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In this guest blog, Miles Gibson from the University of Cambridge reports on new research challenging the narrative that previous development taxes threw the British land market into disarray.

Economic Affairs Committee members pressed the Chancellor on levels of taxation and future plans during a session on 22 July. The Chancellor emphasised that her focus is on growing UK GDP so tax can be brought down without cutting public services.

In a new report, the House of Commons’ Scottish Affairs Committee has said it is far from clear whether Scottish VAT assignment is either realistic or possible and called on the UK Government to explain why it thinks the policy can still work.

A Conservative motion criticising the government for increasing taxes, calling on them to reaffirm that personal tax thresholds will be uprated in line with inflation once again from 2028–29, and urging them “not to introduce new taxes on the value of assets owned such as savings, homes and pensions” has been voted down by Labour MPs.

During a House of Lords debate on 14 July, peers discussed the possibility of introducing a visitor levy for seaside and coastal towns. They emphasised the potential benefits that increased local authority powers to generate revenue could bring. However, the government confirmed that it has no plans to implement such a levy in England.

The Public Accounts Committee published a report on ‘Collecting the right tax from wealthy individuals’ this week, criticising HMRC for not knowing how many billionaires pay tax in the UK or how much they pay.

MPs and campaigners have published a report calling for tougher penalties on tax dodging, greater scrutiny of tax reliefs and compulsory membership of a professional body for tax advisers.

Tackling tax crime is a tough job, and ministers and HMRC will need a “laser focus” if they are to clamp down on non-compliance. Simon York, until 2023 Director of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, was giving the 2025 Chartered Tax Advisers Address, where he argued that greater collaboration across government and the private sector, more effective use of data and intelligence and a more aggressive focus on the enablers of tax evasion would maintain fairness and trust in the UK’s tax system.

Tourist taxes in Wales moved a step closer this week as Members of the Senedd (MS’s) debated the Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill. A total of 98 amendments were proposed, with some of the key issues discussed including flexibility for local authorities, exemption for various groups and the timeline for the levy’s implementation.

MPs voiced concern about the current VAT threshold, suggesting that it creates a cliff edge for growth. The government responded by saying that the UK’s VAT threshold is the highest in Europe and the joint highest in the OECD, and that views are divided among businesses over its level.