Thursday January 26, 2012 at 9:00am
January can be a gloomy month – not least for those facing the deadline for completing their online tax return – but January 2012 has brought at least a small ray of sunshine for small businesses which feel unfairly treated by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
In a precedent-setting judgement, the Tax Tribunal has ruled the Government is acting illegally by issuing late-payment penalty fines against thousands of small businesses which fail to submit their tax returns on time....
Friday January 20, 2012 at 6:55pm
We’ve all done it. That letter needs writing; those invoices need filing; that client needs calling. But then, that other thing needs doing too. You know, that really important thing. The one that can’t wait - your annual tax return.
It’s human nature. We put off anything that doesn’t need doing by yesterday. But the problem with filing your online tax return even a few minutes after the deadline, is you’ll be rewarded with an unwelcome fine of £100. This pe....
Thursday January 5, 2012 at 9:00am
I do think HMRC might be over-egging it a bit when it comes to tax enquiries at the moment. It’s been reported that HMRC recovered £179 million as a result of enquiries into tax returns in one year alone.
Over recent years HMRC have become more and more determined to discover tax discrepancies. There’s nothing wrong with that in my view, if they are tackling people who are making false claims or trying to fiddle the system. But unfortunately it also means than many innocent b....
Thursday December 22, 2011 at 9:00am
In case you’ve missed it from 1 April 2012 all VAT registered businesses must submit their VAT return and pay any amounts owing electronically.
There’s expected to be a last-minute rush by businesses not yet using the online facilities. To be honest we’d recommend switching as soon as possible so you don’t face a last minute panic when you’re forced to file online. Actually there are some advantages to the online VAT submission and payment system.
The system has....
Thursday December 8, 2011 at 10:00am
I was reading the results of a survey recently which looked at how equipped entrepreneurs are to succeed in business. The results were somewhat surprising.
Fail to plan and you can plan to fail!
In this survey 16 per cent of entrepreneurs didn’t have a written business plan. Now, I’m no advocate for the kind of business plan you might learn how to write in business school. But I am in favour of a set of measurable goals and detailed strategy outlining how the goals will be achiev....
Wednesday November 9, 2011 at 5:16pm
Xero, the company that develops our online accounting software, is calling upon the UK Government to abandon proposals to simplify statutory reporting for the smallest businesses. Xero believe that there are other ways to address any reporting concerns that the UK’s smallest businesses – 60% of UK businesses registered at Companies House - may have, without requiring yet more legislation. And our response is ‘here, here’.
This follows the Department for Business Innovat....
Thursday September 29, 2011 at 9:30am
There seems to be a never ending stream of initiatives from HMRC relating to how they handle tax enquiries where (rightly or wrongly) they consider that something needs explaining. Now HMRC’s procedures are being streamlined with the aim of reducing the time an enquiry takes.
Specifically there will now be 4 levels of enquiry under the Single Compliance Process (SCP). At what they call level 1 they are reducing the time taken to just 1.5 days. That’s for very simple enquiries wher....
Thursday September 1, 2011 at 9:00am
It may sound futuristic but in fact web based accounting , in the cloud, is now a reality for many small and medium sized businesses around the world. For many it allows them to delegate a non-core activity and reap the full benefits of outsourcing. Yet, I’ve been surprised how few local businesses in Birmingham have embraced the major advantages offered by ‘the cloud’.
Over my twenty odd years in the accountancy profession I’ve been searching for a solution to an age o....
Thursday August 11, 2011 at 9:00am
That’s the beauty of outsourcing, the contracting out of a business activity, usually carried out in-house, to a specialist provider. Of course for many SMEs and family owned businesses it’s not just the tasks that they don’t like that can be outsourced, it’s non-core activities, those that add limited value or require specialist expertise.
I recently wrote a blog (It’s time for accountants to offer more) about how the accounting profession needs to step up to the....
Thursday August 4, 2011 at 9:00am
As more compliance is forced on business owners and the systems we’re required to follow seem to get more, not less complicated I believe it’s time accountants did more for their clients.
Most business owners do not want to be an involuntary tax collector for the Inland Revenue. But when it comes to quarterly accounting for VAT or operation of the PAYE system that is just what those of us in business are to HMRC. VAT and PAYE are such important sources of tax it is unfortunately un....
Thursday July 28, 2011 at 9:00am
Just like buses not a lot new seems to happen and then all the innovations seem to come along at once. You might be interested in some of the new things that have come across my desk that we have either adopted or are looking more closely at:
Online accounting software: Nothing so special about that you may be thinking, however Xero Accounts seems to have taken a big slice of market share for two reasons. Firstly it is web based and fast, secondly it downloads company bank statements automa....
Thursday June 16, 2011 at 10:00am
Here’s something you might not expect me to offer as an accountant – but in the spirit of wanting to help small and owner managed businesses I’m offering you my top tips to help you keep accountancy costs down.
Tip 1 – Be organised
Organise your books and keep clear records. When preparing a tax return or a set of accounts, if your business books and records are in a mess or items are missing it will take your accountant longer to carry out the work and time is money.....
Thursday June 2, 2011 at 10:00am
Most business owners are aware of the benefits of paying a dividend rather than salary. With no national insurance being charged on dividends you can save around 20% (net of tax relief), based on employers NI charged at 13.8% plus employees NI charged at 12%. This is a big saving.
Another useful thing about dividends is that the tax is paid on 31st January following the year end rather than being deducted at source as it is under PAYE. There is more to this than the cash flow advantage. If you....
Thursday May 19, 2011 at 10:00am
To be effective at debt collection you need two simple ingredients - a sound credit control process and discipline in how this is implemented. Many companies have a policy, including for example offering 30 day terms for payment of invoices, but fail to act quickly when a customer doesn’t pay. Allowing late payments will disrupt your cash flow and could harm your company's chances of success. So don’t let it happen. To keep debtors flowing smoothly, we recommend you follow a standard....
Thursday May 5, 2011 at 10:00am
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has signalled its determination to make businesses improve their record keeping by launching its programme of inspections earlier than expected.
HMRC will be seeking confirmation that businesses are maintaining ‘accurate and adequate’ business records covering the full range of taxes including VAT, PAYE, NIC and corporation tax.
HMRC will expect to see that a business is keeping full and accurate records of its invoices, receipts, petty cash, general....
Friday April 22, 2011 at 10:00am
Any taxpayers who have some undeclared income, should take a serious look at the latest opportunity offered by HMRC to get their tax affairs sorted out with usually no questions asked, and lower penalties applying than would be the case if HMRC approached them. Although this new opportunity is supposedly aimed at plumbers, (hence the name “Plumbers Tax Safe Plan), HMRC makes it clear that in fact it is open to anybody, whatever the source of income or capital gains and whether an individua....
Thursday April 14, 2011 at 10:00am
Having built a business on your skills and knowledge in one particular field you now find you have to become an expert in customer service, employing staff and especially financial management.
When it comes to the success of your business YOU can take control and focus on MONEY: making it in your business, managing how and when it’s used, getting more of it when you need it and, perhaps most importantly, how you can keep more of it personally.
To do this you need to focus on only a han....
Thursday March 24, 2011 at 12:06pm
So claimed Chancellor George Osborne on Radio 4 this morning, and actually he might just be right. The measures introduced to help businesses and especially small business are to be welcomed. These include the surprise increase in the Entrepreneurs Relief lifetime allowance from £5 million to £10 million. This relief was already generous in the current economic climate as it allowed entrepreneurs to pay capital gains tax at a rate of only 10% on the first £5 million of qualifyi....
Thursday March 24, 2011 at 10:00am
New late filing and late payment penalties will apply from 6 April 2011 (in relation to tax years ending after 5 April 2010) for personal, trust and partnership returns.
The existing rule that the late filing penalty is the lower of £100 and the balance due will be replaced. That is hardly a surprise, but the good news is that the level of the basic £100 penalty remains.
The penalties for late filing will include:
£100 penalty immediately after the due date for fi....
Thursday March 10, 2011 at 10:00am
Directors’ loan accounts are used widely in private companies yet they are subject to a considerable amount of confusion, not least the tax implications arising in certain circumstances.
It is very common for a director to lend money to, or borrow funds from, their company. As many directors are also shareholders in the companies they operate it is easy for them to assume that funds can be taken out of “their” company without keeping appropriate records or properly considerin....
Friday March 4, 2011 at 10:00am
With few tax-breaks available to business owners at the moment it is worthwhile knowing about one that is still very much still alive and kicking and can significantly benefit business owners planning to sell.
Entrepreneur’s relief was introduced in 2008. From 23rd June 2010 the first £5 million of gains that qualify for relief will be charged to Capital Gains Tax at an effective rate of 10 per cent. Gains in excess of £5 million will be charged at the normal 18 per cent or 2....
Friday February 25, 2011 at 10:00am
It was great to read a positive report about the state of the retail market last week on the Retail Gazette website. Their report suggests that the UK retail sector has got off to a healthy start in 2011. Apparently year on year sales for January were up 9.1 per cent for the sector as a whole, with online retailers showing an increase of an impressive 49 per cent.
So maybe the predicted impact of the increase in VAT to 20 per cent won’t hit as hard?
These figures did set me thinking how....
Wednesday January 12, 2011 at 1:35pm
Small business owners across the UK could be advised to seek the help of a specialist tax accountancy service following a recent alert from the government.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has published an "urgent" reminder that important changes to Corporation Tax are due to be enforced in April this year.
As such, all company tax returns sent in from April 2011 must be filed online in a specified data format known as XBRL or iXBRL.
The changes will also mean that Corporation Tax p....
Thursday January 6, 2011 at 5:06pm
I know as human beings we’re not always keen on change. It’s time consuming, sometimes costly and it’s a leap into the unknown. But carrying on with the same old advisors just because you’ve always used them may not be a sound business decision and with the end of the tax year only a few months away now is a great time to consider who you want as your advisors next year. Here are my suggested questions for anyone who’s made a New Year’s resolution to change th....
Thursday December 9, 2010 at 4:45pm
If you have registered to file your tax return online, then you only have until January 31st 2011 to do so. Missed deadlines will result in a £100 fine, so it’s worth making sure you file on time.
Here are our top tops for taking in the dreaded tax return:
Preparation is everything: Before you start filling in your tax return, you need to get all your records together and make sure that they’re in order. If you’re doing it yourself, it will make your life easier, and ....
Thursday December 2, 2010 at 6:02pm
The corporation tax road map revealed by George Osborne on 30th November 2010 reveals government plans to reform corporation tax over the next 5 years. Plans include lowering the corporation tax from 28% current to 24% by 2014 and changes to the controlled foreign company tax regime, as well as a drop in the corporate tax rate for patents in a bid to encourage companies into the UK.
The principles of the reform proposed reform of corporation tax seem sound, but how will it all play out in prac....
Friday November 12, 2010 at 9:12am
Tax chiefs were hauled to give evidence to the Treasury Select Committee recently and admitted that a staggering 24 million people could have had their tax bills miscalculated over recent years.
The Panorama programme, Are you one of the six million? earlier this week has rekindled interest in this topic. It’s anticipated that six million people will get letters before Christmas either demanding an average of £1,400 or offering a refund by cheque after a new computer system identif....
Friday November 5, 2010 at 2:56pm
Whilst cash for the investor might ‘Seriously Damage your Wealth’ in business cash is king and keeping close management of the cash in your business will protect you from disaster. At Parker Chartered Accountants we put our heads together to come up with this list of tips for any business owner needing to gain greater financial control. Try them – they work!
Raise invoices promptly and clearly state your terms of payment. Typical terms would be payment within 30 days. ....
Tuesday October 26, 2010 at 5:27pm
A recent survey of small businesses by simplybusiness.co.uk has found that many suffer from inadequate financial management and an absence of basic business planning skills which leads to uninformed decision making. Apparently 29% of the SME owners admitted to failing to keep adequate checks on the company finances because of other pressures on their time. The survey suggests than SMEs review their detailed balance sheet and profit and loss forecasts only every 18 weeks on average – that&r....
Friday October 22, 2010 at 11:00am
When Italian economist Vilfred Pareto observed that 80% of Italy’s income went to 20% of the population he probably never realised he was on the verge of a discovery that is the core to understanding the strength or otherwise of many businesses today. Pareto discovered that this 80/20 rule applied to all manner of things, for example 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of the peas, and today 80% of the world’s personal wealth is held by the richest 20% of people. It&rsquo....
Tuesday September 28, 2010 at 12:15pm
We all know that running a business is not easy, only those who have never had to suffer the burden of responsibility to employees, family and the bank, would think business owners reap easy rewards. With the potential rewards come personal financial risk, stress and a very steep learning curve. The reality is that we pay a high price to be in business and sometimes it gets the better of us. When talking to clients in financial difficulty, the feeling of despair and failure is not uncommon. I qu....
Tuesday September 28, 2010 at 11:19am
With so many companies nowadays holding personal data, the greatest risk is often employee theft of this asset. Yet many businesses throughout the UK overlook employee screening completely.
In most organizations that PBD visit, screening is seen as a perfunctory activity that addresses the last employer and statutory right to work documents.
However there are robust British Standards available such as BS7858. This requires a full five year checkable work history, together with a financial pr....
Friday September 24, 2010 at 12:05pm
A recent survey from asset-based lender Venture Finance and Accountancy magazine found that 60% of accountants believe that a further increase in SME insolvencies is still to come. The economy is only showing tentative growth, and lots of smaller businesses are still struggling to keep their head above water. Most small businesses are currently focused on stabilising performance rather than growth and if they’ve built up debt in the depth of recession they may struggle to find a way o....
Monday September 13, 2010 at 4:32pm
In January VAT shoots up to 20 per cent. Now is a good time to decide how to present that increase to customers. Whether you add it into your price or factor it into your costs, make sure you are up front. Transparency wins customers’ trust and with that more business. If you are selling to the public or charities, housing associations or health care providers who can’t claim VAT back – now is the time to think about pre-VAT rise promotions, encouraging people to buy now and sa....
Wednesday September 8, 2010 at 9:53pm
Well it is a fair question that most of us would like to say yes to, but when put on the spot we find we stumble and don’t have all the answers. Some of the more common questions asked by the Dragons are: “how can you convince me there is a market for your product”, “what sales have you made this year so far”, “what is your forecast profit this year and next”, “who would buy this product” and “how much profit do you make on each sale&rd....
Thursday September 2, 2010 at 3:41pm
It’s an unfortunately fact of life but you or your business could face a tax enquiry at any point, often through no fault of you or your accountant. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have the power to start an enquiry at any time, and they don’t have to give any specific reason for doing so! For the tax payer or business owner there’s worry and confusion. “What’s the tax man looking for?” “What have I done wrong?” “What will they find and will I ....
Friday August 20, 2010 at 9:47am
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has announced its Corporation Tax roadshow is visiting Birmingham this autumn. From April 2011, Company Tax returns (for accounting periods ending after 31 March 2010) must be filed online in a data format called iXBRL, and the events are an opportunity for businesses to find out more about the software available to support this major change. The "Corporation Tax Online" events are free and open to all. The Birmingham event will be held on 3rd November 2....
Wednesday August 11, 2010 at 2:04pm
With a ‘choppy’ economic recovery predicted by the governor of the Bank of England and the media talking up a double dip recession in response to the recent drop in house prices business owners would be forgiven for throwing their arms up in despair and ‘giving in’. This morning Mervyn King lowered the Bank’s economic growth forecast and warned inflation will stay higher than previously predicted. He doesn’t seem too confident that the banks will help-out busi....
Tuesday July 27, 2010 at 12:41pm
Cash - you can never have too much, but you can often have too little. Staying on top of cash flow is critical for every business. These 10 tips will help you boost cash flow.
Invoice as soon as possible. It’s far better, from a cash flow point of view, to bill throughout the month than stick rigidly to one billing day, often at the end of the month.
Give it focus. Cash flow is the most important element of your business. Don’t delegate the task and ignore progress.....