The administration of lasting powers of attorney (LPA) is on its way to becoming fully online. In an ideal world, you should have an LPA (or its Scottish or Northern Ireland equivalent) sitting beside your…
Energy efficiency targets shelved. Will some landlords benefit from this?
The government’s backtracking over the introduction of energy performance targets for property let out in England and Wales is facing criticism, but it will be welcome news for landlords with older properties deemed too expensive…
Agri-tax reliefs set for restrictions
Draft legislation has been published that will, from 6 April 2024, restrict the geographical scope of agricultural relief and woodlands relief to property in the UK. Currently, property can qualify for either agricultural relief or…
Action to counter increase in UK wide fraudulent activity
The government has announced a new initiative to counter fraudulent activity, particularly in the financial sector. You might not be surprised to learn that fraud is now the most common crime in England and Wales,…
Neglected Child Trust Funds lying unclaimed
A recent investigation into Child Trust Funds (CTFs) by the National Audit Office (NAO) has revealed that, disturbingly, nearly £400 million in matured CTFs remain unclaimed. CTFs were opened for some 6.3 million children born…
Annual inflation in 2022 was 10.5%, but not all components rose by double digits.
Annual inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), was 10.5% in 2022 against 5.4% in 2021. The official CPI calculator, the Office for National Statistics (ONS), says that the last time inflation was…
New energy bill support scheme for businesses
A new business energy support scheme is set to run from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 but will be less generous than the scheme currently in effect. Businesses with energy costs below £107/MWh…
Associated company rules changing 1 April
Small company owners should by now be aware of the corporation tax changes taking effect from 1 April 2023, but with the associated company rules being introduced at the same time, don’t be caught off…
Dissecting inflation: what a difference a year makes
Annual CPI inflation hit 10.1% in September, but that does not mean every price is showing a double-digit increase. The September Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation reading is probably the most important inflation metric in…
Energy Costs Statement – 8 September 2022
After a prolonged period of speculation, the new Prime Minister Liz Truss has announced preliminary details of how the government plans to deal with the energy price crisis. In late May this year, the then…