News
Thinking of selling your business?
25/07/2024
Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR) applies to the sale of a business, shares in a trading company or an individual’s interest in a trading partnership. When the relief if available, Capital Gains Tax (CGT) of 10% is payable in place of the standard rate. This can mean a substantial CGT saving for someone looking to exit from their
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Considering a significant gift?
25/07/2024
There are special rules concerning the liability to IHT of a transfer made during one’s lifetime. For example, most gifts made during a person's life are not subject to tax at the time of the gift. These lifetime transfers are known as 'potentially exempt transfers' or 'PETs'.
These gifts or transfers achieve their potential of becoming
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Current CGT rates
25/07/2024
Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is normally charged at a simple flat rate of 20% and this applies to most chargeable gains made by individuals. If taxpayers only pay basic rate tax and make a small capital gain, they may only be subject to a reduced rate of 10%. Once the total of taxable income and gains exceed the higher rate threshold, the
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The marginal rate of Corporation Tax
25/07/2024
The Corporation Tax Main Rate applies to companies with profits in excess of £250,000. The applicable rate is currently 25%. A Small Profit Rate (SPR) of 19% applies to companies with profits of up to £50,000.
Where a company has profits between £50,000 and £250,000 a marginal rate of Corporation Tax applies that bridges the gap between
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Let Property Campaign
25/07/2024
The Let Property Campaign provides landlords who have undeclared income from residential property lettings in the UK or abroad with an opportunity to regularise their affairs by disclosing any outstanding liabilities whether due to misunderstanding the tax rules or because of deliberate tax evasion. Participation in the campaign is open
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Register for VAT One Stop Shop Scheme
25/07/2024
The VAT Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) Scheme applies to goods imported in consignments with a value of £135 or less (known as low value goods) from countries outside the EU and Northern Ireland, to consumers in the EU, Northern Ireland, or both.
The IOSS Scheme can be used to report and pay VAT due on imports of low value goods to
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The ‘fiscal’ goal posts will be moving
23/07/2024
In the coming months we will start to see how our new government intends to change the UK tax rules to further its economic growth agenda.
Whatever they decide to do, readers who presently benefit from tax and/or business planning strategies, should be prepared to revise their plans as fiscal changes are announced.
For example, if you
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Your stake in your business
23/07/2024
Ever wondered how your stake in your business is represented in your accounts?
The answer can be found at the bottom of your balance sheet. Simply put it is the value of your physical business assets less any liabilities; usually described as net assets.
But this is not the full story as there is a further intangible asset that is
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When you cannot use the Property or Trading Allowances
18/07/2024
Two separate £1,000 tax allowances for property and trading income were introduced in April 2017. If you have both types of income highlighted below, then you can claim a £1,000 allowance for each.
The £1,000 exemptions from tax apply to:
If you make up to £1,000 from self-employment, casual services (such as babysitting or gardening)
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The NIC Employment Allowance
18/07/2024
The Employment Allowance benefits eligible employers by reducing their National Insurance liability. The current allowance is £5,000. An employer can claim less than the maximum if this covers their total Class 1 NIC bill.
The allowance is only available to employers that have employer NIC liabilities of under £100,000 in the previous
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Child benefit for 16 to 19 year olds
18/07/2024
The child benefit rates for the only or eldest child in a family is currently £25.60 and the weekly rate for all other children is £16.95.
Taxpayers entitled to the child benefit should be aware that HMRC usually stop paying child benefit on the 31 August following a child’s 16th Birthday. Under qualifying circumstances, the child
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Gains on sale of shares
18/07/2024
Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is normally charged at a simple flat rate of 20% (but see comments below) when you sell shares unless they are in a CGT free investment such as an ISA or qualifying pension. Your gain is usually the difference between what you paid for your shares and the amount received when you sold them.
There are special rules
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Taxable and non-taxable State Benefits
18/07/2024
Whilst there are a large number of state benefits available, it is not clear which of these benefits are taxable and which are tax-free.
HMRC’s guidance provides the following list of the most common state benefits that are taxable, i.e., Income Tax is payable, subject to the usual limits:
Bereavement Allowance (previously Widow’s
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Ordering documents from Companies House
18/07/2024
Companies House offers interested parties the ability to order certified copies of certificates and documents held on the Companies House register.
You can order:
a company certificate with certified facts; or
a certified copy of a document held on the register.
You can place an order by:
using the Find and update company
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Responding to a personal data breach
15/07/2024
The Information Commissioner’s Office has a simple guide that explains what you need to do in the 72 hours following a data breach.
The seven step approach advocated is set out below:
Step one: Don’t panic
It’s understandable if you’re concerned about what happens next. But we’re here to help you understand what happened and to
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The new Chancellor’s first speech
15/07/2024
The Chancellor has promised to take immediate action to fix the foundations of the economy, rebuild Britain and make every part of the country better off.
In her first speech as Chancellor, Rachel Reeves pledged to leaders of some of the UK’s pioneering industries to build growth on strong and secure foundations built on stability,
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Labour win landslide election result
11/07/2024
As had been widely predicted, the results at the polls have seen the Labour Party back in power after 14 years in opposition. Labour have swept into power with their second-largest majority whilst the Conservative Party have had their worst ever result in terms of the number of seats won.
We should expect Labour to fulfil their election
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Inheritance and tax
11/07/2024
As a general rule, an individual who inherits property, money or shares is not liable to pay tax on the inheritance. This is because any Inheritance Tax (IHT) due should be paid out of the deceased’s estate before any cash or assets are distributed to the heirs. However, the recipient is liable to income tax on any profit earned after the
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