Readers’ forum: Output tax

Our firm completes the VAT returns for a UK-based subsidiary of an overseas company. It sells buckets and accessories to wholesalers.

There is also a separate UK subsidiary which sells buckets and accessories to the hotel sector and is also VAT registered.

We recently submitted a VAT return to HMRC for the first company approved by the client but a senior overseas director has now told us that the return included ten sales invoices issued by the wrong company.

These invoices showed the name and address of the first company its VAT number and its bank details for payment. The customers paid the invoices and did not raise any queries which is strange.

The client has asked us to transfer the VAT charged on these invoices to the return of the second company by treating them as errors on...