Our blog

Mon 06 February 2012

 

A new tax relief  for business is to be introduced from 6 April 2012 - the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS). The aim of SEIS is to encourage individuals to invest in small companies by providing incentives in income and capital gains tax. This is of interest to both investor and companies who may be looking for capital to take the next step in their development.

Whilst these incentives are generous, there are many qualifying conditions attached to the scheme...

Fri 16 December 2011

The current Euro crisis and the uncertainty of Greece’s future is something we have all been aware of over the last month. But do we really understand the possible effect it may have against UK agriculture?   

Subsidy payments are calculated in Euros. Farmers have been watching the euro-pound exchange rate over many years as it has a big impact on their income.

If Greece is forced to leave the Euro it is possible the currency could decline, making it weaker than...

Thu 15 December 2011

The suggestion by the powers of France and Germany for a closer union has had fairly predictable repercussions, with a split starting to appear between those countries who want closer political union, and those who do not.  It is Germany who is in the driving seat, and their effective refusal to support the minor Eurozone countries or clear the European central bank to do so means that countries either have to choose to go with Germany, or push away.

This fragmentation is hugely...

Wed 14 December 2011

Farmers are urged to take advantage of the current tax reliefs available, as from 6 April 2012 changes will be made that will reduce the savings possible on investments made in plant & machinery.

Capital Allowances have been quite generous for the past couple of years, with 100% tax relief on investments in new equipment up to £100,000 and 20% tax relief on any expenditure above this.

 But as of 6 April 2012 the tax relief is to be reduced to:

·...

Wed 30 November 2011

In yesterday’s pre-budget report, the Chancellor has announced how the government is trying to stimulate business growth in areas that have been hit particularly hard by the recession. These initiatives range from encouraging banks to lend more, to giving incentives for investors.

The following are the main points of interest from the report:

The government is going to launch a new Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) from April...

Thu 10 November 2011

I blogged last week about the position of Greece within the Euro, and even within the European Union itself.  I mused that exits from the Eurozone may not stop with Greece, but may even involving much larger economies, even Italy.

My goodness.  What a long period of time is a week.

Events are moving so quickly at the moment, one really has to stop speculating about outcomes.  One thing is certain, however.  With its veto on extra funds to shore up Italy, it...

Fri 04 November 2011

For the first time, the subject of a country leaving Eurozone has been raised at Heads of Government level in the European Union.  It has been made clear to the Greeks that a rejection by referendum or in a general election of the measures imposed by the EU would mean this is the very likely outcome.

There is a problem, however.

There is no actual mechanism for a country to leave the Euro.  It cannot simply opt out. When the rules were designed any mechanism to leave...

Wed 02 November 2011

You will have received a “special message” with your NHS Schedules on 1 November with regard to incorporated performers.

This consummates what we have been saying for some time, in that incorporation calls into jeopardy the ability to be part of the superannuation scheme.  The tax benefits of incorporation, which in many cases are “apparent” only are far outweighed in many cases by the loss of the superannuation benefits, and incorporation is much easier...

Fri 28 October 2011

One of the most worrying aspects of the inability until yesterday of the Eurozone countries to reach agreement on what to do with Greece is that it calls into question their ability to deal with the much bigger problem of Italy. The Italians have passed various structural measures through their Parliament, but there remains a level of doubt in world financial markets. The seriousness with which the world views these changes and the ability of prime minister Berlusconi to carry them through...

Thu 20 October 2011

There has been some recent press about HM Revenue and Customs overtaxing some people and undertaxing others. 

As often happens with the media, this is more about sound bites and less about substance.  The context of these errors must also be considered. 

For taxpayers who have most of their income taxed at source, such as under PAYE, the Tax Code is designed to take the right amount of tax.  However it is necessarily based on what the taxman knows,...