The government is to extend business rates relief with a £1.5 billion fund targeted at those businesses unable to benefit from the current COVID-19 support. Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses have not been paying any rates during the pandemic, as part of a 15 month-long relief which runs to the end of June this year.… Read more…

The UK government has unveiled a £20 million Brexit support package to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with changes to customs and tax rules when trading with the EU. The SME Brexit Support Fund aims to help businesses prepare for the implementation of further import controls which come into force later this year. Businesses… Read more…

HMRC has published details of the eligibility criteria of the final two grants available under the coronavirus (COVID-19) Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). At the 2021 Budget it was confirmed that the fourth SEISS grant will be set at 80% of three months’ average trading profits, paid out in a single instalment, capped at £7,500.… Read more…

UK workers are set to benefit from rises in the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and the National Living Wage (NLW) rates that took effect from 1 April 2021. The NMW which applies to 21 and 22 year-olds has risen from £8.20 to £8.36 and the NLW has risen from £8.72 to £8.91. 23 and 24-year-olds… Read more…

The government has cut the Plug-in Car Grant and Van & Truck Grant by £500 and lowered the pricing cap on qualifying electric vehicles. The Department for Transport will now provide grants of up to £2,500 for electric vehicles on cars priced under £35,000. This is a reduction from the current £3,000 available for vehicles… Read more…

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) has urged HMRC to rethink the requirement for companies to report quarterly under Making Tax Digital for corporation tax (MTD for CT). In response to HMRC’s consultation on expanding the MTD initiative to corporation tax, the ICAEW suggested that HMRC should reconsider reporting requirements ‘at… Read more…

The government has published over 30 updates, consultations and documents on the UK’s first ever Tax Day. The announcements, which would traditionally be published at Budget, have been released later to allow for scrutiny from stakeholders. It was announced that HMRC will tighten rules to force holiday let landlords to prove they have made a… Read more…

There are no businesses that look forward to receiving complaints from their customers. It can be difficult to hear anything negative about your company, particularly if you’re the owner. However, for the vast majority of companies, it’s going to happen and how you deal with these complaints will dictate what happens next. It may seem… Read more…

Businesses that took out government-backed Bounce Back loans to get through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will now have greater flexibility to repay their loans, the government has announced. The Pay as You Grow repayment flexibilities now include the option to delay all repayments for a further six months. This means businesses can choose to make… Read more…

The twice-delayed introduction of the domestic VAT reverse charge for construction services came into effect on 1 March 2021. The change was originally scheduled to come into effect from 1 October 2019 but was deferred for 12 months after industry bodies highlighted concerns about the lack of preparation and the impact on businesses. It was… Read more…