Please find below all the articles from April 2015.
A question we are often asked is, how can I reduce my tax bill?
A simple question on the face of it, but how simple is the UK tax system?
An income taxpayer might reasonably assume that there are only three rates of tax within the UK, basic rate tax at 20%, higher rate tax at 40% and the additional rate at 45%, and they would technically be correct. However the reality of the UK tax system is that your personal circumstances…
Read MoreIf you are married or in a civil partnership, and born on or after 6 April 1935 you can now apply for the new marriage allowance. This is not an extra amount of tax free allowance, but a transfer of £1,060 of unused personal allowance from one spouse or civil partner to the other. It will save the couple tax of £212 for 2015/16.
The marriage allowance can only be claimed where one person has unused personal allowance and the other partner/spouse is taxed at no more than 20%….
Read MoreDo you know when your younger workers will reach their key birthdays: 18 and 21? It is essential to know exactly when these dates fall, as reaching such a milestone will change the level of national minimum wage (NMW) which must be paid to that worker. The current and proposed NMW hourly rates are:
| Age or status of employee: | From 1 October 2014 | From 1 October 2015 |
| 21 and over | £6.50 | £6.70 |
| 18 to 20 | £5.13 | £5.30 |
| Under age 18 | £3.79 | £3.87 |
| Apprentices under 19 or in 1st year | £2.73 | £3.30 |
An employee’s pay must be increased from the beginning of the pay period…
Read MoreIf you help to run a charity you need to keep on top of the tax and audit regulations that apply to charities, and the gift aid scheme.
A person with earnings or pension income of less than £10,600 and interest of up to £5,000 will pay no income tax in 2015/16. These individuals should not make gift aid declarations for donations made on or after 6 April 2015, as they do not pay the income tax which the charity reclaims in respect of that donation.
As a charity you…
Read MorePension freedom is a GOOD thing. The change in law from 6 April 2015 means that members of defined contribution pension schemes who are aged 55 or more should be able to draw what they want from their pension schemes. But “pension liberation” is a BAD thing. This is when scammers use confidence tricks to separate taxpayers from their pension savings, and the taxpayer has to pay high charges and tax penalties. Can you tell the difference?
If you are thinking about taking funds from your pension plan, you…
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