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Private equity tax - put Gordon Brown in the dock

The moment private equity boss Nicholas Ferguson said that highly-paid executives in his industry pay a lower rate of tax that a cleaning lady, it was clear things were going to turn nasty.

Put your questions to the Revenue

We’re all used to being subjected to uncomfortable questioning by the taxman, but here’s your chance to turn the tables.

To coincide with the expected announcement of a tax amnesty for offshore savers (an unprecedented move in the UK) HM Revenue & Customs has agreed to an exclusive interview with the Sunday Times.

And we want to know the sort of questions you want answered.

To submit a question....

IHT - £160,00 Required

Back in days of the mid-1990s, Blur and Oasis were 24-hour party people, basking in the era of Britpop, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were gearing up to snatch number 10 Downing Street from the Tories and Take That were massive –it would appear they still are. Also the inheritance tax threshold was a pint sized £154,000.

Celebrate your freedom...

This Saturday, June 3 marks "Tax Freedom Day", the theoretical date at which the average British taxpayer has earned enough to cover their annual tax bill. The date is three days later than in 2005 and nine days later than in 1997 when the Labour government came to power. At that rate of growth we will all be slaves to the state before the end of the next century.

Why you can't trust Labour

The chancellor seems to have no understanding of the reality of hard-working families up and down the country, if his budget crackdown on trusts is anything to go by.

Labour thinks trusts are used only by the very wealthy to avoid inheritance tax (IHT), but this is simply not the case.

Battle over trusts

The Chancellor's plans to alter the tax treatment of some trusts has led to an outcry in the legal and accountancy worlds.

Stamp out stamp duty

The calls for the Chancellor to overhaul the stamp-duty regime in his Budget tomorrow are getting louder.

Filing online - I take it all back

Last week, I wrote a blog praising online self assessment (see A heartwarming tale for dark winter nights). Well, I've tried to use the system again, and I take back everything I said.

Tax terror – a true-life horror story

When you receive your payslip every month, do you ever check that you’re paying the correct tax?

If you’re like me you take a quick glance and, if the figures look similar to last month, quickly file it, throw it under the bed or bin it.

But, last week, the experience of a friend of mine provided a valuable and colourful – his language was very colourful – illustration of why it pays to check your payslip from time to time.

A heartwarming tale for dark winter nights

As a journalist on Sunday Times Money, I spend most of my time highlighting the latest scams, rip-offs and bad practices that litter the world of personal finance. It can be an unpleasant world provoking despair, anger and exasperation in equal measure.

But occasionally I come across something that is so good that even I have to smile. Something that is so useful that it can make the dark, dank days of January seem brighter.

Give to charity - not the taxman

Many people will wake up on Christmas morning to find themselves the lucky recipients of a goat, a toilet or a donkey.

Tax terror

I apologise. I am about to pour icy water all over your Christmas preperations, destroy your festive cheer and make you weep into your mince pies. And all I have to do is mention two little words - self-assessment. Yes, the 31 January deadline is approaching.