Choosing the right charity trustees Choosing the right trustees for your charity According to the Charity Commission, public trust in charities has fallen over the last year. While much of the work to regain trust will be in the form of clear, honest communications, effective management is also key. Choosing the right [...]
Why hire an apprentice? Apprenticeships are a hot topic at the moment. With the Government’s long-term commitment to have 3 million apprentices in work places by 2020, the opportunity to strengthen and build your business has never been better. So, what does it mean for your business? With more than 2 million apprentices [...]
The buy-to-let market, the bank and the government Rapid growth of the buy-to-let market The buy-to-let market has experienced astonishing growth over the past 15 years as people look to capitalise on cheap finance and rising house prices. Add to this stock market volatility and a general distrust of pensions and you have a [...]
Landlords hit hard in 2016 budget When the 2016 Budget came out it was clear to see that the chancellor was on the warpath against landlords. In a two-pronged attack the budget imposes a higher rate of stamp duty on second home owners, as well as limiting tax relief on mortgage interest. As [...]
Budget 2016 - Small Business comes out on top Small Business rates cut! The big headline announcement in this years budget is the cut to business rates by the extension of the small business rates relief scheme. Currently the scheme means that all properties with a rateable value of < £6,000 don't pay [...]
Don't stick your head in the sand! The Pensions Regulator, is adopting a heavy handed approach, to ensure compliance with pensions auto enrolment by small businesses. In the three months to December 2015 a total of 1,013 fixed fines were issued, bringing the total up to 1,549 since the beginning of auto enrolment in [...]
My dog ate my charity's accounts? A recent report made by the Charity Commission suggests that not all charities are submitting their accounts, with thousands in default. When the commissioners looked into this further they found that 32 percent of accounts submitted were of ‘unacceptable quality’. To try and combat this, the Commission launched [...]
Dividend changes from April 2016 Many business owners have heard there is a change coming to dividend tax, but what is the actual impact? The Autumn Statement produced an unexpected headline for small business owners: the favourable tax situation for dividends is being severely diminished. We explore exactly what difference this will [...]
Pensions auto enrolment: Just another admin burden for small businesses? Auto enrolment is coming and no doubt if you are a small business owner the cost and admin burden of having to comply has already crossed your mind. All employers with > 30 staff already have to comply and the remaining businesses are [...]
Summer Budget 2015 The Chancellor has presented his Summer Budget to Parliament, the first for a majority Conservative government since November 1996 - here's a summary of what was announced: Individuals A new national living wage will be introduced for all workers aged over 25, starting at £7.20 an hour from April [...]
