Latest Construction

VAT can be something of a minefield when it comes to construction, with the VAT rate depending on the specific circumstances. The applicable rate of VAT will vary depending on the project undertaken and should be considered from the outset to avoid potentially costly errors. The first sale of a newly built residential property will…

The Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) was first introduced in 1971 (named the Construction Industry Tax Deduction Scheme) in order to combat tax evasion in the construction industry. This is done by contractors deducting money from a subcontractor’s payments and passing it onto HM Revenue and Customs on their behalf. The deductions are then considered as…

If you run a construction company and would like some more feedback on:   How your company is doing? Which jobs are most profitable? Keeping track of your staffs location and working hours?   Then there are plenty of apps that can integrate with your accountancy package like Xero, Sage and QuickBooks which will make…

Although a business may have an accounting year which doesn’t end on 5 April each year, they will still be required to submit various returns to HMRC on a tax year basis. Compliance is now an extremely important aspect of any business, with deadlines, fines and indeed penalties being applied where dates are missed, or…

During the first lockdown HMRC paused most debt collection activities, which has contributed to the total UK tax debt of £39bn according to The Public Accounts Committee. HMRC have stated, “We are recouping debt safely, taking into account customers’ circumstances and making repayments affordable. It’s in no-one’s interests to push viable businesses into insolvency when…

The government have announced that they will be extending their plug-in van and truck grants for another two years to spring 2025, there will also be changes to the existing plug-in vehicle grants applicable for the funding of larger trucks.   From 1 April 2022, the threshold to claim the small truck grant of up…

If you operate a trade through a limited company, and your ‘numbers’ are big enough, then there are some scenarios where it is often best advice to insert a parent company above this trading company, to create a simple group structure: As a risk management measure, to enable valuable assets (eg business premises, investment property,…

Due to the continuing difficulties that Covid continues to present, today HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have announced they are waiving late filing and late payment penalties for Self Assessment taxpayers for one month – giving extra time, if needed, to complete your 2020 to 2021 tax return and pay any tax due.   HMRC…

Those businesses with comprehensive commercial insurance cover will possibly be covered for ‘business interruption’. This cover will typically include losses arising from events that close or severely disrupt operations. The COVID pandemic has already led to many claims under this. The insurance industry (as you might expect?) has warned that few policies are likely to…

The government is to increase the earliest age pension savers can access their pension pots from 55 to 57, wef 6 April 2028. Members of the firefighters, police and armed forces public service schemes will not be affected by this increase.