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VAT on delivery charges

The process for working out the VAT treatment of delivery charges can be quite complex. We have listed below some of the main issues to bear in mind when deciding whether or not VAT needs to be applied. No charge for delivery. HMRC’s guidance is

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New Christmas grant for pubs

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has announced an additional one-off £1,000 Christmas grant for wet-led pubs in tiers 2 and 3 who will miss out on much needed business during the busy Christmas period. A wet-led pub is a bar which doesn’t serve

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HMRC crackdown on avoidance schemes

HMRC and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have come together to jointly target misleading marketing by promoters of tax avoidance schemes. HMRC and the ASA can jointly issue an Enforcement Notice to companies irresponsibly advertising tax

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Correcting errors on VAT returns

Where an error on a past VAT return is uncovered, businesses have a duty to correct the error as soon as possible. As a general rule, any necessary adjustment can be made on a current VAT return. However, in order to be able to do so, there are three

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SDLT change for mixed use buildings

HMRC’s published guidance on the application of the 3% higher rate of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) has been updated. The higher rates of SDLT were introduced on 1 April 2016 and apply to purchases of additional residential property such as buy to let

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Employing domestic staff

When you employ someone to work in your home it is your responsibility to meet the employee's rights and deduct the correct amount of tax from their salary. This can include employees such as a nanny, housekeeper, gardener or carer. The rules are

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Double entry demystified

Most business owners will know the difference between a profit statement and a balance sheet. Both are created from a process known as double-entry bookkeeping. If asked to consider two aspects of a £50 purchase from a stationery store, most would

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Beware requests from bogus charities

It has been estimated that almost £350,000 of charitable donations last year ended up in the pockets of criminals. Government recently issued advice to reduce this activity. They said: The vast majority of fundraising appeals and collections are

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