The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has called for action to help firms employ more staff amidst recruitment difficulties. A survey carried out by the business group revealed that 61% of firms are looking to recruit more employees, but many are facing difficulties in doing so. According to the BCC, the construction sector is facing… Read more…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that the UK faces the slowest rate of growth in the G7 next year. The IMF predicts that UK economic growth will fall to 0.5% in 2023, which is considerably lower than its previous prediction of 1.2%, which was forecast in April. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the… Read more…

The level at which people start paying national insurance rose from £9,880 to £12,570 from 6 July. According to the government, 30 million people across the UK will benefit from this tax cut. It says the increase will lift 2.2 million people out of paying any personal tax. The threshold change means that 70% of… Read more…

The Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) will be relaunched during August 2022 as the government aims to continue supporting recovering small businesses. The RLS launched in April 2021 and was originally scheduled to run until 31 December 2021. At Autumn Budget 2021, the government extended the scheme by six months to 30 June 2022 and made… Read more…

An employment contract is an agreement between the employer and worker, stipulating specific aspects of employment. Although the contract can be written down, it doesn’t have to be and can actually be completely verbal. In fact, a verbal contract can be agreed from the moment an employee is given the job. It may also begin… Read more…

HMRC is extending the pilot for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD ITSA) to more self-employed workers and landlords. From July, those taking part will be able to test MTD ITSA before April 2024, including their own internal processes for managing MTD. Agents and customers are already taking part, and HMRC wants… Read more…

HMRC needs to demonstrate that off-payroll working rules, commonly known as IR35, can operate effectively and fairly in the real world, according to a report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The tax authority should also investigate whether the costs and unintended consequences of IR35 are proportionate to the additional tax revenue that the reforms… Read more…

UK inflation rose to 9.1% in May from 9% in April as the cost-of-living crisis continues, according to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). It was a slight increase on the 9% figure of the previous month, which was driven upwards by April’s unprecedented rise in the energy price cap and is estimated… Read more…

The Bank of England (BoE) has raised UK interest rates to a 13-year high of 1.25% and is now predicting inflation will hit 11% this autumn, when energy bills are set to rise again. Six out of nine Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) members voted for a 0.25 basis point hike, leading to a fifth consecutive… Read more…

Four out of five employers stated that they were immediately impacted by the increase in national insurance contributions (NICs), according to research by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). The BCC surveyed more than 1,100 UK employers and found that the NICs increase has caused negative impacts to 81% of businesses. Firms said the rise… Read more…