Yearly Archives: 2019

It is fine to keep working past your State Retirement Age unless your employment is subject to retirement at a compulsory retirement age. If your employer does this, they must give a good reason, for example: the job requires certain physical abilities (e.g. in the construction industry) or the job has an age limit set…

When you make a gift to third parties you are potentially transferring part of your estate and a life-time charge to IHT may be applied. However, in most cases you will not need to open your cheque book as there are a number of exemptions that may cover your intended gifts. The current gift exemptions…

This article does not cover the risks of owning an electric car, depreciation rates etc. Instead it discusses the tax implications if you buy an electric car for business purposes. As electric cars have zero carbon emissions for tax purposes it should be possible to claim what is called a “first year allowance” when the…

Occasionally, the tax system in the UK throws up an issue that does not make sense. For example, how can you create a tax loss for capital gains tax (CGT) purposes without disposing of the asset? After all, CGT applies when an asset subject to CGT is sold or otherwise disposed. If you sell an…

The Brexit issue continues to drag its heels and it now looks as if we will have a general election until matters are resolved. Another crucial matter that will be delayed is the presentation of a Budget that will determine any changes to the tax code next year. However, while the politicians attempt to resolve…

Contractors completing energy improvements on the homes of low-income families will need to be registered with a new government quality scheme – the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) - to give residents confidence that they will get a good service. Work undertaken through ECO offers free energy-saving measures, including insulation and new boilers for low-income and…

UK farmers looking for opportunities to export beef products to China will be encouraged by the recent relaxation of export criteria. A recent UK government press release titled “China opens doors to British Beef” explains what is being offered. A summary of the press release is reproduced below: The British beef industry is set to…

In a further attempt to incentivise savings our government has created a new saving vehicle called a PrizeSaver account. Here’s what the Treasury press release on the launch says: Treasury launches pilot of new PrizeSaver account on International Credit Union Day. Savers who put away as little as £1 with participating credit unions have chance…

We have listed below a number of issues that you will need to consider if directors or employees use a car for business purposes. Essentially, if the car is owned by the business any private use of the vehicle will trigger a tax charge for the driver (car user) and a possible NIC bill for…

If you are a sole trader or an individual member of a partnership you will likely be subject to income tax, and possibly National Insurance, on your earnings. Unfortunately, tax being taxing, earnings for tax purposes may not be the same as the monthly drawings you take from your business. For example, you may decide…