News
Spring Budget 2023 - Childcare changes
16/03/2023
One of the main areas targeted by the Spring Budget was changes to childcare. Billed as a revolution in childcare, the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, said that he wanted to reform the childcare system to help more than a million women come back to work.
The 30-hours per week of funded childcare for eligible 3 to 4-year-olds in England will be
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Spring Budget 2023 - Capital allowances
16/03/2023
Designed in part to help offset the increased Corporation Tax main rate, the Chancellor announced the introduction of a new ground-breaking 100% first-year capital allowance for qualifying plant and machinery assets. This measure is also expected to help boost business investment and growth.
The new measure, known as full expensing, will
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Spring Budget 2023 - Energy Price Guarantee
16/03/2023
The Chancellor had previously announced that the energy price guarantee cap, which will see the average household have their energy bills capped at £2,500 a year, would remain in place until the 31 March 2023. It was announced as part of the Spring Budget measures that this cap will now be extended for a further 3-months until 30 June
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Spring Budget 2023 - Pension changes
16/03/2023
One of the key measures of the Spring Budget was the announcement that the £40,000 cap on annual pension contributions will be increased by 50% to £60,000 from 6 April 2023. Tax relief for contributions to pension schemes is given at a taxpayer’s marginal rate of Income Tax and is subject to the increased underlying limits. Taxpayers will
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Spring Budget 2023 - Alcohol and Tobacco Duty
16/03/2023
As part of the Budget measures the Chancellor confirmed that the duty rates on beers, spirits, wines and ciders will increase in line with the retail price index (RPI). These rates will increase from 1 August 2023.
The Chancellor did announce some help for the hospitality industry by increasing the Draught Relief duty differential from
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Spring Budget 2023 - Creative industry tax reliefs
16/03/2023
As part of the Spring Budget measures, the Chancellor announced that the government will extend the temporary higher rates for Theatre Tax Relief (TTR), Orchestra Tax Relief (OTR) and Museums and Galleries Exhibitions Tax Relief (MGETR) for two further years from 1 April 2023.
These reliefs are part of a collection of creative industry
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Spring Budget 2023 - Social investment tax relief to end
16/03/2023
It was confirmed as part of the Spring Budget announcements that the Social investment tax relief (SITR) scheme will end as planned on 5 April 2023. New investments made on or after 6 April 2023 will no longer qualify for Income and Capital Gains Tax relief. The scheme was initially introduced to encourage individuals to support social
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Spring Budget summary 2023
15/03/2023
As expected, the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, resisted pressure to reduce taxes in any significant way, and the majority of his announced changes were already in the public domain. According to the Chancellor, the UK economy is on track to grow in the coming year with inflation halving.
We have listed any new variations in the UK tax rates,
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New UK Data Protection rules
13/03/2023
The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill was first introduced last Summer and paused in September 2022 so ministers could engage in a co-design process with business leaders and data experts - ensuring that the new regime built on the UK’s high standards for data protection and privacy, and seeks to ensure data adequacy while
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Get information about a company
09/03/2023
There is a significant amount of information about companies that can be obtained from Companies House. Companies House is responsible for incorporating and dissolving limited companies, examining and storing company information and making company information available to the public.
Much of this information is freely available. This is
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National Insurance if working abroad
09/03/2023
If you move abroad, it can often be advantageous to continue paying your UK National Insurance Contributions (NICs) in order to preserve your entitlement to the State Pension and other benefits.
If you are working in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland the rules depend on your situation.
The main rules are as
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Adding employees to a workplace pension scheme
09/03/2023
Automatic enrolment for workplace pensions has helped many employees make a start on providing for their retirement with the advantage that employers and government are also contributing to their pension pot.
The law states that employers must automatically enrol workers into a workplace pension if they are aged between 22 and State
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NIC and company directors
09/03/2023
Directors are classed as employees and pay National Insurance on annual income from salary and bonuses that exceed the Primary Threshold. The annual threshold is pro-rated to £11,908 this year following the increase to £12,570 from 6 July 2022 (£9,880 from 6 April 2022 - 5 July 2022). The primary threshold from 6 April 2023 will be
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Valuing an estate for IHT purposes
09/03/2023
Inheritance Tax (IHT) is levied on a person’s estate when they die and can also be payable during a person’s lifetime on certain trusts and gifts. The rate of Inheritance Tax payable is 40% on death and 20% on lifetime gifts.
The current IHT nil rate band is £325,000 per person, below which no IHT is payable. This is the amount that can
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Corporation tax from 1 April 2023
09/03/2023
Barring any unforeseen changes being announced at next week’s Budget, the Corporation Tax main rate will increase to 25% from 1 April 2023 for companies with profits over £250,000. A Small Profits Rate (SPR) of 19% will also be introduced from the same date for companies with profits of up to £50,000, ensuring these companies pay
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Why credit control is vital
06/03/2023
The ultimate financial objective of most trading companies is to convert their supply of goods and services into cash - deposits in their bank account.
However, when goods are sold on credit, and you give customers time to pay, there is a delay in the cash conversion process, and for a period of time your cash proceeds of sale stay in
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Incentive to invest
06/03/2023
Next week, 15 March, the Chancellor will deliver his first Spring Budget. It will provide an opportunity to cushion companies from the effects of the Corporation Tax (CT) increase to 25% and the withdrawal of the 130% Super-Deduction; both timed for the 1 April 2023.
Although any large-scale tax cuts may be off the table, the Chancellor
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Scottish Winter Payments Support
02/03/2023
The Scottish Winter Heating Payment is a new Scottish Government benefit that replaces the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Cold Weather Payment. It can be claimed by eligible claimants on low incomes living in Scotland from 1 November 2022. The Cold Weather Payment is paid to eligible individuals on benefits in England and Wales.
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New VAT penalty regime
02/03/2023
The first monthly returns and payments affected by HMRC’s new VAT penalty regime are due by 7 March 2023. The new rules apply to the late submission and / or late payments of VAT returns for VAT return periods beginning on or after 1 January 2023.
Under the new regime, there are separate penalties for late VAT returns and late payment
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Still time to claim Marriage Allowance
02/03/2023
HMRC is reminding married couples and those in civil partnerships that there is still time to sign up for marriage allowance before the end of the current tax year (5 April 2023) if they are eligible and haven’t yet claimed.
The marriage allowance applies to married couples and those in a civil partnership where a spouse or civil partner
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Tax when you sell shares
02/03/2023
Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is normally charged at a simple flat rate of 20% when you sell shares unless they are in a CGT free investment such as an ISA or qualifying pension.
If you only pay basic rate tax and make a small capital gain, you may only be subject to a reduced CGT rate of 10%. Once the total of your taxable income and gains
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What is a Share Incentive Plan?
02/03/2023
Share Incentive Plans (SIPs) were first introduced in July 2000 to give employees tax and NICs savings when they buy or are given shares in the company they work for.
Provided all the qualifying conditions are met, shares which are obtained under a SIP are not liable to Income Tax or NICs at the time they are acquired and there is no CGT
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National Living Wage rates from April 2023
02/03/2023
New National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) rates come into effect on 1 April 2023.
The new rate for the NLW will be £10.42 which will represent a 92p increase over the current rate. The NLW is the minimum hourly rate that must be paid to those aged 23 or over. The hourly rate of the NMW (for 21-22 year olds) will
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Bereavement Support Payment
27/02/2023
The amount of Bereavement Support Payment you can claim will depend on your relationship to the person who died and when you make your claim.
Your payments will be paid into your bank, building society or credit union account.
If you were married or in a registered civil partnership with the person who died
If you were receiving Child
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Breaking even – checking the numbers
27/02/2023
In previous newsfeeds we have described how you can calculate the level of turnover you need to create in order to meet all your costs whether they be fixed costs (rent, rates etc.,) or variable costs (goods you need to buy to convert into goods you sell).
For example, if your fixed costs are £50,000 per annum and your gross profit (the
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The digital pound
23/02/2023
A new consultation has been published jointly by HM Treasury and the Bank of England to consider the launch of a potential digital pound, or central bank digital currency (CBDC). The possible new digital pound has also been referred to as ‘digital sterling’ and ‘Britcoin’.
The digital pound would be a new type of money issued by the Bank
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VAT – transfer of business as a going concern
23/02/2023
The transfer of a business as a going concern (TOGC) rules concern the VAT liability of the sale of a business. Normally the sale of the assets of a VAT registered or VAT registerable business will be subject to VAT at the appropriate rate.
Where the sale of a business includes assets and meets certain conditions, the sale will be
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Beneficial loans that are exempt
23/02/2023
An employee can obtain a benefit when provided with an employment-related cheap or interest-free loan. The benefit is the difference between the interest the employee pays, if any, and the commercial rate the employee would have to pay on a loan obtained elsewhere. These types of loans are referred to as beneficial loans.
There are a
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Miscellaneous benefits in kind
23/02/2023
The list of miscellaneous company benefits that can be provided tax-free to employees is quite short. However, some of the benefits that can be provided include the following:
Medical insurance or medical treatment for employees working abroad.
One annual medical health check and / or health-screening assessment.
Exempt loans to
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Properties not let at commercial rates
23/02/2023
There are special rules where a property is let at less than a commercial rate or isn’t let on commercial terms. These rules also apply if a property is occupied rent free or at less than a commercial rate, for example, a property is occupied by a family member at a reduced or nil rent.
In these circumstances, HMRC can take the view that
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