The government has confirmed that deferred bonuses will not fall under its new tough tax avoidance regulations.

Last December, the Treasury revealed plans to close the loophole that let bankers avoid paying income tax on their bonuses by making use of offshore employee benefit trusts (EBT). However, this new ruling would mean that genuine deferred bonuses, i.e. those paid over several years, would attract income tax.

HMRC has confirmed that it is altering the draft wording so that regulations are only applicable to arrangements that involve a third party and seek to reduce, defer or avoid income tax. Bonus arrangements will not be taxable provided they are subject to fulfilment conditions, have a specified vesting date and are not intended primarily to defer tax.

Meanwhile, banks might have to provide detailed information to the Treasury Select Committee about corporation tax remittances after Barclays Bank admitted that it paid only 2.4% in 2009.

Banks may be asked to remove payroll taxes from their bill after Barclays revealed that just £113 million out of the total tax paid was corporation tax. The bank made a profit of £4.6 billion and that figure excludes the money received from selling Barclays Global Investors.

MPs were angered when Barclays justified its actions by offsetting the toxic debt losses it incurred during the economic crisis against its British tax bill.

Lord Oakeshott, the former Treasury spokesman for the Lib Dems, said he was going to ask HMRC to disclose the degree to which banks stick to the code whereby they agree to comply with tax regulations as corporate citizens.

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The Netherlands could be just the place for recruiters to go if they want to expand their business into mainland Europe.

Recruiters attending a seminar last week in London were told that the Netherlands is a business-friendly country to operate in and comes with the added bonus that nearly 9 out of 10 people speak English.

Speakers attending the seminar came from the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency and the Bluestone and Yellowstone accountancy firms. They reminded recruiters that there are big differences in work culture and employment law between the two nations but they should not see that as a barrier.

Complying with legal and tax regulations can cause major headaches for businesses in the Netherlands but on the plus side corporate tax is due to decrease next year from 25.5% to 25% for companies with a turnover of more than £175,000.

Recruiters looking for success in foreign markets need to be fully prepared, said Edward Oakden when he spoke at the REC convention earlier this week.

He pointed out that it pays to research the market and although it takes time and money to accomplish this it’s worth it as long as you know exactly what you’re aiming for. As well as researching your market on the Internet, Oakden recommends visiting the country concerned.

Europe and the US are crucial markets but countries such as Brazil, Mexico and Singapore are now starting to look highly attractive to staffing companies in the UK.

This advice was borne out by Crescenzi Consulting’s Gareth Reynolds who stressed the importance attached to preparation and the need to carry out due diligence. He pointed out that without the right business model, company structure and contracts, recruiters could face heavy fines.

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