Further to the report on 30 January 2019, the Chancellor of the Exchequer presented his Spring Statement 2019 to Parliament on 13 March 2019.
Pursuant to the Statement, the following consultations were launched on 13 March 2019:
- a consultation on infrastructure finance which seeks to ensure high levels of private investment on UK infrastructure projects. The consultation runs to 5 June 2019;
- a consultation on the key features of the Structures and Buildings Allowance (draft secondary legislation), presented at the Budget 2018, which seeks to support business investment to develop new structural assets and enhance tax reliefs in relation to those assets. The consultation runs to 24 April 2019;
- a consultation on the new energy efficiency scheme for SMEs which runs to 8 May 2019; and
- a consultation on the decommissioning industry, seeking views from interested parties on how the UK decommissioning industry should work and how to encourage domestic industry to export its expertise abroad, making the United Kingdom a leading hub for decommissioning. The consultation runs to 8 May 2019.
The Chancellor added that the consultation on helping businesses to improve the way they use energy had been concluded on 26 September 2018.
The following relevant publications were also announced by the Chancellor:
- the Tackling tax avoidance, evasion and other forms on non-compliance policy paper. The paper details HMRC strategy and approach to compliance for different taxpayers in order to ensure that all the taxpayers pay their fair share of tax;
- the No Safe Havens 2019 strategy. The strategy develops the HRMC objectives to fight against tax avoidance and tax evasion in offshore locations;
- the Unlocking digital competition report of the Digital Competition Expert Panel. The report includes recommendations made to improve the United Kingdom's competition framework on the digital markets (in the United Kingdom and internationally); and
- the Review of the Aggregates Levy discussion paper. The Aggregates Levy is an environmental tax implemented to reduce the extraction of fresh aggregate (rock, sand and gravel as bulk fill in construction). The government seeks a review of the Aggregates Levy in order to do potential reforms to improve its effectiveness.