Latest News

Five great apps to grow your business

Mobile technology is enabling us to make the most of spare time, whether it be waiting for a meeting or traveling on a train. I thought it would be good to share some apps that I believe could help you grow your business and all are either free or cost less than £2.

Brainstormr Mobile (£1.99)

Ten tax aspects of furnished holiday let properties

Furnished holiday let (FHL) property income is treated differently from longer term residential lettings.  We set out the top 10 tax areas any FHL owner needs to know.

1.    Counting the days – There are minimum letting requirements to meet the FHL criteria.  Firstly, a property has to be available to the public for at least 210 days and it actually needs to be let as commercial holiday accommodation for 105 days.  Days are usually counted over a tax year apart from in the first and last year of trade.

Advisory fuel rates for company cars

Many employers and employees make use of the advisory fuel rates published by HM Revenue & Customs. The rates apply where the employer:

• reimburses employees for business travel in company cars where the employer does not provide fuel, or,
• requires employees to reimburse the cost of employer provided fuel used for private travel, so potentially avoiding a private fuel benefit charge.

The advisory fuel rates are also acceptable for VAT purposes providing VAT receipts for fuel purchases are retained.

Did the business cope without you?

In July, I wrote about the impending holiday season in my article “Can the business cope without you?”

The general theme was whether you have the ability to “switch off” from the business during your summer break. Well, how did that work out for you?

Is your summer busy enough?

The holiday season is now in full swing – and we’ve even had some sunshine!  If you own a holiday let property how is your diary looking?  I ask because for some underutilized furnished holiday let (FHL) properties, changes to rules from 2012 could start to bite from the current 2014-15 tax year.  Now is a good time to review if you think you’ll keep your FHL status this year and decide if you need to take action. 

MSI Global Alliance appoints new Chief Executive Officer

MSI Global Alliance has today announced the appointment of Timothy Wilson as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Wilson was previously the Director of Membership at Abbeyfield Society, a leading international provider of housing and care homes, where he was responsible for supporting over 200 independent care homes operating within the Abbeyfield organisation.

Hat trick of exam successes for Armstrong Watson

Three Armstrong Watson employees David Graham, Rea Maxwell and Steven Metcalf have all received great news with their exam results this week.

New VAT rules for online sales – How will it affect you?

From 1 January 2015 new VAT rules will be introduced which will affect all businesses selling broadcasting, telecommunications and e-services to non-business customers in other EU countries. This article will focus primarily on the e-services changes as these are likely to have the most widespread impact. However, it is still vital to understand how these new rules affect you if you are providing broadcasting or telecommunications services.

A Grand Depart – towards a tax saving opportunity?

In early July great swathes of Yorkshire turned yellow and over 2,500,000 people took to the streets and hills as the Tour De France became Le Tour De Yorkshire and cycling fever gripped God’s Own County.

It gripped me sufficiently to dig my bike out of the back of the garage where it had lain unused for five years. Sadly what I remembered as a gleaming and sleek machine turned out to be a rusty wreck with two flat tyres!

Get paid quicker by Direct Debit from GoCardless

A common issue amongst my clients is the time it takes to receive payment from their customers.  One solution to this is direct debit, for most small businesses this has been an expensive service provided predominately by banks.  New players have come into the market making Direct Debit a more affordable option.