Capital Tax Digest Review from TaxationWeb

Reviewed by Mark McLaughlin ATII ATT TEP

CAPITAL TAX REVIEW - A Quarterly Update for Professional Advisers of Private Clients (calendar year 2006) £80 + VAT = £94 You can also order the 2004 and/or 2005 back issues of the Capital Tax Review at half price (4 issues) £80 + VAT = £94 £40 + VAT = £47 security privacy refunds TaxationWeb Ltd., 6 Coleby Avenue, Peel Hall, Manchester M22 5HH, UK; +33 (0)493 652 160; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

It is probably difficult enough for capital taxes specialists to keep abreast of developments in their field. After all, there is plenty of ground to cover. But for those (myself included) who are required to keep up-to-date with new tax developments generally, life is fast becoming a nightmare! So when Capital Tax Review ('CTR') was introduced at the beginning of 2003 it certainly seemed to fill a gap in the market (for which yours truly was very grateful!). CTR is a quarterly digest for private client practitioners of developments in the field of capital taxation and estate planning.

Matthew Hutton originally devised CTR. He needs no introduction to those involved in capital taxes work. His six round-the-country Estate Planning (and more recently Stamp Duty Land Tax) conferences are very informative and provide excellent value for money. The conference notes are probably the most comprehensive I have ever seen. In fact, Matthew devised CTR as an 'add on' feature for delegates at his Estate Planning conferences, to enable them to keep in touch with developments through the year, particularly for those who are not members of firms with ready access to such information.

Contents

CTR is divided into separate sections, dealing with capital gains tax, inheritance tax, stamp duties and miscellaneous matters. It includes case reports, new and proposed legislation, Inland Revenue Statements, points of practice and so on. I particularly like the case report format, consisting of the 'facts', 'decision' and 'comment'. They are brief and not only direct the reader straight to the heart of the issue, but also include the full case reference for more in-depth reading if required.

In fact, CTR should be of great assistance to the busy practitioner, by drawing recent developments in an easy-to-digest format and ensuring that the latest news on capital tax issues is always at hand. Each item in CTR has an introductory 'context' paragraph and a concluding 'comment' paragraph. The latter is particularly useful because it tends to indicate practical applications or implications of the subject matter. The derivation or source of each item is also provided, allowing the reader to cross-refer to that material.

Cost

CTR is issued four times a year, at the beginning of January, April, July and October and covers developments over the quarters ended 31 December, 31 March, 30 June and 30 September respectively. CTR is available by e-mail only, so that it can be kept in hard copy and/or copied to other members of the firm. The cost is �80 plus VAT to cover a year's subscription. For such a neat, convenient way of keeping up-to-date with capital tax developments, this must surely represent excellent value for money.

The Verdict

CTR is, in my view, a very useful, time-efficient, cost-effective method of staying on top of developments in the area of capital taxation and estate planning. It is a concise, 'no-frills' source of information, written and presented in a manner that is easy to understand and follow. I see CTR as being particularly invaluable to professionals who do not necessarily specialise in capital taxes, but who nevertheless require regular updating in that area. If someone would only produce similar publications on personal tax, business tax, indirect taxes etc, my life would be infinitely more tolerable! In conclusion, CTR comes highly recommended.

More Information
Capital Tax Review (CTR) : product description

Mark McLaughlin
January 2004

Article Added Thursday, 09 October 2008

Your attention is drawn to the disclaimer on this site, which applies to the content in this section.