HMRC increases late payment interest rate

HMRC has increased interest rates with late payment bills charged 7.5% from 11 July, the highest rate since 2001. The move follows the Bank of England’s June increase in the base rate with HMRC also increasing the rate paid on repayments of tax. The Bank increased the base rate to 5% from 4.5% on 22… Read more…

Bank of England raises UK interest rates

The UK’s interest rate has been raised to 5.25% by the Bank of England, as it continues to try and bring inflation under control. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee increased the rate by 0.25% from 5% – the 14th increase in a row. It is a 15-year high for the base rate, which was last… Read more…

UK inflation falls as economy shrinks in May

The UK’s rate of inflation fell to 7.9% in the year to June while the country’s economy shrank in May, according to the latest Consumer Prices Index (CPI) published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The inflation rate is currently at its lowest annual rate since March 2022, the ONS said. Price rises have… Read more…

Running a Business during the Holiday Season

Many people choose to run their own business because of the freedom that this offers. Self-employment allows you to make the important decisions yourself and for some this can be preferable over standard employment. However, with this freedom comes a lot of responsibility and often a high workload. This is particularly true for smaller businesses,… Read more…

HMRC extends deadline for voluntary NICs

HMRC has extended the voluntary national insurance contributions (NICs) deadline until 2025. Extending the voluntary NICs deadline until 2025 will give people more time to consider whether paying voluntary contributions is right for them, and also ensures individuals do not miss out on the possibility of boosting their State Pension entitlements. The original deadline was… Read more…

HMRC closes self assessment helpline for three months

HMRC is planning to close its self assessment tax helpline for three months over the summer to focus call centre resources on dealing with other problem calls. All calls to the helpline will be redirected to digital services over the period to give HMRC time to deal with other more urgent phone enquiries. The helpline… Read more…

UK inflation stays at 8.7%

The UK’s rate of inflation plateaued at 8.7% in May, data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has shown. Inflation was expected to fall in May but remained at 8.7% – the same rate as was recorded in April. The rate of 8.7% is higher than economists had expected, and many now anticipate… Read more…

Bank of England raises UK base interest rate

The Bank of England has raised UK interest rates to a 15-year high of 5% as it continues its battle against inflation. Despite concerns that mortgage-holders face a timebomb of higher rates, the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to raise its benchmark rate from 4.5% to 5%, an increase of half a percentage point.… Read more…