While no date for the new guidance has yet been set, HMRC has announced the creation of a Landfill Tax Hotline with a phone number where enquiries can be made.
A spokesman for HMRC said: “We have set up a direct dial phone number to deal with any issues regarding the recently published landfill tax Revenue & Customs briefs.”
He said that anyone with questions should call 0161 827 0233 during normal office hours (9am to 5pm Monday to Friday) or alternatively leave a message for a next working day call-back.
The creation of the hotline comes in the wake of ongoing concerns from some landfill operators and notably waste transfer station operators and skip hire businesses. They considered they would face sharp increases in tax costs which would have to be passed on to customers and would also see tax rises for material they had on their transfer station sites.
Misunderstanding
On 18 May HMRC publishedits firstfirst brief was then followed by a second brief. HMRC put the publication of the second brief down to widespread “misunderstanding of the original brief we published”. The second brief,
In a statement today, HMRC said: “HMRC is committed to resolving any misunderstandings and is now working closely with Defra, the Environment Agency and the industry to produce additional guidance on the evidential requirements to ensure the correct rate of landfill tax is applied. Until this guidance is published, if you have any questions, please contact HMRC using the telephone number above.”
Industry
Commenting on the hotline Richard Hunt, of the Plant and Waste Recycling Show (PAWRS), told letsrecycle.com that he was pleased the HMRC was taking action. He said: “I think it is a good thing. The problem is there are so many issues surrounding this that the HMRC needs to do something. Its a good idea because people will be flooding the HMRC with their queries to try to resolve the problems.”
However Mr Hunt said the industry is still waiting for clarification on what is classed as contaminated waste.
Subscribe for free