Business frustrated at halt in rollout of digital trade platform blog

Nov 25

Business frustrated at halt in rollout of digital trade platform

Import and export businesses are frustrated by the government’s decision to pause work on the digital trade platform, according to the Institute of Directors (IoD). When fully operational, the Single Trade Window will provide a gateway between businesses and UK border processes and systems, allowing users to meet their import, export and transit obligations by […]

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HMRC warns landlords to disclose earnings

HMRC has warned landlords to disclose their earnings on self assessment tax returns. The tax authority has clarified the guidance on who can participate in the Let Property Campaign, which is targeted at landlords who owe tax through letting out residential property in the UK or abroad. Landlords can report previously undisclosed taxes on rental […]

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Employer NICs rise may have unforeseen consequences blog

Employer NICs rise may have unforeseen consequences

The extra costs of the increase in employers’ NICs could cause businesses to respond in ways the government did not intend, the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) has warned. At the Autumn Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced an increase to the rate of employer NICs by 1.2 percentage points, to 15% from 6 April 2025. […]

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Autumn Budget – the business reaction

Business groups have reacted to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget speech. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said that the Chancellor ‘had difficult choices to make to deliver stability for the economy’. Rain Newton-Smith, Chief Executive of the CBI, commented: ‘A more balanced approach to our fiscal rules which prioritises capital investment should help to […]

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Chancellor promises to drive growth and raises £40 billion in taxes blog

Chancellor promises to drive growth and raises £40 billion in taxes

Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged to ‘invest, invest, invest’ to drive growth and ‘restore economic stability’ in the Autumn Budget. The Budget, which was Labour’s first in over 14 years and the first ever delivered by a female Chancellor, saw £40 billion in tax announcements. Ms Reeves repeated her claims that the government had inherited a £22 billion […]

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Nov 01

Sage special Budget edition Double-cab pickups are to be classed as cars

Just in case you haven’t read the latest Autumn Budget summary we sent earlier this week, this is a very relevant change for some of you… Double-cab pickups are to be classed as cars Hidden in the latest Budget report is news that double-cab pickups will soon be taxed as cars, following a series of […]

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Oct 31

Autumn 24 Budget Summary

This Summary covers the key tax changes announced in the Chancellor’s speech and includes tables of the main rates and allowances. At the back of the Summary you will find a calendar of the tax year with important deadline dates shown. We recommend that you review your financial plans regularly as some aspects of the […]

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Oct 28

Latest guidance for employers Oct 2024

HMRC has published the latest issue of the Employer Bulletin. The October issue has information on various topics, including: •         guidance for employers on RTI reporting obligations for payments made early at Christmas •         how salary sacrifice affects National Minimum Wage •         PAYE charge queries •         notice of change to effective date of new data requirements […]

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Raising CGT rates would not deter investment, says IPRR

Increases to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) at the upcoming Budget would not deter investment into the country, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). The think tank says that low CGT is not an effective way at encouraging entrepreneurship and investment. Equalising CGT to income tax could help the Chancellor’s efforts to close […]

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10,000 boost State Pension with online payments

More than 10,000 payments worth £12.5 million have been made through a new digital service to boost people’s state pension, HMRC has revealed. People have until 5 April 2025 to maximise their state pension by making voluntary National Insurance contributions (NICs) to fill any gaps in their NICs record between 6 April 2006 and 5 April […]

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HMRC agree to make things easier with paper tax returns

HMRC’s decision to make it easier for taxpayers to file a paper tax return has been welcomed by the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG). With less than a month until the 31 October deadline for filing a 2023/24 paper self assessment tax return, HMRC have confirmed to LITRG they will accept copies of the […]

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New tipping law comes into force

Businesses have been banned from withholding tips or service charges from their staff under new rules that came into force on 1 October. All tips, whether in cash or by card, must now be shared between workers by law in Britain, with millions of workers such as those working for cafes, pubs, restaurants, taxi companies […]

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Oct 09

Government cracks down on late payments

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 […]

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£5.5 billion lost as a result of tax evasion

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 that, while […]

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HMRC urged to take action to defuse side hustle time bomb

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 […]

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off-payroll rules

IPSE calls for fairer off-payroll rules in Budget

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. An […]

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Sep 05

Latest guidance for employers September 2024

HMRC has published the latest issue of the Employer Bulletin. The August issue has information on various topics, including: electronic payment deadline falls on a weekend P11D and P11D(b) for tax year 2023 to 2024 supporting employees with changes to the High Income Child Benefit Charge pensions for seasonal temporary staff getting your new employees […]

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Freelancers want to see fairer, simpler tax system from Autumn Budget

Freelancers want to see Chancellor Rachel Reeves use the Autumn Budget to move towards a fairer, simpler tax system, according to the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE). IPSE’s research found that 80% of freelancers believe that government tax policies, such as IR35, are harming their businesses. Meanwhile, just under half of freelancers […]

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HMRC late payment interest cutblog

HMRC late payment interest cut by 0.25%

HMRC has reduced late payment and repayment interest rates following the cut to the base rate. The Bank of England cut the base rate to 5.0% on 1 August, the first reduction for over four years. This has triggered a cut in HMRC interest rates which are pegged to the base rate. From 20 August, […]

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Aug 07

Latest guidance for employers August 2024

HMRC has published the latest issue of the Employer Bulletin. The July issue has information on various topics, including: PAYE Settlement Agreement calculations 2023 to 2024 paying Class 1A National Insurance contributions improving the Self-Serve Time to Pay service for PAYE and VAT customers self assessment threshold change Spotlight 64 – warning for employment agencies […]

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