The UK’s business groups largely welcomed the measures taken in the Chancellor’s Spring Budget. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) branded the Budget as a ‘strong second act’ in Mr Hunt’s plan for stability and growth. Matthew Fell, Interim Director General of the CBI, said: ‘The CBI called for action on people and productivity and… Read more…

HMRC recently issued preliminary guidance in regard to the abolition of the pensions lifetime allowance. At the Spring Budget, Chancellor Hunt announced that the lifetime allowance charge will be removed from 6 April 2023. The allowance will be fully abolished from the 2024/25 tax year via a future Finance Bill, HMRC said. HMRC states that… Read more…

Interest rates have been increased to 4.25% from 4% by the Bank of England (BoE) as it tries to slow rising prices. The BoE’s decision to increase rates for the 11th time in a row comes after figures showed that the cost of living has risen by more than expected. Data published recently by the… Read more…

HMRC has revised interest rates with late payment bills charged 6.75% from 13 April, the highest level since January 2008. The late payment and repayment interest rates follow the rise in the Bank of England base rate to 4.25% on 23 March and are applied to the main taxes and duties that HMRC currently charges… Read more…

The government has extended the voluntary national insurance deadline to give taxpayers more time to fill gaps in their contributions and boost their state pensions. The extension comes after members of the public voiced concerns over the previous deadline of 5 April 2023. As part of transitional arrangements to the new state pension, taxpayers have… Read more…

Two freeports have been confirmed for Wales by the UK and Welsh governments. Celtic Freeport, covering Milford Haven and Port Talbot, and Anglesey Freeport will each be backed by £26 million in seed funding by the UK government. The sites were chosen to exploit opportunities from renewable energies and the government said they would ‘make… Read more…

The end of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) on 1 April could threaten the future of hundreds of thousands of small firms, according to research by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The Energy Bill Discount Scheme (EBDS) offers a far lower level of support for small businesses. Although market prices have stabilised for… Read more…