In his recent Budget, the UK Chancellor announced his decision to abolish 43 tax reliefs.  This followed the independent Office of Tax Simplification’s (OTS) March 2011 report reviewing the number and complexity of tax reliefs in the UK tax system.  The original report identified 1,042 reliefs.

HM Treasury are now seeking additional evidence on the impacts of removing 36 of these reliefs, and comments on the transitional arrangements that might help to minimise these impacts.   The consultation can be found on the HM Treasury website and closes on 31 August 2011.

89 inheritance tax reliefs were identified in the interim report.   The consultation recommends that a full review of inheritance tax is undertaken rather than a separate review of the reliefs identified.

Age UK claimed in a report published today that care and support for older people in England has reached breaking point.   The report claims that 800,000 people who currently need care receive no formal support from the state or private sector agencies.

A copy of the report can be found here.

The Scottish Government is reviewing the current financial limits regarding Prior Rights of a surviving spouse or civil partner on intestacy and Confirmation to small estates.

Scottish Borders Council has voted to increase what it charges for the purchase of a burial plot for 2011-12.  The cost will rise from £284 to £450.  The reason given was that Scottish Borders Council was charging significantly less than the average charged by Scottish local authorities.

Tax reliefs for charities and donors were worth £3.34bn in 2010/11,according to HM Revenue & Customs.

Figures published last week show charities received £2.56bn in tax relief, up from £2.48bn 2009/10.

The figures include £1.1bn in Gift Aid, up from £1.03bn in the previous year, and £1.16bn in business rate relief, up from £1.14bn in the previous year. Reliefs for donors rose to £780m from £740m.  The largest personal reliefs were inheritance tax relief, up to £340m from £320m in the previous year, and higher-rate relief on Gift Aid, up to £350m from £330m.

VAT reliefs were estimated to be worth £200m, but this figure is rounded to the nearest £50m and has remained unchanged since 2003.  Third Sector online 5 May 2011

Over the next few months HM Revenue & Customs is to rewrite all of its guidance for charities.

HMRC has published new guidance on mourning costs that can be deducted against IHT

The Scottish Law Commission has published another in its series of discussion papers on trust law, the 8th since 2003. The commission is working on a draft Trusts (Scotland) Bill to replace the existing 1921 legislation and is consulting until 1 July 2011.

A probate executive has received a 30 month jail sentence for estate fraud.  She embezzled £100,000 from four elderly clients of her employer in Hove, East Sussex.

From 6 April 2011 the DOTAS (disclosure of tax avoidance schemes) regime applies to inheritance tax planning, including lifetime transfers to trusts.