Latest Road Haulage

HMRC have implemented measures to assist businesses that are registered importers who pay VAT and Duty at the time of import and are facing financial difficulties as a direct result of Coronavirus.   What to do if you’re a Duty deferment account holder   You can contact HMRC for approval to enter into an extended…

Key features of the BBLS:   The scheme is a 100% government backed initiative for small businesses.   You can apply* for a loan between £2,000 and £50,000 (up to a maximum of 25% annual turnover), for 6 years.   No repayments required for the first 12 months, and you won’t pay any charges should…

At a time when cash flow is key, don’t forget to claim VAT relief on bad debts when preparing your VAT return.  To claim relief, a debt must have remained unpaid for a period of six months from the later of the date payment was due or the date of the supply. If all or…

The government has announced an increase in the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) to £1 million in relation to qualifying expenditure incurred from 1 January 2019. Since 1 January 2016 the AIA limit has been £200,000.  It may be worth deferring planned significant capital expenditure as, I am sure you will agree, the additional £800,000 relief…

  The European Commission imposed fines of €3.4 billion in July 2016 and September 2017 following findings that a number of manufacturers were party to a cartel at senior management level from 1997-2001. Breakdowns of the fines for the companies involved were as follows: Daimler/Mercedes – €1 billion Scania – €880 million DAF – €752…

Lorry Driver Shortage: Will Government resolve crisis? The lack of HGV drivers has very much been the word on the street for a significant length of time and we have seen over the past few years this progress to what those who work in the industry perceive as a potential national crisis. The UK’s supply…

Lorry Insurance: costs set to rise from 1 November 2015. In this year’s Summer Budget the Chancellor announced a 58% increase to Insurance Premium Tax (IPT), raising the current rate of 6% to 9.5% with effect from 1 November 2015. The 2015 RHA cost tables detail the average insurance premium for a 44t lorry at £3,675,…

On the Road: And in the cloud? Road hauliers, both big and small, can enjoy the advantages of a cloud based accounting system. For the small operator, with say 4 or 5 vehicles, who is actively on the road, a cloud based system such as Xero or Quickbooks online will provide the ability to raise…

Business Credit Rating: Poor rating hurting your business? If there is one positive that has come out of the UK’s double-dip recession, then it is reminding businesses of how important their credit rating is. In many sectors, both suppliers and customers have now re-engineered their processes to routinely look at a company’s credit ratings. Within the UK,…

Self-Employed Lorry Drivers: Beware HMRC crackdown. HMRC have written to the RHA about the tax status of lorry drivers. The letter outlines the key points of HMRC rules in this area and suggests that a lorry driver is unlikely to be self-employed unless he is an owner driver. HMRC is particularly concerned about some ‘avoidance…