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The Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings (ATED) came into effect from 1 April 2013. The tax applies to certain Non-Natural Persons (NNPs) that own interests in dwellings valued at more than £500,000. These provisions affect most companies, partnerships with company members and collective investment schemes. For the purposes of the ATED, it is immaterial whether the company, partnership or collective investment scheme is incorporated or resident in the United Kingdom. HMRC’s technical guidance on the subject states that, a company that is not...

We wanted to remind you of the Inheritance Tax (IHT) implications of making cash gifts during the current tax 2022-23 tax year that will end on 5 April 2023. You can give away up to £3,000 worth of gifts each tax year. This is known as your annual exemption. Any unused part of the annual exemption can be carried forward, but only for one year. So, if you didn’t make any cash gifts in 2021-22, you could gift up to £6,000 this tax year. There are also generous exemptions for normal gifts made out of your income, but you must be able to maintain...

The annual exempt amount applicable to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is to be more than halved from April 2023. This means that the exempt amount will be reduced from £12,300 to £6,000 from April 2023 before being further reduced to £3,000 from April 2024. Taxpayers with small gains should consider the benefits of crystalising these gains before 6 April 2023 in order to fully utilise the £12,300 allowance for 2022-23. Married couples and civil partners both qualify for the £12,300 allowance in which case organising joint ownership of these assets...

The Gift Aid scheme is available to all UK taxpayers. The charity or Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASC) concerned can take your donation and, provided all the qualifying conditions are met, reclaim the basic rate tax allowing for an extra 25p of tax relief on every pound donated to charity. If you are a higher rate or additional rate taxpayer, you are eligible to claim additional tax relief on the difference between the basic rate and your highest rate of tax. For example: If you donated £5,000 to charity, the total value of the donation...

Business rates are charged on most non-domestic premises, including most commercial properties such as shops, offices, pubs, warehouses and factories. Some properties are eligible for discounts from the local council on their business rates. This is called business rates relief. There are a number of reliefs available including small business rate relief, rural rate relief and charitable rate relief. The non-domestic rating list sets out all rateable values for non-domestic properties in England and Wales. Local authorities use this list to...

A salary sacrifice arrangement is an agreement to reduce an employee’s entitlement to cash pay, usually in return for a non-cash benefit. The tax and NIC advantages of certain benefits provided as part of a salary sacrifice arrangement were removed from 6 April 2017. The change removed the Income Tax and employer NIC advantages of certain benefits provided as part of salary sacrifice arrangements such as mobile phones and workplace parking. There was a transitional plan in place for certain benefits that ended on 6 April 2021. An employer can...

All business owners, but predominantly retailers, leisure and entertainment trades, will have seen their hard-won capital all but exhausted by the needs to meet fixed costs when income generation has been restricted or eliminated by lock-down directives during the early years of the COVID pandemic, and more recently by the downturn in global trade due to the war in Ukraine, inflation, rising interest rates and increases in energy costs. In the face of these challenges what can beleaguered business owners do to protect their capital base and be...

If you are required to register your business for VAT purposes you are joining that reluctant band of business owners that are obliged to collect tax for HMRC. The amount of VAT you have added to your sales, less VAT you have paid out on qualifying purchases, will be paid to HMRC at the required intervals, usually quarterly. As long as your customers pay you the VAT added, over time there should be no effect on your profits, but there can be dramatic impacts on cash flow. Unfortunately, this is not the end of your responsibilities to act as...

The UK and Scottish governments have jointly announced that Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and Forth Green Freeport have been successful in their bids to establish two new Green Freeports in Scotland. Each of these Freeports will be granted up to £26 million in funding over the next few years, primarily to address infrastructure gaps which are currently holding back investment. Freeports are a special kind of port where normal tax and customs rules do not apply. Rather, there are simplified customs procedures and duty suspensions...

The Corporation Tax main rate will increase to 25% from 1 April 2023 for companies with profits over £250,000. A Small Profits Rate (SPR) of 19% will also be introduced from the same date for companies with profits of up to £50,000 - ensuring these companies pay Corporation Tax at the same rate as currently. Where a company has profits between £50,000 and £250,000 a marginal rate of Corporation Tax will apply that bridges the gap between the lower and upper rates. The lower and upper limits will be proportionately reduced for short accounting...