Statement from Jo Maugham About The Good Law Project And Uber’s VAT.

Way back in April 2017, we the Good Law Project, announced we were going to take on HMRC's failure to assess Uber to VAT "tens or hundreds of millions of pounds every year" which corroded public trust in HMRC and the establishment generally.

It's been quite a scrap.

There have been lows - like us spending all the money we raised in the crowdfunder trying to get a protective costs order - and failing. 

And there have been highs - like us persuading the High Court that a frankly fairly spineless HMRC was allowed to do what the legislation plainly allowed it to do and tell us that it had belatedly assessed Uber. 

We knew it had assessed Uber because, at the same time as Uber's lawyers told the High Court it was wildly confidential that Uber had been asked to pay its share, Uber's Chief Exec was privately briefing journalists it had (now) been assessed to VAT.

And there have been more lows, like last week when the Court of Appeal refused us permission to bring our judicial review against HMRC.

But there have also been greater highs like the fact that Uber's accounts now confirm that HMRC has assessed Uber to VAT on gross bookings. Which is all we ever wanted.

So it's been a long, bumpy and (at least for @GoodLawProject) expensive ride - if you'll allow me the metaphor - but we reached our destination. I am really proud that we forced HMRC, belatedly, to act.

I just need to thank the various lawyers - George Peretz QC, Jack Anderson, Hui Ling McCarthy QC, Christopher Knight, David Greene, Vikram Sachdeva QC and Alex Rook - who helped out, most for even less than the smell of an oily rag, along the way.

My guess now is that HMRC and Uber have agreed to delay a hearing of Uber's appeal against HMRC's assessment until the outcome of the Supreme Court decision in Aslam & Others v Uber is known. But that's just a guess.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT : From Grant Davis. 

Great News that Uber will finally have to pay VAT

The fact that we at the LCDC donated £3k to start the legal action hopefully shows that the Club will financially help fund action we believe is right and has a chance.