On 21 July the Treasury set out a first draft of the government’s ten-year plan to modernise the tax administration system. This includes restarting the making tax digital (MTD) programme which had ground to a halt in the face of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic. MTD filing is to be extended to all VAT-registered traders from April 2022…
The worst is yet to come – are you ready?
With the easing of the lock-in, long days and sunshine and the promise from government that everything will be ‘back to normal by Christmas’, you could be forgiven for thinking that the worst effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are over. Soon there will be a vaccine, and everything will get back to normal. Unfortunately, nothing…
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme is being extended…but half of the self-employed are still excluded
When the chancellor announced a scheme for the self-employed similar to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme most of the 5m self-employed in the UK breathed a sigh of relief even though it had been a long time coming. It wasn’t long, however, before HMRC started to reject applications from self-employed people excluded from the scheme.…
It make you wonder who to believe – 2
If you read my blog on Sunday you could be forgiven for wondering if you can believe anything the government and civil servants tell us about the economy. So when the governor of the Bank of England issued a statement on Monday you probably thought “At last – someone sensible. He’ll tell us what is really going…
It makes you wonder who to believe
While most of us, quite rightly, have been focused on the easing of the lock-in and when we can get back to work we have also just witnessed one of the most extraordinary weeks in the political economy. On Wednesday a young black lad brought up on the largest council estate in Europe persuaded the…
Changes to the coronavirus job retention scheme (CJRS) from 1 July 2020
On 12 June 2020 HMRC amended eight pieces of guidance regarding the coronavirus job retention scheme (CJRS) for employers who want to furlough employees from 1 July. The rules will change again from 1 August when no pension costs or employer’s NIC will be reclaimable. In September and October, the amount of wages which can…
Update on the Self-employed Income Support Scheme
The SEISS portal open for applications in phases between 13 and 18 May. Here is the latest information we have the on the scheme. Eligibility checker HMRC’s eligibility checker went live on 4 May and is available to taxpayers and their agents. In a small number of cases, the checker is giving an incorrect not-eligible result. This mostly affects…
We face huge challenges, but isn’t that a good thing?
Where many seem to be struggling with the pandemic quarantine, I’ve found home isolation, and the lack of social commitments, freeing. It’s allowed me to become more contemplative, and connected to the rhythms of family life. It’s not that I’m anti-social. I enjoy limited social engagements. But since I started my own practice some years…
New ‘top-up’ rates grants available for left-out businesses
The government has made extra money available to a range of businesses not previously covered by business rates holidays or support grants. The new discretionary ‘top-up’ fund caters for small businesses with ongoing fixed property costs. The kinds of businesses that may now qualify for help include those in shared workspace offices, regular market traders and small…
Tax agents unable to make Self-Employed Income Support Scheme claims on behalf of clients
Just when they hoped the government was coming to their rescue, the millions of self-employed workers in the UK have been delivered a blow by HMRC who have announced that their tax agents are barred from claiming the self-employed income support scheme (SEISS) grant on their behalf. The SEISS will be open for applications from…
