The Chancellor should use her Autumn Budget to make off-payroll working rules ‘fairer and more effective’, according to the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE). IPSE says that the rules, commonly known as IR35, are still causing significant disruption for businesses and public bodies needing to recruit freelancers and contractors for their operations.… Read more…

The end of business rates relief will sting hospitality with a £928 million bill in April unless the government acts in the Budget, warns UKHospitality. Hospitality and leisure businesses face their bills quadrupling if business rates relief ends as planned on 31 March, it adds. The trade body is calling for the Chancellor to introduce… Read more…

The Resolution Foundation has suggested that reforms to inheritance tax (IHT), capital gains tax (CGT) and national insurance (NI) could raise more than £20 billion a year. The Foundation said that the reforms could also pass a ‘triple tax test’ of improving tax efficiency, making sure that tax rises fall on those with the broadest… Read more…

The government has announced an overhaul of the UK’s apprenticeship system. A new growth and skills levy which will replace the existing apprenticeship levy and include new foundation apprenticeships. The government says these new apprenticeships will give young people a route in to careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage whilst developing… Read more…

HMRC has been urged to defuse a tax bombshell threatening online traders, by the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG). The LITRG, which is part of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT), says the tax authority must take action in order to make sellers aware of the fact that they may need to file a… Read more…

An estimated £5.5 billion was lost due to tax evasion during 2022/23, according to a report published by the National Audit Office (NAO). The NAO stated that ‘significant weaknesses’ in government systems have left the UK ‘too open’ to tax evasion. According to HMRC, 81% of the tax evasion came from small businesses. HMRC said… Read more…

Over half a million young people are yet to lay claim to Child Trust Funds worth an average of £2,212, HMRC has said. Child Trust Funds are long term, tax-free savings accounts which were set up, with the government depositing £250, for every child born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011. Young people… Read more…

The government has announced a crackdown on late payments to small businesses and the self-employed. Late payments cost SMEs £22,000 a year on average, according to Smart Data Foundry, while the Federation of Small Businesses says it leads to 50,000 business closures a year. The government will consult on new laws that will hold larger… Read more…

The thought of arranging for a time when you won’t be here can be an uncomfortable one. Nobody likes to think about death, however, along with taxes, it’s one of the only certainties on which we can rely. One of the questions business owners will ask themselves is what will happen to their companies, after… Read more…

HMRC is failing on the key metrics of responsiveness, ease and accuracy, according to the annual HMRC Charter report. The report reviewed HMRC’s performance against its Charter from April 2023 to March 2024. The survey received over 1,600 responses, with complaints about service levels a recurring theme. ‘Being responsive’ scored the lowest of the Charter… Read more…