Archives / 248 post/s found
Coming soon: tax-free childcare
Plans for the introduction of a new scheme called 'tax-free childcare' were initially announced way back in the 2013 Budget. The original proposals have since been amended and the scheme is now set to be implemented during 2017. Broadly, the new scheme, which aims to help working parents with the cost of childcare, will replace the current system of employer-supported childcare (ESC) which is offered by less than 5% of employers and used by around 450,000 families. Parents will be able to open an online voucher account with a voucher provider and have their payments topped up by the government. [...]
HMRC’s tougher approach to offshore tax evasion
HMRC have implemented various measures over recent years designed to encourage those not paying the right amount of tax across their offshore tax affairs to make full disclosures. Whilst there has been a positive approach to the facilities provided, HMRC have recently reminded taxpayers that things are about to get even tougher for those who try to hide investments offshore. To date, over 100 countries have committed to exchange information on a multilateral basis under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Common Reporting Standard (CRS) ,which means that HMRC will be receiving new financial information about their customers from [...]
February 2017 Q&A
Q. Due to unforeseen circumstances I have recently had to sell my house and down-size to a smaller property. I sold the house for £20,000 less than I paid for it. Can I offset this loss against income from my business and reduce my income tax liability for this year? A. Unfortunately the tax law does not permit you to do this. I am assuming that you are not trading in properties and the house was either your main residence or an investment asset. Losses on the sale of a principal private residence are generally not allowable losses for tax [...]
Company cars: Ultra Low Emissions
At Budget 2016, the government said it would consult over the summer on changes to the ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV) bands for taxing company cars to 'focus incentives on the very cleanest cars'. As a result of the consultation, HMRC have now published details of eleven new bands, which will be introduced for ULEVs with emissions below 75gCO2/km from 2020/21, including a separate zero emission band. Some of the lowest CO2 bands are based on the 'electric range' of the vehicle, as well as the CO2 emissions. This is the maximum distance the vehicles can travel in pure electric mode [...]
Disguised Remuneration& Self Employed
Following the announcement in the Autumn Statement, HMRC have published the details of a measure designed to tackle the future use of avoidance schemes currently being used by some self-employed people to avoid paying income tax and NICs on their income. The measure will also tackle the existing use of schemes involving loans with a new charge (a 'loan charge') on outstanding loans taken out as part of avoidance arrangements. This charge will apply if tax is not paid on the loan and the loan is not repaid by 5 April 2019. Various 'disguised remuneration' avoidance schemes currently exist, but [...]
Abolition of Class 2 NIC’s
Originally announced at Budget 2016, the 2016 Autumn Statement confirmed that Class 2 National Insurance Contributions (NICs) will be abolished from April 2018, hopefully achieving the desired effect of simplifying National Insurance for the self-employed and making the system fairer for employed and self-employed individuals. At the same time as the abolition of Class 2 NICs, the system for Class 4 NICs will also be reformed to include a new threshold - to be called the 'small profits limit' (SPL). The amount of the SPL for 2018/19 is yet to be confirmed but is likely to be around £6,025. Payment [...]
Changes to the VAT Flat Rate Scheme
In a surprise announcement in the 2016 Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced that changes are to be made to the existing flat rate scheme for VAT (FRS) in order to tackle perceived 'aggressive abuse'. The changes, which will take effect from 1 April 2017, are designed to 'reduce the incentive for firms and agencies to move employees to self-employment to exploit VAT simplification aimed at small businesses'. The subsequent HMRC policy paper published on 5 December sets out the details of the changes, which will affect any users, or prospective users, of the FRS. The FRS is a simplified VAT [...]
January 2017 Q&A
Q. I am thinking of renting out a small outbuilding that I own to a friend so that he can store his work equipment in it when he's not using it. The rent is likely to be less than £1,000 a year. Will I have to declare this income to HMRC on a self-assessment return? My tax affairs are quite straight-forward - I am employed and currently I don't need to send in a tax return. A. Two new annual tax allowances of £1,000 each are being introduced from April 2017. One allowance is for trading income and the other [...]
HMRC clarify pre-registration of VAT policy
HMRC have recently published Brief 16 (2016), entitled Treatment of VAT incurred on assets that are used by the business prior to VAT registration. Broadly, the brief aims to clarify when, and to what extent, VAT is deductible and what to do if the correct treatment has not been applied. A business registering for VAT may recover tax incurred on goods and services before their effective date of registration(EDR). This allows the recovery of VAT against goods and services as long as they are used by the taxable person to make taxable supplies once registered. Services must have been received [...]
Caps on income tax relief
In general terms, providing a business is undertaken on a commercial basis with a view to making a profit, tax relief should be available for trading losses incurred. It is usually possible to offset the loss against other taxable income from the same year, or the previous year. Other taxable income may include for example, a former employment (where tax was deducted under PAYE) or a pension. This relief may be particularly beneficial for someone who is self-employed on a part-time basis. For example, where an individual earns £30,000 a year from employment, and makes a £2,000 loss from his [...]