Crossley Group boost South East presence on Handpicked Accountants 20/12/2019 Our Rochester based accountancy firm in Kent is an iconic household name having been in business since 1995, nearing closer to the 25-year milestone. We take pride in operating from our local base on Rochester High Street in Medway and are proud to be joining the Handpicked Accountants platform. Our vision is to provide a complete suite
New deal for private renters 23/06/2022 The government has announced their intention to fundamentally reform the private rented sector marking the biggest shake up of the private rented sector in 30 years. These measures are set to include a ban on section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions and placing a legislative duty for landlords in the private sector to meet the Decent Homes
Reform of Consumer Credit Act 23/06/2022 The government has announced new plans to modernise consumer credit laws to cut costs for businesses and simplify rules for consumers. This will see major reforms to the Consumer Credit Act that regulates credit card purchases and personal loans. A consultation on the direction of reform is expected to be published by the end of the
Class 1A payment deadline 23/06/2022 Class 1A NICs are paid by employers in respect of most benefits in kind provided to employees such as a company car. There is no employee contribution payable. If you provided taxable benefits to staff or directors your business is likely to have a Class 1A employers’ NIC liability. The deadline for paying class 1A NICs is 22 July 2022 if
Check employment status for tax 23/06/2022 The Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) tool can be used to help ascertain if a worker should be classified as employed or self-employed for tax purposes in both the private and public sector. The service provides HMRC’s view if IR35 legislation applies to a particular engagement and whether a worker should pay tax through PAYE. The
Submitting CIS nil monthly returns 23/06/2022 The Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) is a set of special rules for tax and National Insurance for those working in the construction industry. Businesses in the construction industry are known as 'contractors' and 'subcontractors' and should be aware of the tax implications of the scheme. Under CIS, contractors are required to deduct
Notifying cessation of self-employment 23/06/2022 Any taxpayers that have ceased to be self-employed must notify HMRC of their change in status. There are a number of steps that must be followed if a taxpayer ceases trading as a sole trader or if they are ending or leaving a business partnership. Taxpayers must send in a Self-Assessment return by the relevant deadline and will need to
What is tax avoidance? 16/06/2022 There is a distinction to be drawn between tax avoidance and tax evasion. Tax evasion is illegal and describes a situation where someone acts to deliberately evade tax. This could include deliberately submitting false tax returns, falsely claiming repayments or reliefs or hiding income, gains or wealth offshore. Tax avoidance on the
Right to Buy home scheme extended 16/06/2022 The Right to Buy scheme has been available in various guises since it was first launched in the 1980s and following a relaunch in 2012. In essence the scheme gives qualifying social tenants the opportunity to buy their rented home at a discount. There is a maximum discount of 70% of the value of the property and a number of conditions
New grant opportunities for farmers 16/06/2022 New grant opportunities to help farmers have been announced. The new grants will help farmers boost their businesses and add extra value to their produce. The Adding Value grant opened for applications on 9 June 2022 and will close at midnight on 21 July 2022. The funding will be offered in sums between £25,000 and £300,000. In total,
Business Start Up Loans 16/06/2022 Financing a new Start Up business is one of the most crucial aspects of helping a new venture to succeed. Obtaining finance for a new business can be an arduous process. For example, borrowing money from a mainstream bank may not be an option or only possible with security conditions such as a personal guarantee. There is a government
Tax and duties on goods sent from abroad 16/06/2022 There are special rules to ensure that goods sent from abroad are taxed appropriately and thus not disadvantage UK businesses supplying goods in the UK, for example, by having to compete with VAT free imports. This includes goods that are new or used and bought online, bought abroad and shipped to the UK and goods received as gifts. This
Changes in State Pension age 16/06/2022 The State Pension age is currently 66 and two further increases are set out in legislation: a gradual rise to 67 for those born on or after April 1960; and a gradual rise to 68 between 2044 and 2046 for those born on or after April 1977. In March 2016, John Cridland CBE, the former Director General of the Confederation of British
Till fraud targeted by HMRC 09/06/2022 In the Autumn Budget 2018, the government announced that they would launch a call for evidence to learn more about the nature and scale of till fraud. This specifically looked at businesses that deliberately undertake electronic sales suppression (ESS). ESS occurs when a business deliberately manipulates its electronic sales records in
Stamp duty refunds scam 09/06/2022 Over the past few years, there have been some interesting opportunities for making claims for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) refund claims. It should be noted that to be successful, these claims must meet quite specific criteria. For example, there may be scope for landlords and property investors to recover the 3% SDLT surcharge on the basis
Claiming for mobile phones 09/06/2022 When an employer incurs costs for the provision of mobile phones to employees it is important to understand the correct tax treatment of these expenses. This includes costs for phones provided to employees and reimbursement of employee’s own phone costs. As a general rule, the provision of one mobile phone to a director or employee for
Customs declaration service update 09/06/2022 The Customs Declaration Service (CDS) is a new custom's IT platform that has been designed to modernise the process for completing customs declarations for businesses that import or export goods from the UK. A phased launch of the service started in August 2018. The CDS is used for making import and export declarations when moving goods
Director banned for Bounce Back Loan abuse 09/06/2022 The Bounce Back Loans scheme was launched in May 2020 to provide financial support to businesses across the UK that were losing revenue and cashflow as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme allowed qualifying small businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000 with no fees or interest to pay for the first 12 months. In most
