“…there are a considerable number of common issues and facts as between the various appellants…in all the appeals, the FTT will need to decide whether the contracts entered into were genuine CFDs within the meaning of the legislation which will require consideration of common issues.”
“…despite some diversity in the implementation of the scheme, there is sufficient commonality for a decision in one or more of the GSOP appeals to be of material assistance in determining the other cases.”
“… that must include shortening the length of hearings. It must also include decreasing the risk of multiple tribunals deciding the same issues, and particularly to avoid the risk of FTT tribunals in different hearings coming to different conclusions on the same issue.”
“The difficulties which are likely to arise are where the parties dispute whether the facts in the related cases are sufficiently similar such that the decision on law in the lead case actually applies and binds the related case. Nevertheless, it seems to me that even this is a fairly weak objection in that Tribunals and courts regularly have to decide whether a case is distinguishable on the facts in order to decide whether the decision on the law by a superior court is binding.”