Archive:December 2019

Please find below all the articles from December 2019.

Should I incorporate my business?

Monday, December 2, 2019

As things currently stand, the expected cut in the main rate of corporation tax to 17% from April 2020 is unlikely to happen, but current corporation tax rates remain pretty favourable. There are also other areas where company formation may help save tax.

The costs and regulations involved with running a company are usually greater than trading as a sole trader or in partnership, and should not be overlooked. In addition, incorporation generally means an increase in administration, which some businesses may find burdensome.

The starting point for dealing with…

Tax-free Christmas parties

Monday, December 2, 2019

Whilst the tax legislation does not include a specific allowance for an employer providing a Christmas party for employees, HMRC do allow limited tax relief against the cost of holding a social function for employees, providing certain conditions are met.

Broadly, a social event – which of course, includes the annual Christmas party – will qualify as a tax-free benefit if the following conditions are satisfied:

– The total cost must not exceed £150 per head, per year;
– The event must be primarily for entertaining staff; and
-…

Proposals to pay doctors pension tax bills: update

Monday, December 2, 2019

In an attempt to encourage working overtime shifts, doctors have been promised that their tax bills for higher rate pension relief will be covered by the NHS. This development follows the refusal by doctors to work overtime because of tax penalties received on their pensions due to the £40,000 annual allowance limits.

The amount people can put into pensions tax free was reduced for all pension savers in 2010, when the £255,000 allowance was cut to £40,000 a year. This problem originally arose in 2016 when a tapered annual…

Should I register for VAT?

Monday, December 2, 2019

In broad terms, and subject to certain exceptions, a business will be required to register to charge and pay VAT once annual sales reach a pre-set annual threshold, which is currently £85,000. This threshold is determined by total sales and is not the same as total profits (which is generally sales minus expenses).

However, a business can register for VAT even if its turnover (total sales) is below the threshold and it may actually save tax by doing so, particularly if its main clients or customers are organisations that…