The Value Added Tax (Amendment) (No 2) Regulations 2008

Statutory Instruments

2008 No. 3021

Value Added Tax

The Value Added Tax (Amendment) (No 2) Regulations 2008

Made

24th November 2008

Laid before the House of Commons

24th November 2008

Coming into force

1st December 2008

The Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs make the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 26B and 88(5) of, and paragraphs 2(1), 2(10) and 2A of Schedule 11 to, the Value Added Tax Act 1994(1):

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Value Added Tax (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2008 and come into force on 1st December 2008.

2.  The Value Added Tax Regulations 1995(2) are amended as follows.

3.  In regulation 15 (change of rate, credit notes)—

(a)for “14 days” substitute “45 days”;

(b)after “any such change,” insert “or within such longer period as the Commissioners may allow in general or special directions,”.

4.  For the Table in regulation 55K (flat rate scheme for small businesses, category of business), substitute—

Category of businessAppropriate percentage
(1)

“Labour-only building or construction services” means building or construction services where the value of materials supplied is less than 10 per cent of relevant turnover from such services; any other building or construction services are “general building or construction services”.

Accountancy or book-keeping11.5
Advertising8.5
Agricultural services7
Any other activity not listed elsewhere9
Architect, civil and structural engineer or surveyor11
Boarding or care of animals9.5
Business services that are not listed elsewhere9.5
Catering services including restaurants and takeaways10.5
Computer and IT consultancy or data processing11.5
Computer repair services10
Dealing in waste or scrap8.5
Entertainment or journalism9.5
Estate agency or property management services9.5
Farming or agriculture that is not listed elsewhere5.5
Film, radio, television or video production9.5
Financial services10.5
Forestry or fishing8
General building or construction services(1)7.5
Hairdressing or other beauty treatment services10.5
Hiring or renting goods7.5
Hotel or accommodation8.5
Investigation or security9
Labour-only building or construction services(1)11.5
Laundry or dry-cleaning services9.5
Lawyer or legal services12
Library, archive, museum or other cultural activity7.5
Management consultancy11
Manufacturing that is not listed elsewhere7.5
Manufacturing fabricated metal products8.5
Manufacturing food7
Manufacturing yarn, textiles or clothing7.5
Membership organisation5.5
Mining or quarrying8
Packaging7.5
Photography8.5
Post offices2
Printing6.5
Publishing8.5
Pubs5.5
Real estate activity not listed elsewhere11
Repairing personal or household goods7.5
Repairing vehicles6.5
Retailing food, confectionary, tobacco, newspapers or children’s clothing2
Retailing pharmaceuticals, medical goods, cosmetics or toiletries6
Retailing that is not listed elsewhere5.5
Retailing vehicles or fuel5.5
Secretarial services9.5
Social work8
Sport or recreation6
Transport or storage, including couriers, freight, removals and taxis8
Travel agency8
Veterinary medicine8
Wholesaling agricultural products5.5
Wholesaling food5
Wholesaling that is not listed elsewhere6

Mike Eland

Steve Lamey

Two of the Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs

24th November 2008

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations, which come into force on 1st December 2008, amend the VAT Regulations 1995 (S.I. 1995/2518).

Regulation 3 amends regulation 15 (change of rate, credit notes). It extends the period during which a credit note has to be issued following an election under section 88 of the Value Added Tax Act 1994 after a change of VAT rate from 14 to 45 days after the date when the rate change takes effect. It also allows the Commissioners to extend the period in a general or special direction.

Regulation 4 amends regulation 55K (flat rate scheme for small businesses, category of business) to substitute a new table with revised percentages based on the revised rate of VAT provided for in SI 2008 No. 3020. It also reformats the table in alphabetical order to make it easier to navigate.

A full Impact Assessment of the effect that this instrument (amongst others) will have on the costs of business and the voluntary sector is available from H M Revenue and Customs, 100 Parliament Street, London SW1A 2BQ and is annexed to the Explanatory Memorandum which is available alongside the instrument on the OPSI website.

(1)

1994 c.23; section 96(1) defines “the Commissioners” as meaning the Commissioners of Customs and Excise and “regulations” as meaning regulations made by the Commissioners under the Act. The functions of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise were transferred to the Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs by section 5(2) of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 (c.11). Section 50(1) of that Act provides that a reference to the Commissioners of Customs and Excise shall be taken as a reference to the Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. Section 26B of the Value Added Tax Act 1994 was inserted by section 23(1) and (4) of the Finance Act 2002 (c.23).

(2)

S.I. 1995/2518; relevant amending instruments are S.I. 2002/1142, S.I. 2003/1485, S.I. 2003/3220 and S.I. 2004/767.