Legislation / Legal
SC: The new definitive guideline on drug offences will be used in all courts in England & Wales from 27 February 2012. The Sentencing Council’s guideline brings sentencing guidance together for the first time to help ensure consistent & proportionate sentencing and provide effective guidance for sentencers and clear information for victims, witnesses & the public on how drug offenders are sentenced.
HMT: The Government has taken steps to close two aggressive tax avoidance schemes recently disclosed to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) by a bank. The schemes, both of which are ‘highly abusive’, are designed to work around legislation that has been introduced in the past to block similar attempts at tax avoidance.
By acting immediately, the Government will ensure the payment of over half a billion pounds in tax, protect further billions of tax from being lost and maintain fairness in the tax system.
By acting immediately, the Government will ensure the payment of over half a billion pounds in tax, protect further billions of tax from being lost and maintain fairness in the tax system.
The bank that disclosed these schemes to HMRC has adopted the Banking Code of Practice on Taxation which contains a commitment not to engage in tax avoidance. The Government is clear that these are not transactions that a bank that has adopted the Code should be undertaking.
HMIC: A joint inspection published recently by HM Inspectorates of Constabulary and the Crown Prosecution Service found that ‘the criminal justice system has made progress in relation to the needs of rape victims although there is more to do: but improvements must also be made to the way the police gather & analyse intelligence material to identify perpetrators of rape and more can be done to ensure that prosecutions are robust’.
