Chancellor Rachel Reeves presented her inaugural Labour Budget on 30 October 2024, outlining a comprehensive plan to tackle a £22 billion fiscal deficit while enhancing public services. Key measures include raising the National Living Wage to £12.21 per hour from April 2025 and increasing National Insurance contributions, which are expected to create financial pressure on businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Budget also introduces significant revisions to Capital Gains Tax rates and a new surcharge on Stamp Duty for second homes.Concerns have been raised among high-net-worth individuals regarding increased scrutiny and compliance requirements. Businesses face challenges due to rising employment costs stemming from these changes, which could hinder growth and investment. Overall, the Budget reflects a cautious approach to fiscal management amid rising living costs and stagnant public services. As stakeholders navigate these changes, Ward Williams is poised to provide expert guidance to help individuals and businesses adapt their financial strategies effectively in this evolving landscape.

The Chancellor has announced a £1bn support package including grants for the hospitality sector and a sick pay rebate scheme as omicron variant spreads Businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in England will be eligible for one-off grants of up to £6,000 per premises, plus more than £100m discretionary funding will be made available for local authorities to support o ...

Are you a VAT registered contractor/subcontractor who is providing services under the Construction Industry Scheme? If yes, you must ensure you comply with the new VAT rules coming into force from 1 March 2021. Get ready for the change Before this change comes into effect, please make sure your accounting software is up to date. This will enable you to process and submit VAT ...

HMRC has warned young people in the UK to 'stay vigilant' in order to avoid falling victim to 'Springtime' tax refund scams. Criminals often target young individuals or the elderly as these groups of people are likely to be less familiar with the UK tax system. During the months of April and May, criminals often bombard taxpayers with tax refund scams at the same time as genui ...

HMRC have updated the list of deliberate tax defaulters. The list contains details of taxpayers who have received penalties either for: deliberate errors in their tax returns deliberately failing to comply with their tax obligations HMRC may publish information about a deliberate tax defaulter where an investigation has been carried out and the taxpayer has been charged ...

HMRC has issued a Partnership Pack to help businesses carry out contingency planning and to help their customers, members and clients to: think about how they will need to adapt their business to comply with new systems, processes and controls assess the impact of the increased demand for customs declarations on their business consider whether they need to recruit and trai ...

HMRC has announced that they achieved record enforcement results this year, identifying £15.6million of minimum wage underpayments. The number of workers identified as underpaid was double that in 2016/17 and the highest number since the National Minimum Wage came into force. The figures reveal: a record £15.6 million of underpayment identified for more than 200,000 workers ...

For those individuals who have previously submitted ‘paper’ self assessment tax returns the deadline for the 2017/18 return is 31 October 2018. Returns submitted after that date must be submitted electronically or they will incur a minimum penalty of £100. The penalty applies even when there is no tax to pay or the tax is paid on time. If you would like any help with the compl ...

The government has decided not to proceed with plans to abolish Class 2 National Insurance Contributions (NICs) from April 2019. Class 2 NICs are currently paid at a rate of £2.95 per week by self-employed individuals with profits of £6,205 or more per year. The government had planned to scrap the Class 2 contribution and had been investigating ways in which self-employed indi ...

Breaking with the tradition of a Wednesday in November, perhaps in a bid to avoid the ongoing Brexit negotiations, the government is expected to set out its plans ‘to build a stronger, more prosperous economy, building on the recent Spring Statement and last year’s Budget’. The government announcements are expected to include updates on draft legislation and consultations, and ...