Businesses across the UK have welcomed the Chancellor’s decision to bring forward plans changing the way business rates are set by two years. In the Autumn Budget, Philip Hammond announced that from April 2018 business rates would rise in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) measure of inflation, not the Retail Price Index (RPI).… Read more…

The abolition of Class 2 National Insurance Contributions (NIC) will now be delayed until 6 April 2019, according to a new written statement to the House of Commons. HM Treasury has written to MPs to let them know that the move has been delayed to allow additional consultation with interested parties, particularly in respect of… Read more…

Earlier this year, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) introduced Simple Assessments for some taxpayers who have, until now, been required to complete Self-Assessment Tax Returns. Those affected are taxpayers with relatively straightforward financial affairs where HMRC considers that it already has sufficient information to be able to calculate the tax owed. The first groups to… Read more…

Outstanding payments can be a major headache for SMEs as they can have a significant effect on cashflow and seeking payment can take up time that would be better spent on running the business. In fact, according to Bacs, the not-for-profit entity that runs the eponymous payment service, late payments cost UK SMEs more than… Read more…

The Office for Tax Simplification (OTS) recently published its findings following a review intended to ensure the VAT system remains relevant. On the basis of its findings, the OTS made eight core recommendations: The Government should examine the current approach to the level and design of the VAT registration threshold, with a view to setting… Read more…

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is to change the way that taxpayers and their agents can make payments. From 15 December 2017 and 13 January 2018, the pay at the post office service will be withdrawn and HMRC will no longer accept payment by personal credit card. However, the Revenue has confirmed that taxpayers will… Read more…

According to new data from Populus, nearly half of people aged over 50 are willing to forgo luxuries in later life to leave a larger inheritance for their children. The study, commissioned by Saga Money, also found that 80 per cent of over 50s intended to pass some form of inheritance on to their children.… Read more…

The UK’s small business economy is expected to grow by nearly a fifth in total by 2025, but some areas are predicted to grow much quicker than others. The predictions result from a survey by Hampshire Bank Trust and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). The CEBR research predicts that alongside the growth… Read more…

The UK Government has pledged that by 2040 all new cars sold will need to be either electric or some form of plug-in hybrid. However, before this deadline was even announced many within the motor industry believed that by 2025 as many as one in three cars will incorporate an electric power plant. Much of… Read more…