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The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has released figures showing that food price inflation in March has slowed to its lowest level since December 2021. Shop Price annual inflation dropped to 1.3% in March, compared with 2.2% in February. The Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, Helen Dickinson, said that “while Easter treats were more expensive than in previous years due to high global cocoa and sugar prices, retailers provided cracking deals on popular chocolates, which led to price falls compared to the previous month. Dairy prices also fell on the month as farmgate prices eased, and retailers worked hard [...]

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have reminded farmers to stay safe around livestock, not just for themselves and their workers, but also with walkers who may use public footpaths. Their Your Farm, Your Future campaign is aimed at improving safety on farms, and there is a focus on livestock in 2024. Statistics show that four workers were tragically killed following incidents on farms with animals in 2022/23. HSE also monitors incidents that involve cattle and walkers. Apparently, on average between one and two people each year are killed while using public rights of way, while others suffer serious injury. [...]

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) has published a report on the future of the National Minimum Wage beyond 2024. In recent years, the LPC has been setting the National Living Wage based on a target of two-thirds of median hourly earnings. The National Living Wage is now set to reach this target, and so the LPC is now reporting to the government with advice on what its next steps on National Minimum Wage could be. One of their recommendations is to reduce the difference between the youth and adult rates. From April 2024, the minimum age for National Living Wage [...]

HM Revenue & Customs have recently updated and clarified their guidance on training costs paid by the self-employed. The general rule for whether the cost of a training course can be deducted from your self-employed profits is that it must be incurred wholly and exclusively for the purposes of the trade being carried out by the business at the time that the training is undertaken. If you are self-employed, a training course that updates or provides expertise or knowledge in your existing business area will normally be deductible. This means that training on new skills or knowledge for you to [...]

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), via their Working Minds campaign, has declared April Stress Awareness Month. Work-related stress is an important consideration for businesses since all employers have a legal duty to prevent work related stress to support good mental health in the workplace. Managing work-related stress doesn’t just help employees, it can help employers avoid the problems that stress brings with it: reduced productivity, sickness absence, or even having staff leave. The HSE are inviting employers to complete 5 steps, taking 1 a week over the 5 weeks of April. The 5 steps are: Reach out and have [...]

When in business, it’s not uncommon to be approached by another business with a view to you buying the business or entering a partnership deal. It might be a competitor that approaches you, or it could be a customer or supplier. Alternatively, you might identify a business that you would like to acquire as part of your own growth plans. What things should you consider before entering a deal to buy another business? In this article we will look at some of the key considerations. Financial assessment What is the financial health of the business you are looking to acquire? [...]

In addition to the significant alterations made to research and development (R&D) tax relief effective from April 1, 2023, further amendments are set to come into force from April 1, 2024. Starting April 1, 2024, companies engaging in eligible R&D activities will be eligible for a 20% expenditure credit. This credit is calculated based on the qualifying expenditure amount. Furthermore, qualifying expenditure will now encompass subsidised expenditure from April 1, 2024, although R&D conducted overseas will no longer qualify unless it cannot be feasibly undertaken in the UK. For "R&D intensive" companies incurring trading losses, they will continue to be [...]

A recent case presented before the First Tier Tribunal holds relevance for businesses operating campsites and farmers diversifying into "glamping" with camping pods on their land. According to capital allowances legislation, caravans predominantly used for holiday lettings and movable buildings intended for qualifying activities, such as portacabins on building sites, qualify as plant and machinery. In this recent case, the Tribunal ruled that certain camping pods, not connected to mains drainage, qualified as plant because they were potentially movable buildings. This signifies that limited companies incurring expenses on new pods can benefit from 100% Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) and "full [...]

As outlined in the Spring Budget, the favorable tax treatment enjoyed by furnished holiday lettings (FHLs) will be terminated starting April 6, 2025. Consequently, these businesses will be subject to taxation in line with other residential property ventures. Owners of properties currently classified as FHLs may want to contemplate increasing their spending on equipment like furniture and televisions while the 100% annual investment allowance (AIA) remains in effect. Moreover, the existing capital gains tax reliefs, notably business asset disposal relief (BADR), will also cease from April 6, 2025. Therefore, owners may consider selling their holiday letting properties while the 10% [...]

The implementation of Making Tax Digital for income tax self-assessment is slated to begin in 2026/27 for sole traders and property landlords earning £50,000 or more in gross income. Subsequently, the threshold decreases to £30,000 from 2027/28. The government has recently affirmed that the quarterly returns required will encompass cumulative income and expenses, eliminating the need for an end-of-period statement. HMRC has outlined the specific income and expenditure categories to be reported and clarified that businesses below the VAT registration threshold will only need to submit simplified three-line accounts: total sales, total expenses, and profit or loss for the period. [...]