Social media is rarely out of the news these days, often with adverse consequences for those that have misused it or failed to take proper precautions over its use. The charity sector has not been immune to this, with the RSPB being the centre of a political row after a tweet it published accused Government ministers of being liars, for which the RSPB chief executive had to sub ...
Welcome to our Blog. Your one stop shop to keep up to date with all the latest goings on!!

Changes in legislation to Research and Development claims
Companies have seen some big changes lately; changes in corporation tax rates, changes back to the associated company rules from the 51% related companies, and lately, additional requirements to support R&D claims and changes to R&D rates.

How to reduce inheritance tax (IHT) on financial gifts
Financial gifts can make a huge difference for children and grandchildren but care needs to be taken to ensure they are carried out tax efficiently.
Lifetime gifting could include making cash gifts from surplus income, charitable giving and taking advantage of annual exemptions and the small gifts exemption.

Scams warning issued to 12 million self assessment taxpayers
Self assessment taxpayers must be on the lookout for scam texts, emails and phone calls from fraudsters, HMRC was warned. HMRC has received more than 130,000 reports about tax scams in the past year, with 58,000 of those offering fake tax rebates. With around 12 million people expected to submit a self assessment tax return for the 2022/23 tax year before the 31 January 2024 ...

Many firms still facing recruitment problems
Many UK firms are still facing hiring issues as a result of challenging economic conditions, according to a report from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). 73% of firms surveyed by the BCC reported having recruitment problems, with businesses in the hospitality sector the most likely to report challenges. The construction and manufacturing industries are also experiencing ...

Careers Fairs
We recently attended two Careers Fairs to look for graduates for our 4 year graduate scheme within our Audit department. Brunel University On Tuesday 24th October, we attended Brunel's Autumn Placement, Careers Fair. The event was open to all Brunel students (all year groups and disciplines) as well as recent alumni. Royal Holloway University On Wednesday 25th October, we a ...

Should my company be making QIPs (Quarterly Instalment Payments)?
- If your company makes profits of over £1.5m then the answer is probably “yes”
- You need to consider new rules from 1 April 2023 that bring “associated” companies into play, and may mean more companies fall into the QIPs regime
- Companies falling into QIPs need to be mindful of payment dates to manage cashflow

Firms looking to Autumn Statement for help with rising operating costs
Small firms will look to the upcoming Autumn Statement for signs that the government understands their operating concerns, says the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The business group said that UK businesses need urgent action to help stem the issue of late payment. It says that large corporates use late payments to offset interest rate rises by 'demanding, in practice, f ...

Number of cash transactions rises for first time in a decade
The number of payments made with cash rose for the first time in a decade in 2022, according to data published by UK Finance. According to UK Finance, the total number of payments made last year increased to 45.7 billion from 40.4 billion in 2021. 50% of all payments in the UK were made using debit cards, and the number of cash payments rose to 6.4 billion. The data also show ...

Government launches Business Climate Hub
The government has launched the UK Business Climate Hub to offer firms advice and support on reducing their energy bills and cutting their carbon emissions. The Hub includes a free carbon calculator and a suite of new tools to help businesses measure, track and report on their emissions. It also offers detailed advice on topics, including sourcing products from green supplier ...