Marlborough DP Ltd v Commissioners for HMRC [2021] WTLR 1329

Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Winter 2021 #185

Marlborough DP Ltd (MDPL) operated a dental practice, through which a Dr Thomas, its director and sole shareholder, provided dental services. It had instituted a ‘remuneration trust’ (RT), which it had stated to be for the benefit of persons who had provided or might in the future provide services, custom or products to MDPL. MDPL made ‘contributions’ to the RT which were said to reflect ‘part of the economic cost to [MDPL] of earning its profits’. MDPL then deducted its contributions to the RT as business expenses in computing its profits for accounting purposes, and claimed deductions ...

Trusts: Shedding light on remuneration trusts

Mary Ashley reports on a rare taxpayer win Cases like Marlborough are helpful to reveal how HMRC will form its arguments when it wants a tribunal to look at the overall effect of an arrangement rather than the detail. Marlborough DP Ltd v The Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs [2021] is a First-tier …
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Clipperton & anr v HMRC WTLR(w) 2021-08

Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Web Only

Dunsby v Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs [2021] WTLR 157

Wills & Trusts Law Reports | Spring 2021 #182

This was an appeal concerning a tax avoidance scheme designed to allow shareholders in private companies to extract profits without paying income tax on them.

Prior to entering into the scheme, T was sole director and shareholder of M Ltd. The scheme had three steps:

  1. (1) On 11 March 2013, the board of directors of M Ltd (ie T as sole director) and T resolved to approve the creation of a new class of ‘S’ ordinary shares and the necessary amendments to M Ltd’s articles of association. On the same day, M Ltd (by resolution of T as sole shareholder) created the new S clas...