Category: Business

The government has started the process to reverse the so-called ‘staircase tax’ to ease the pressure on Small businesses. Communities secretary Sajid Javid published draft legislation, which stands to benefit thousands of small business owners, to abolish the measure. The loophole was first introduced after the Supreme Court ruled that an office spread over more … Continued

Research and development (R&D) tax credit claims by small businesses climbed to £1.345 billion in 2015/16, according to HMRC. The revenue recently released R&D data for the previous financial year that shows claims increased from £1 billion in 2014/15 to hit another record high last year. The total number of claims for R&D credits in … Continued

A range of measures designed to boost business and productivity were announced in Autumn Budget 2017. Amid a background of discontent surrounding business rates, chancellor Philip Hammond revealed future increases will be determined by the Consumer Prices Index measure of inflation from April 2018. The measure comes into effect two years earlier than originally planned … Continued

HMRC has published revised advisory fuel rates for company cars, applying from 1 September 2017. The rates are to be used only where employers either reimburse employees for business travel in their company cars, or require employees to repay the cost of fuel used for private travel. These rates apply from 1 December 2017. You … Continued

The number of private sector businesses in the UK hit a record high of 5.7 million at the start of 2017, according to government figures. Annual statistics from the Department for Business, Industry, Energy and Strategy showed a year-on-year rise of 197,000, compared to the same time in 2016. The number of firms in 2017 … Continued

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) launched on Wednesday 1 November at 10am to help small organisations prepare for a new data protection law.The phone service is aimed at people running small businesses or charities and recognises the particular problems they face getting ready for the new law, called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR replaces … Continued

Liverpool accountancy firm boss Peter Taaffe says the Bank of England’s quarter point rise to 0.5% will impact on both small businesses and homeowners. Tony McDonough reports Bank of England policymakers have raised the UK interest rate for the first time in a decade – pushing up the rate from 0.25% to 0.5%. The bank’s … Continued

Two-thirds (66%) of small businesses are feeling the effects of clients who fail to pay their bills on time, research shows. Banking group Close Brothers polled 900 small business owners and found the problem was particularly serious for 87% of SMEs in Northern Ireland, 73% in London and 72% in the South West. Late payments … Continued

Businesses are in no rush to make investments amid the ongoing uncertainty of Brexit, according to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). More than one in four businesses are delaying investment decisions as the government continues negotiations with the EU. As a result of their collective cautiousness, 61% of those firms … Continued

Nearly half (41%) of self-employed people struggle to save any money each month, leaving them exposed to financial problems. Insurer LV= surveyed 9,495 self-employed workers and found one in three could not survive for more than three months if they lost their income. Nearly two thirds (62%) of respondents said monthly bills eat up the … Continued