In brief

Christmas returns

HMRC received 1 944 self-assessment tax returns on Christmas Day 100 fewer than the year before. Another 6 200 were submitted on Boxing Day. The number of people filing their return on New Year’s Eve fell in 2016 from 31 December 2015: 16 156 as opposed to 24 546. But more individuals sent their return on New Year’s Day: 13 054 – up 1 587 on 2016. HMRC reported that the total submitted for the six days from 23 to 28 December was 90 853 and the busiest day between Christmas and new year was Friday 30 December (34 166).

Tax credits

Tax credit claimants who submitted estimates of their 2015-16 income must update the figures by 31 January to ensure they receive the right amount of support.

Hungarian VAT

On 1 January Hungary cut its VAT rate for...