Dec 07

Chancellor makes Full Expensing permanent in Autumn Statement

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt used his Autumn Statement to make Full Expensing permanent for those businesses investing in IT equipment, plant and machinery. The Chancellor said he was aiming to stimulate economic growth and highlighted 110 measures for businesses in the Statement. Full Expensing was first announced in the March Budget and was scheduled to last for […]

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Autumn Satement 2023 Blog

Nov 23

Autumn Statement 2023

Further to the chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s delivery of the Autumn statement yesterday, we attach a summary of what he announced, please do note that some of the information contained will apply to England only. Click here to download Further guidance for Wales/Scotland/Ireland can be found on Gov.uk.

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Nov 06

Scams warning issued to 12 million self assessment taxpayers

Self assessment taxpayers must be on the lookout for scam texts, emails and phone calls from fraudsters, HMRC was warned. HMRC has received more than 130,000 reports about tax scams in the past year, with 58,000 of those offering fake tax rebates. With around 12 million people expected to submit a self assessment tax return […]

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UK set for biggest tax rise in at least 50 years

The UK is on course to see its biggest tax rise in at least 50 years as a result of the freeze on personal thresholds and soaring inflation, according to analysis from the Resolution Foundation. The think-tank said taxpayers are set to pay over £40 billion a year by 2028, up from a forecast of £30 billion […]

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Chancellor must use Autumn Statement to cement commitment to small firms

The Chancellor should cement the government’s commitment to small businesses in his Autumn Statement, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The FSB has called for a strong stand against late payments; an extension to the 75% business rates discount for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses beyond March 2024; and training in new skills […]

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cash transactions

Oct 09

Number of cash transactions rises for first time in a decade

The number of payments made with cash rose for the first time in a decade in 2022, according to data published by UK Finance. According to UK Finance, the total number of payments made last year increased to 45.7 billion from 40.4 billion in 2021. 50% of all payments in the UK were made using […]

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net zero help

Less than 1% of small firms receiving net zero help

Less than 1% of small firms have benefitted from key local support schemes across England on net zero, according to research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and Warwick Business School. The research has raised concerns over the reach and accessibility of the programmes as the UK’s 2050 target edges closer. Small businesses also face […]

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Government slow to recover over £1 billion Covid grant fraud

The government has been slow to recover losses of £1.1 billion from fraud and error in Covid grant schemes, according to MPs in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The latest PAC report found that after spending £22.6 billion on business support schemes during the pandemic, the government had only recovered £20.9 million of the estimated […]

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SMEs struggling blog

SMEs ‘struggling to access finance’

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are struggling to access finance and working capital, according to a report published by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). The ACCA’s data showed that small firms are struggling to access finance for a range of reasons, including rising interest rates. 57% of firms reported that borrowing in order […]

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National Living Wage

National Living Wage to rise from April 2024

The National Living Wage (NLW) will rise to at least £11 an hour from April 2024, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has confirmed. The Chancellor confirmed the increase in a speech to the Conservative Party conference and said the rise will benefit two million low paid workers. People aged 23 and over are eligible for the NLW. […]

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Interest rates held as inflation falls blog

Interest rates held as inflation falls

The UK’s base rate of interest was held at 5.25% in September as the rate of inflation fell to 6.7% in the year to August 2023. The fall in the rate of inflation surprised economists, who expected it to rise. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) fell from 6.8% in July to 6.7% in August. Slowing food […]

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Firms looking to Autumn Statement for help with rising operating costs

Small firms will look to the upcoming Autumn Statement for signs that the government understands their operating concerns, says the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The business group said that UK businesses need urgent action to help stem the issue of late payment. It says that large corporates use late payments to offset interest rate rises […]

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Sep 12

Advisory fuel rates for company cars September 2023

New company car advisory fuel rates have been published and took effect from 1 September 2023. The guidance states: ‘you can use the previous rates for up to one month from the date the new rates apply’. The rates only apply to employees using a company car. The advisory fuel rates for journeys undertaken on […]

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Latest guidance for employers September 2023

HMRC has published the latest issue of the Employer Bulletin. The August issue has information on various topics, including: tax relief on employee contributions to registered pension schemes ceasing your PAYE scheme the National Minimum Wage helping customers steer clear of tax avoidance schemes income tax self assessment – preparing for the new tax year basis helping […]

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Another million savers to be hit with tax on interest

The frozen Savings Allowance combined with rising interest rates will push over one million taxpayers into paying tax on their savings this tax year, according to research by investment platform AJ Bell. In the 2023/24 tax year it is estimated that over 2.7 million individuals will pay tax on interest, up by a million in […]

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UK set for five years of lost economic growth warns think tank

UK set for five years of lost economic growth, warns think tank The UK is set for five years of lost economic growth, according to research from think tank the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR). The NIESR said the series of shocks from Brexit, Covid and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had badly affected the […]

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Aug 11

HMRC increases late payment interest rate to 7.5%

HMRC has increased interest rates with late payment bills charged 7.5% from 11 July, the highest rate since 2001. The move follows the Bank of England’s June increase in the base rate with HMRC also increasing the rate paid on repayments of tax. The Bank increased the base rate to 5% from 4.5% on 22 June, […]

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UK inflation falls as economy shrinks in May

The UK’s rate of inflation fell to 7.9% in the year to June while the country’s economy shrank in May, according to the latest Consumer Prices Index (CPI) published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The inflation rate is currently at its lowest annual rate since March 2022, the ONS said. Price rises have slowed […]

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MTD expected to cost blog

Jul 11

MTD expected to cost £1 billion more than originally forecast

A report published by the National Audit Office (NAO) has found that HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) initiative is expected to cost around £1 billion more than its initial £226 million budget, which was forecast in 2016. MTD is intended to modernise the tax system for income tax self-assessment, VAT and corporation tax. It requires taxpayers […]

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HMRC closes self assessment blog

HMRC closes self assessment helpline for three months

HMRC is planning to close its self-assessment tax helpline for three months over the summer to focus call centre resources on dealing with other problem calls. All calls to the helpline will be redirected to digital services over the period to give HMRC time to deal with other more urgent phone enquiries. The helpline will be […]

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