HLAS

(Part 3 of a 3 part blog series) The Conservative party were the final of the three main contenders to reveal their manifesto. The early bird catches the worm… The second mouse gets the cheese… But does slow and steady win the race? The manifesto began by describing a plan through Brexit to build a stronger and fairer Britain. I mean, Theresa doesn’t strike me as the type you would find pumping iron in the gym but the word ‘strong’ became a tedious read. 30 times on the first 10 pages!! Income Tax Firstly, they are sticking with their commitment [...]

(Part 2 of a 3 part blog series) The Lib Dem’s were the second party to reveal their manifesto last week, ahead of the snap election on the 8th June. The early bird catches the worm… But the second mouse gets the cheese… This time, the theme was to provide voters with an ‘’opportunity to change Britain’s future – by changing the opposition’’ and they didn’t hold back on dissing our current Prime Minister. The B Word was thrown all over the shop. Brexit. A second referendum to be held on the Brexit deal was the highlight point for the [...]

(Part 1 of a 3 part blog series) Labour were the first party to reveal their brightly coloured manifesto on 16th May for the 2017 general election. The early bird catches the worm… But will they fly away with the election or get stuck in the mud? The party want to prove they are ‘’the party of low taxes for middle and low earners’’ So, let’s start with the good news. There is no NI or VAT increases. Income Tax Labour have insisted that the income tax rise will hit just 5% of earners. They want to reduce the current [...]

The ‘IR35’ rules are designed to prevent the avoidance of tax and national insurance contributions (NICs) through the use of personal service companies and partnerships. So basically, to prevent you setting yourself up a limited company and charging your boss through it to reduce or eliminate any tax and NI payments you would owe as an employee. For example, an individual operating through a personal service company but with only one customer for whom he/she effectively works full-time is likely to be caught by the rules. On the other hand, an individual providing similar services to many customers is far [...]

The construction industry scheme is framework set out by HMRC and only applies to construction operations. The purpose of this framework is for contractors to deduct money from sub-contractors and pass the payments on to HMRC. So, who is a contractor and who is a subcontractor? A contractor is someone who pays subcontractors for their construction work. Usually, business developers and builders who require the aid of other skilled workers. Either this, or their business does not do construction work but they spend, on average, more than £1 million a year on construction in any 3 year period. A subcontractor, [...]

Recognising reliefs and reducing rates, to help you retain your revenue! Rates aren’t as set in stone as you may think. But sometimes, you just need that expert touch to help you know where to start and one of our clients, Adrian Smith, is just the man. With over 40 years’ experience, the service provided is an efficient and cost effective one that encompasses all aspects of business rating solutions to a range of clients in a range of industries. Registered with three governing bodies, including Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Rating Surveyors Association, he is both reliable [...]

Get a summary of all the relevant updates from the 2017 Spring Budget It’s that dreaded time of year again when the budget gets announced and as you sit there listening you can almost feel your wallet getting lighter and lighter in your pocket. This spring saw the turn of Philip Hammond to show off the famous red briefcase as he walked by the doors of Downing Street. The themes the chancellor was trying to portray were for a fairer, stronger and better Britain. So, let’s start with some good news... The amount you can earn without paying tax is [...]

With the January quarter over, that means there is only one more full VAT quarter before the increase in some flat rate schemes. ‘What increase?’ I hear you cry. Well that’s what I’m here to tell you. I know, shock horror, HMRC wants yet MORE money and all because in a recent discussion it has been said they are ‘tackling aggressive abuse’ of the flat rate scheme. I think someone is being a bit dramatic, don’t you? Anyway, they have decided to target some entities who currently benefit from a reduction of VAT using this type of scheme. Does this [...]

I’m not usually one to be the bearer of bad news. But it’s a fact. Summer is over. Finito. Done. It’s not been too bad though really, and I mean if you got to go abroad, it just pops the icing on the cake– Pre Brexit travellers even got the cherry on top with the exchange rates they got. As if it’s not hard enough to come home to mounds of washing, junk mail and a thousand answering machine messages form PPI robots, you also have a loads of shrapnel coins that will sit in your drawers for years to [...]

What We Did:  Sponsored the shirts for a 160 Mile bike ride that took 2 days to complete and raised over £10,000 When We Did It:  June 2016. Who We Helped:  CRY Foundation to help pay for heart screening in schools.