Red tape, rising costs and increasing regulation are holding back exports, a survey of UK businesses carried out by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has found. Current customs checks and declarations present ‘barriers to exporting’, according to 49% of firms polled. An additional 40% of businesses said taxes and duties are other areas of concern.… Read more…

With less than a month to go to the self assessment deadline 5.7 million taxpayers have been urged to file their 2022/23 tax returns by HMRC. HMRC data shows almost 6.5 million customers have already beaten the self assessment clock by filing their tax return. This includes 49,317 taxpayers who used the New Year holiday… Read more…

HMRC recently updated its guidance on off payroll working compliance for employers. The new guidance sets out ‘practical steps’ for organisations to follow. It affects employers who are responsible for operating off payroll working rules and who engage workers who provide their services through their own intermediary. The guidance states that organisations should apply the new guidelines… Read more…

The UK is at risk of recession after revised figures showed the economy shrank between July and September, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Gross domestic product, which measures the health of the economy, contracted by 0.1% after previous estimates suggested growth has been flat. Meanwhile, there was zero growth between… Read more…

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will deliver the 2024 Spring Budget on 6 March, the government has confirmed. The Budget will include the government’s tax and spending plans as well as new growth and borrowing forecasts. It could be the last chance for the government to announce significant changes to tax policy before the general election. The… Read more…

Many businesses continue to embrace outsourcing as a modern solution. Employing a third-party organisation, group or individual to complete a specific task within the business. Whilst outsourcing takes many different forms, with business owners delegating tasks such as customer service and marketing- it’s often payroll which proves most popular. This is unsurprising as payroll can… Read more…

We are proud to announce that our very own Anjulika Salhan will be Chairing the first Artificial Intelligence (AI) /Machine Learning (ML) Congress 2024 to be hosted by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications – Unlocking the potential: The IMA AI/ML Congress 2024https://ima.org.uk/23193/unlocking-the-potential-the-ima-ai-ml-congress-2024/ This will be an inclusive gathering of academics, industrialists, and AI enthusiasts… Read more…

New company car advisory fuel rates have been published and took effect from 1 December 2023. The guidance states: ‘you can use the previous rates for up to one month from the date the new rates apply’. The rates only apply to employees using a company car. The advisory fuel rates for journeys undertaken on or… Read more…

UK inflation fell to a two-year low while the base rate of interest was unchanged by the Bank of England for the second month in a row. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that the UK’s rate of Consumer Price Index inflation fell to 4.6% from 6.7% in September. The ONS found that a… Read more…

The Real Living Wage is set to increase by 10%, the Living Wage Foundation has announced. The rate will rise to £12 an hour across the UK and £13.15 an hour in London. The increase will affect over 460,000 people working for 14,000 Real Living Wage employers across the UK. Unlike the National Living Wage… Read more…