HLAS

The Cycle to Work scheme continues to attract interest from employees and employers alike who are looking to optimise their salary package and potentially benefit from a tax break. Below is an overview for businesses considering introducing a scheme or reviewing their existing arrangements. The Basic Structure The scheme allows an employer to provide a bike and eligible safety equipment tax-free to their employees. This is often done in conjunction with a salary sacrifice agreement, under which the employee’s gross pay is reduced for a set period to cover the costs. The salary sacrifice arrangement means the employee pays less [...]

The Spring Statement will be delivered in Parliament on 3 March, giving an update on the state of the UK economy and the Government’s financial outlook. Unlike the Autumn Budget, the Spring Statement is unlikely to be used for major tax decisions. For businesses, it is a useful event as it may set the tone for the months ahead and could give early indications of future tax and spending pressures. What the Spring Statement Is The Spring Statement is built around the latest set of economic forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility(OBR). The OBR publishes forecasts twice a year [...]

With just a few weeks to go until the beginning of a new tax year, a new round of tax changes will take effect from April 2026. While many people won’t see a significant difference in their day-to-day tax position, there are some areas that are worth keeping on your radar. Below is an overview of some of the changes you may wish to be aware of. Dividend Tax Rises The tax rates for dividends are rising from April 2026. The basic rate and higher rates are each increasing by two percentage points to 10.75% and 35.75% respectively. The dividend [...]

A leading think tank has criticised the fiscal rules used by the Chancellor to determine the government’s tax and spending plans. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has suggested that reducing complex public finances to a simple pass-or-fail measure risks missing the bigger picture. The Treasury, meanwhile, has stated that the rules help to keep borrowing costs down and support long-term investment. Which perspective is right when it comes to managing the country’s finances could be debated indefinitely. However, the IFS proposal introduces an interesting concept that many businesses are already applying successfully. The IFS Proposals The IFS is advocating [...]

The UK’s unemployment rate has risen again, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In the three months to December 2025, unemployment increased to 5.2%, up from 5.1% in the three months to November. This represents the highest rate in almost five years. At the same time, annual wage growth has eased to 4.2%, marking its slowest pace in close to four years. Taken together, slower wage growth and rising unemployment point towards a cooling labour market. Businesses Responding to Higher Costs Part of this slowdown may be linked to increased employment costs. The 2024 [...]

A new campaign has been launched to encourage small and medium-sized businesses to take some simple, practical steps to protect themselves from the most common cyber-attacks. The main drift is that basic cyber hygiene still prevents the majority of incidents. According to the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025, 43% of businesses and 30% of charities reported having experienced some kind of cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months. Across the UK economy, cyber threats are estimated to cost £14.71 billion each year. For many businesses, a single major attack could be enough to put trading at risk. [...]

According to the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics, UK inflation eased to 3% in January, down from 3.4% in December. Lower food, fuel and airfare prices appear to have been the biggest contributors to the reduction. It’s important to remember this doesn’t mean prices are falling; they are just rising more slowly. Businesses still dealing with higher wages, energy and supplier costs will know that firsthand. The combination of softer inflation and a slowdown in wage growth has increased expectations that the Bank of England will cut interest rates again when its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) [...]

A new website has been launched by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), providing practical guidance and support on the changes introduced by the Employment Rights Act and what organisations can do now to prepare. The website outlines a range of forthcoming measures, including several that will come into force from April 2026. These include: Statutory Sick Pay – The removal of the earnings threshold and the three-day waiting period means more employees will now qualify. Day-one family leave – Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave will become a right from the first day of employment. Bereaved Partner’s Paternity [...]

The BBC has published an in-depth piece on “996 culture” – the practice of working 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. Although many of the case studies focus on US technology companies, there are clear takeaways for UK business owners. Below are some of the key themes that stood out. The Attraction of 996 The article explores AI start-ups in the US that openly promote 70-hour working weeks, often drawing in young, ambitious employees who regard long hours as a badge of honour. Some firms even set out these expectations in their recruitment material. 996 culture is [...]

The government has now published its Review into the 2025 Autumn Budget leak, explaining how the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) was accessible online an hour before the Chancellor was due to speak. The Review outlines the steps that will be taken to ensure a similar incident does not happen again. What Actually Happened? The Review incorporates findings from the National Cyber Security Centre, which concluded that the leak resulted from repeated attempts to access the webpage hosting the EFO, rather than from a hostile cyber-attack. The issue stemmed from a misconfiguration in the way the [...]