Homeward bound?

The spotlight of media scrutiny has been closely applied to MPs and their expenses claims during recent weeks, following the disclosure of parliamentary expenses records to the Daily Telegraph. The political fallout from the publication of these records has been significant, leading to the suspension of MPs by their parties, announcements that some MPs will stand down at the next general election and to some MPs repaying amounts claimed. One effect of this media reporting has been to bring the tax position of MPs into focus both in respect of the income tax treatment of their expenses and the capital gains tax (CGT) position of their homes.

Before considering the tax position of MPs, it is worth noting that the tax returns of MPs are dealt with by a special HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) unit based in Cardiff known as “Public Departments 1”. MPs are considered by HMRC to be likely to have complicated tax affairs and the HMRC guidance