While positive changes are on the horizon for the buy-to-let market, with a record number of mortgage deals coupled with lower interest rates, is it a good time to become a landlord in England? Cons…
Company Voluntary Arrangement: What, Why, When?
I had an interesting meeting with the head of services for a local authority nervous about my client’s financial status following its entering into a Company Voluntary Arrangement (“CVA”). The client’s contract with the local…
Employment status revised for hair and beauty salons
HMRC has recently published guidance on whether people working in the hair and beauty industry should be treated as employed or self-employed. This is an important distinction for owners of such businesses who are renting…
Inheritance tax and lifetime gifts
With the inheritance tax (IHT) nil rate bands unchanged for 16 years, more individuals are making lifetime gifts to minimise IHT liability when they ultimately die. However, anyone making gifts needs to be aware of…
Lack of awareness around Making Tax Digital
With less than a year until quarterly filing under Making Tax Digital (MTD) is introduced, a recent survey has found that nearly one-third of sole traders are oblivious to the changes. Furthermore, for the other…
What you may rely on in court may not be AI
Representing yourself at the First Tier Tribunal is one thing, but relying on artificial intelligence (AI) as a basis for appealing an HMRC decision, without human verification, is quite another. Discovery assessment A recently heard…
Will the new simple (self) assessment regime take you by surprise?
Commencing this month, HMRC will begin sending out simple assessments. They will come as a surprise to many recipients. From June 2025, HMRC will begin to issue simple assessment letters to those who are not required to…
Directors personal liability in costs in winding up proceedings
It’s not often we ask directors to personally fund costs of legal services following the issue of a winding up petition, but it is a necessary move given s.127(1) of the Insolvency Act 1986. For…
HMRC suffers from too much interest
Taxpayers relying on HMRC to sort out the tax due on interest are given a warning. As had often been noted over the last few years, one of the strategies adopted by successive governments to…
Companies House Identity Verification
Identity verification is being introduced for directors, people with significant control (PSC) and those who file at Companies House. Verification is currently voluntary, but will be made mandatory from this autumn. From autumn 2025, mandatory…