HLAS

If you use Royal Mail to deliver your goods, you should be aware of the planned industrial action that is due to take place on: Thursday 8 September Friday 9 September Royal Mail's services will be affected by delays to mail posted the day before, during, or in the days after any strike action. Royal Mail has contingency plans, but they cannot fully replace the daily efforts of its frontline workforce. They say that they will be doing what they can to keep services running, but customers should expect significant disruption. On days when strike action is taking place, they [...]

There continues to be poor take-up of the Government’s Tax-Free Childcare Accounts which provide a 25% subsidy towards the cost of childcare. The system operates by topping up savings of up to £8,000 per child by 25%, potentially an extra £2,000 from the Government to spend on qualifying childcare. The scheme applies to children under 12 and the account can be used to pay nursery fees, breakfast clubs, after school clubs and registered childminders. In contrast childcare vouchers may be used to pay for childcare up to age 16. Despite the PAYE and NIC advantages not all employers provided childcare [...]

The changes to the basis of assessment of self-employed profits are scheduled to change from 6 April 2024. The new rules mean that profits (and losses) will be assessed based on the amounts arising between 6 April and 5 April instead of the profit/loss of an accounting period ending in the tax year. This means that where the business accounts do not coincide with tax year the profits or losses will need to be apportioned. This is intended to coincide with the start of Making Tax Digital for income tax. Transitional rules proposed for the previous 2023/24 tax year could [...]

The figures in the table below are the HMRC suggested reimbursement rates for employees' private mileage using their company car from 1 September 2022. Remember that provided all private fuel is fully reimbursed the fuel benefit does not apply. Engine Size Petrol Diesel LPG 1400cc or less 15p (14p)   9p 1600cc or less 14p (13p)   1401cc to 2000cc 18p (17p)   11p   1601 to 2000cc 17p (16p)   Over 2000cc 27p (25p)   22p (19p)   17p (16p)   Where the employer does not pay for any fuel for the company car these are the amounts that [...]

In response to a recommendation by the Office of Tax Simplification the Government have introduced draft legislation for inclusion in Finance Bill 2023 that extends the no gain/no loss rule when a couple separate. Under the current rules the no gain/no loss rule that means that there is no CGT on transfers of assets between spouses or civil partners only applies up to the end of the tax year in which they separate. The divorce settlement or court order that transfers assets between the couple often takes place many months after the separation and may lead to CGT being payable. [...]

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has launched a call for submissions to the 2022 Hydrogen Business Model and Net Zero Hydrogen Fund Electrolytic Allocation Round. The UK is aiming to develop up to 10 gigawatts of low-carbon hydrogen generation by 2030. This is subject to affordability and value for money, with the intention that at least half of this will be from electrolytic hydrogen, drawing on the scale-up of UK offshore wind, other renewables, and new nuclear. The Energy Security Strategy sets out the ambition to support up to 1GW of electrolytic hydrogen being in construction [...]

The Music Export Growth Scheme offers grants ranging from £5,000 to £50,000 to UK-registered independent music companies to assist them with marketing campaigns when looking to introduce successful UK music projects overseas. The scheme is targeted at artists/projects that have achieved reasonable levels of impact in the UK and are now looking to break internationally. See: Music Export Growth Scheme - bpi

Connected Places Catapult has partnered with the Future Flight Challenge from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to launch the second iteration of the Future of Air Mobility Accelerator (FoAM). They will select up to 12 small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to join a six-month programme to receive support from a consortium of industry, academic and regulatory partners on the trial and testing of their disruptive innovative solutions. The challenge areas for FoAM 2022 are: Future airport and vertiport operations Aviation sustainability Future air and space traffic management Enabling end-to-end mobility Applications close on 11 September 2022. See: Connected Places Catapult [...]

Tax-free childcare accounts will gradually replace childcare voucher schemes as no new schemes could be set up after 4 October 2018. Those within voucher schemes continue to be eligible until their child is aged 16, provided the employer is willing to continue operating the scheme. Many organisations provided the vouchers by way of salary sacrifice and there were tax and NIC advantages for both employers and employees. Despite the PAYE and NIC advantages, not all employers provided childcare vouchers. Depending upon when they joined the voucher scheme, employees could be provided with vouchers worth up to £55 a week (£2,860 [...]

The UK Seafood Fund is a £100 million fund set up to support the long-term future and sustainability of the UK fisheries and seafood sector. The fund is managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The fund’s objectives are to: Reform and modernise infrastructure to level up and bring economic growth to coastal communities. Ensure the best science, research and technology are used in fisheries management. Encourage new entrants to the industry and upskill the existing workforce. Enable an environmentally sustainable fishing industry that gives the most value for money and reflects the long-term needs of [...]