Latest Tax Planning

It seems that HMRC have heard about our disappointment with Christmas parties being cancelled this year…   The Employment Income Manual EIM21690 has been updated to incorporate the news that virtual events can be included when considering the £150 per person benefit in kind exemption for annual functions.   The event should be an annual…

Those businesses that have large capital expenditure spends each year, such as manufacturers and farmers, will be aware that there has been a very generous capital allowances tax regime in recent years, currently allowing year 1 tax relief on eligible purchases up to £1m pa. This generosity was scheduled to be reduced wef 1 January…

Business owners who have built up a valuable private investment company (holding cash, private or quoted equity and/or property), accumulated either from scratch or after the sale of a trading company subsidiary, will be all too aware that the lack of entitlement to Business Property Relief (BPR) creates a problematic inheritance tax (IHT) exposure –…

The annual investment allowance (AIA) limit is currently due to decrease from £1 million to £200,000 from 1 January 2021. Many businesses will have deferred decisions about purchasing capital equipment this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a number of professional bodies urging the Chancellor to postpone this decrease. However, it…

The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) has been in consultation with individuals, businesses as well as professional advisers – including accountancy bodies – to review the capital gains tax system and see whether there is any scope to simplify the current tax system. The consultation process closes on 9th November 2020.   Speculation has been…

Many taxpayers who are required to file a self-assessment tax return to HM Revenue & Customs should now be preparing for their next half-yearly tax payment which is due by 31st July. The amount payable is the second payment-on-account for the 2019/20 tax year and is automatically calculated as half of the total tax liability…

To reflect the exceptional trading position many companies find themselves in during the Covid-10 pandemic, HMRC has updated its internal guidance regarding companies making claims for repayments of corporation tax based on anticipated losses, and claiming a repayment of corporation tax paid under the quarterly instalments regime.  Companies wishing to make such a claim will…

With an increasing pressure on the government to provide financial support to UK taxpayers during the COVID-19 pandemic, amongst other proposals, the government announced the option for taxpayers to defer the payment of their second payment on account for 2019/20. Provided the required payment is made before 31 January 2021, no interest charges will be…

Has your income dropped as a result of the COVID-19 crisis?  If it has, and you have children under the age of 16 and don’t ordinarily claim Child Benefit, you should evaluate whether you are now eligible to claim this benefit.   If you expect both you and your partner will each earn less than…

As a consequence of the Covid-19 lock down, most employees who are able to work from home, and who have not been furloughed, are now working from their private study, spare bedroom, dining room table, etc. So what home expenses can these employees reclaim, tax free, from their employer:   Supply of a mobile phone…