The recent victory for HMRC in HMRC v The Rank Group PLC [2013] EWCA Civ 1289 was the result of a new argument put forward for the first time in the Court of Appeal as to the VAT treatment of the slot machines in dispute. The decision demonstrates that the meaning of terms in VAT legislation will often carry the same meaning as similar terms used in regulatory law, particularly when it is clear the draftsman had that intention. However, this is not the end of the road by any means for Rank, and leave to appeal to the Supreme Court has already been sought.
