Reflections on the tax legislation day announcements

Idon’t know about you but I am completely lost as to where we are in the Budget/Finance Bill/Autumn Statement/draft Finance Bill etc cycle. In the ‘good old days’ (remember them?) we had one blockbuster budget day a year after which we could relax for another 12 months whereas now there is a never-ending treadmill.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. After all the profession has consistently called for more consultation over Budget measures so we can hardly complain when the government gives us the opportunity to comment. But it would have been nice to be able to enjoy the summer weather for a few weeks before having to put our thinking caps on again. At least nothing in these announcements will have immediate effect so that is a small relief. But they do give a good sense of the direction of...