospect’ test (England and Wales)

What are the practical implications of this case? CPS prosecutorial decisions will continue to benefit from a broad margin of appreciation in the courts, yet this ruling indicates that those impacted by decisions not to prosecute can now reasonably expect—and insist upon—clearer reasoning and justification from the CPS. Earlier challenges to non-prosecution outcomes produced a settled line of authority emphasising the courts’ need to grant the CPS a high degree of latitude when judging the reasonableness of prosecutorial choices, particularly following the introduction of the victim right to review scheme, which provided complainants with an internal independent review. Certain features arising in cases of this nature may mean the CPS must supply more comprehensive reasons for a decision to be regarded as reasonable, or that a reviewing court will be required to undertake a more rigorous level of scrutiny when examining the decision...

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NEWS
UK tax weekly: NICs, CGT and NMW changes from 6 April; VAT UT rulings; Pillar Two regulations; higher late-payment interest/penalties; devolution and pensions updates—3 April 2025

In this issue Employment taxes Budgets and Finance Bills VAT International Taxes management and litigation Companies and corporation tax Anti-avoidance Devolution Pensions LexTalk®Tax: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Latest Q&A Useful information Employment taxes Royal Assent for National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Act 2025 The National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill—bringing in an uplift to 15% for the main rate of employers’ secondary Class 1 National Insurance contributions from 13.8%, and cutting the secondary threshold to £5,000 per annum—was first set out at Autumn Budget 2024 and obtained Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. The provisions apply from 6 April 2025. See: National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Act 2025. HMRC publishes Employment Related Securities Bulletin 59 (March 2025) Private Intermittent Securities and Capital Exchange System (PISCES)—policy...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Comprehensive glossary of UK restructuring and insolvency terms, covering Companies Act schemes, Part 26A plans, IA 1986 processes, and cross‑border concepts including COMI, UNCITRAL and assimilated EU rules.

This glossary sets out numerous expressions regularly encountered in the restructuring & insolvency sphere. Words shown in bold within definitions are themselves explained in other entries in this glossary as well. A Article X The MLIJ contains a single provision named Article X, aimed at jurisdictions that have already implemented the MLCBI, like England, or are weighing its adoption. Article X states: ‘Not withstanding any prior interpretation to the contrary, the relief available under [insert a cross-reference to the legislation of this State enacting Article 21 of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency] includes recognition and enforcement of a judgment’ (see Practice Note: UNCITRAL model law on recognition and enforcement of insolvency-related judgments (MLIJ): Article X). Asset-backed security (ABS) A form of security anchored by asset pools, for example loans, leases, and credit card receivables. Assimilated law From 1 January 2024, ‘retained law’ has been retitled ‘assimilated law’. The body of domestic law originally arising from EU obligations, created by the European...

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PRACTICE NOTES
UK Banking, Finance, Capital Markets, Derivatives and Insolvency Law Glossary including Islamic finance

Banking & Finance glossary A Auditing and Accounting Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) The foremost Islamic, international, autonomous, independent, not-for-profit corporate body that develops and issues accounting, auditing, governance, ethics and Shari’ah benchmarks and standards for Islamic Financial Institutions (IFIs) and the wider Islamic finance sector. Founded in Bahrain in 1991, it is backed by a number of institutional members across more than 45 countries, including central banks and regulatory authorities, financial institutions, accounting and auditing practices, and legal firms. Its pronouncements are currently applied by leading Islamic financial institutions across the world and have advanced a progressive and gradual harmonisation of global Islamic finance practice. It also delivers professional qualification programmes—notably Certified Islamic Professional Accountant (CIPA), Certified Shari’ah Adviser and Auditor (CSAA), and the corporate compliance programme—in efforts to strengthen the industry’s human capital and governance frameworks. For further details, see Practice Note: Key participants in the Islamic finance industry—Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI). Acceleration Acceleration is the formal action...

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PRACTICE NOTES
UK VAT on charity challenge events: agency models, Tour Operators' Margin Scheme (TOMS), EU/non-EU travel, donations and fundraising exemption: worked examples

Example 1—disclosed agent A charity markets a challenge in which entrants cycle from London to Paris to raise money for the cause. It appoints a specialist firm to arrange the event. Acting as a disclosed agent for the tour operator, the charity earns commission per participant. The tour operator supplies flights, bikes, accommodation, meals and so on, while the charity handles promotion. Participants must secure at least £2,000 in sponsorship and pay a £200 registration fee on booking. Half of the sponsorship is due to the charity eight weeks before departure. That amount represents the event cost, which the charity remits to the tour operator, net of its 10% commission on the challenge cost (£1,000 – £200 = £800). The charity invoices the tour operator for its commission, adding UK VAT. The tour company can reclaim the VAT in the usual manner...

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