Having already paid out over £1 billion in equal pay claims, and now facing claims for further millions, Birmingham City Council’s financial crisis is a stark reminder of why it is so important to get…
Are we witnessing the decline of trusts?
The number of trusts filing self-assessment tax returns for 2021/22 was 37% lower than for 2003/04. The decline comes as no real surprise given the eroding advantages of using a trust and the recent requirement…
Fraud countermeasure drives R&D tax relief changes
The level of fraudulent claims being made for research and development (R&D) tax relief has prompted HMRC to introduce a new procedure: companies must provide detailed information ahead of making their claim. HMRC figures show…
Finalising tax return figures and filing early
HMRC is chasing taxpayers who have submitted tax returns for 2021/22 containing unresolved provisional figures, while also extolling the benefits of filing early for 2022/23. What are provisional figures? A provisional figure is not the…
Behind the numbers on income tax
New income tax statistics from HMRC appear to be good news, but the numbers are not what they seem. Taxpayer’s marginal rate Basic Rate Higher Rate Additional Rate 2020/21 Average tax rate 9.5% 21.8% 38.3%…
Take Two on Wealth tax…………
Hard on the heels of May's Sunday Times Rich List, will new proposals for a wealth tax gain any traction? In 2020, a group of economic research bodies set up the Wealth Tax Commission to…
Tax gap at all-time low
The tax gap is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. For 2021/22, the gap was at an all-time low of 4.8%…
Tax and your home solar panel system
With continuing high electricity prices, now could be a very good time to install solar panels at your property. Unless a solar battery is part of the system, it makes sense to sell excess electricity…
Self-assessment threshold rises from 2023/24
There is a long list of reasons why it is necessary to complete a self-assessment tax return, but PAYE taxpayers are generally exempt from the requirement. Previously, exemption was subject to a £100,000 income ceiling,…
Government’s tax take on growth trajectory
Analysis of the projected outcomes of the government’s tax policies show an expected increase to the number of higher rate personal taxpayers, with the corporate tax yield expected to grow substantially. Income tax The default…