Tag: small business

  • Landlords Forced to Improve Energy Ratings from This April

    New regulations are being introduced from April 2018 which will force landlords to improve the energy ratings of their properties. This will apply to landlords of privately rented domestic and non-domestic properties in England and Wales. The idea is that properties must reach at least an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E. This will…

  • Are Your Contracts of Employment Up To Date?

    You will have heard and read about recent news stories regarding contracts of employment, particularly the changes to dress code requirements. It is vital that your contracts of employment are up to date or you could have problems – expensive problems. The most publicity has been all around high heels and make-up, which may sound…

  • Changes to the Ways you can Pay your Tax

    We like to keep you up-to-date with news from HMRC so here is the latest information for you: From 15th December this year you will no longer be able to pay your tax bill at a Post Office Branch. This is particularly bad timing as it coincides with the January self-assessment payment rush. The contract with…

  • Making Tax Digital or MTD

    You may have heard or seen stories relating to some major changes that have been proposed by the government and H M Revenue and Customs. So what is MTD? It is a bold and innovative initiative to bring the UK tax system up to date for the new digital age, or so ‘they’ say. They…

  • Budget March 2017

    Not sure quite what happened in the Budget? Worried about how the changes could affect you? Here are two documents for you to read and download if you wish which contain all the facts and lots of figures. One document is a summary of the Budget statements and intentions, and the other shows all the…

  • VAT Returns – Remember to Keep Records

    It’s a basic check that needs to be done every year – reconciling the sales reported on your VAT returns to those in your annual accounts. HMRC will do this, so if there are differences, the tax inspector is likely to ask questions. There are several reasons why the sales reported in your accounts may…

  • Surprise! Surprise! HMRC Calling

    According to recent reports HMRC has increased the number of small business investigations and they continue to be seen as soft targets. About 7% of tax inspections are random, the majority are triggered because HMRC believes that something is wrong. What can you do to reduce your chances of being selected? File your tax returns…

  • News: Online Petition Against Filing Tax Returns Four Times a Year

    The Daily Telegraph reveals that more than 100,000 small business owners and self-employed workers have joined forces to fight a Government proposal that would force them to file tax returns four times a year instead of annually.

  • New Business Growth and Improvement Programme

    Do you feel you need help to give your business a jump start? Or perhaps you’ve been trading successfully for some time but now need direction about how to grow further?

  • Are You a Pressure Cooker?

    Are you about to explode because of the stress of running your business? More than two-thirds of entrepreneurs say running a business is more stressful today than it’s ever been.

  • Lack of Mentoring Could Be Harming Business Growth

    We’ve discovered that a lack of mentoring in the UK is holding back five million small and mid-sized British businesses (SMEs) from achieving growth and contributing to the economy. These business are twice as likely to fail in five years’ time than those who follow the advice of an experienced advisor.