Economy Legislation
Regulations governing economic policy, monetary matters, taxation, public spending, and market regulation.
The Caribbean Development Bank (Eleventh Replenishment of the Special Development Fund (Unified)) Order 2026
The Order approved the UK Government making a contribution of up to £21 million to the Caribbean Development Bank's Special Development Fund (Unified) and authorised the redemption of associated notes.
This statutory instrument, The Caribbean Development Bank (Eleventh Replenishment of the Special Development Fund (Unified)) Order 2026, formally approves the Secretary of State making payments on behalf of the UK Government, up to £21 million, as a further contribution to the Caribbean Development Bank's Special Development Fund (Unified) for its eleventh replenishment cycle, pursuant to a resolution adopted in March 2025 and exercising powers granted under the International Development Act 2002.
The Finance (No. 2) Act 2017, Sections 60 and 61 (Digital Reporting and Record-Keeping) (Appointed Day and Revocations) Regulations 2026
These regulations appointed April 1st, 2026, as the day sections 60(1) to (3) and 61(2) to (5) of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2017 came into force for digital reporting and record-keeping, and revoked earlier commencement orders from 2021 and 2024.
These 2026 Regulations, made by the Treasury, formally appoint April 1st, 2026, as the commencement date for subsections 60(1) to (3) and 61(2) to (5) of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2017, which introduce new provisions for digital reporting and record-keeping into the Taxes Management Act 1970.
Concurrently, the regulations revoke the earlier 2021 and 2024 regulations concerning the appointed day for these specific digital tax measures.
The Scotland Act 2016, Section 18 (Disapplication of UK Aggregates Levy) (Appointed Day) Regulations 2026
The Regulations appointed April 1, 2026, as the date when the UK Aggregates Levy ceases to apply in Scotland under the provisions of the Scotland Act 2016.
These Regulations, made by HM Treasury, formally establish 1st April 2026 as the appointed day for the commencement of amendments made under Section 18 and Schedule 1 of the Scotland Act 2016, which will stop applying the UK Aggregates Levy to the commercial exploitation of aggregate occurring within Scotland on or after that date.
The Regulations established mandatory approvals for vaping product production and storage, defined volume measurement and packaging rules, specified duty payment and return schedules, detailed spoilt product management, introduced a duty stamp system with associated approvals and scanning requirements, and made consequential amendments to related customs and excise legislation.
These Regulations establish the comprehensive statutory framework governing vaping products under the new excise duty regime enacted by the Finance Act 2026, detailing mandatory approval requirements for production and storage, specifying procedures for volume measurement and retail packaging, setting out rules for the payment of duty, and establishing the critical framework around the use, scanning, activation, and management of mandatory duty stamps, including transitional arrangements and modifications to existing excise legislation concerning movement and drawback.
The Vaping Duty Stamps (Requirements, Reviews and Appeals) Regulations 2026
The Regulations established fixed deadlines for stamping existing vaping stock, linked ongoing stamping requirements to the excise duty point, defined explicit exemptions, and integrated new provisions for review and appeal concerning UK representatives into existing finance legislation.
These Regulations, made by HM Revenue and Customs under the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018 and the Finance Act 2026, mandate specific requirements for placing duty stamps on vaping products, establishing that products produced or imported before October 1, 2026, must be stamped by April 1, 2027, while those produced afterward must be stamped at or before the excise duty point.
The rules detail several exemptions, including products for personal import or export, and they also amend the Finance Act 1994 to ensure that review and appeal processes apply to decisions concerning United Kingdom representatives related to the new vaping duty structure.
The Order imposed a levy on construction industry employers for defined levy periods between 2026 and 2028, detailing assessment methods, payment terms, and appeal rights for the Construction Industry Training Board.
The Industrial Training Levy (Construction Industry Training Board) Order 2026 establishes a mandatory levy scheme to fund the expenses of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), effective from March 25, 2026, and applicable across England, Wales, and Scotland.
It outlines the specific levy periods (three periods spanning from the commencement date through to March 2028), defines criteria for determining which employers ('construction establishments') are liable based on their engagement duration and financial activities (emoluments and contract payments over defined 'base periods'), and sets out calculation rates (0.35% of emoluments and 1.25% of relevant contract payments).
The Order also details exemptions for organizations below a £150,000 threshold, procedures for assessment notices, payment deadlines, mechanisms for assessment withdrawal or amendment, and the process and time limits for employers to appeal assessments.
The Regulations applied specified sections of PACE, with modifications, to enforcement officers investigating labour market offences in England and Wales, and revoked the previous 2017 rules.
These Regulations apply selected provisions of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE)—which typically govern police officers—to enforcement officers appointed under the Employment Rights Act 2025 when they investigate 'labour market offences' across England and Wales, replacing previous 2017 regulations and detailing numerous specific modifications to ensure PACE powers like stop and search, entry, seizure of evidence, and arrest procedures operate correctly within the context of these specialist investigators, including mandatory transfer of arrested persons and seized material to the police upon custody commencement.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 (Enforcement) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2026
The Regulations amended multiple statutory instruments, including those concerning employment agencies, gangmaster licensing appeals, and proceeds of crime investigations, to replace references to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority with the Secretary of State, following provisions in the Employment Rights Act 2025.
These Regulations, operating under the powers granted by the Employment Rights Act 2025, make necessary consequential amendments to various pieces of secondary legislation to align them with the new enforcement structure established by the 2025 Act, chiefly involving the transfer of functions previously held by the now-abolished Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) to the Secretary of State and integrating new enforcement officers into regulatory and financial investigation frameworks.