January 2024

News Posted

The tax implications of writing off a loan

31st January 2024
The Managing Director of a company, who is also the main shareholder, has given loans of £25,000 to the company to support it through the economic downturn. The company’s losses for the latest year end are £30,000. As the director’s loan is currently showing as a liability, the director is considering writing it off to...

How to provide uniforms tax efficiently

31st January 2024
You pay a clothing allowance to your customer-facing staff and your business pays their PAYE tax and NI. You are considering providing the clothing direct as you recently read that it’s more tax efficient than paying an allowance. Is this correct?  Naomi Swan discusses below. Cash allowance versus reimbursed expense Generally, if you pay one...

The gift of capital allowances

30th January 2024
You received a new laptop for Christmas which you will use for work. Even though it cost you nothing, can you claim a tax deduction in respect of the business use?  Kenny Logan from our Edinburgh office provides the answer below. A gift with extra benefit It’s nice to receive gifts and apart from thanking...

Is there tax on your side-hustle?

15th January 2024
HMRC is getting better at detecting and penalising people who make extra income but don’t declare it. With that in mind if you have a small side venture to make some extra cash, is it always necessary to declare it to HMRC?  Audrey Rankine outlines the details in this article. Naturally, HMRC is interested in...

What do the NI rate cuts mean for you?

15th January 2024
What do the NI rate cut changes mean for both the employed and the self-employed? And what action do you need to take, if any?  Natasha Crockatt from our Payroll team explains below. Classes 2 & 4 currently The self-employed currently pay two classes of NI contributions – Class 2 and Class 4. Class 2...

Group registration and leasing cars

10th January 2024
Your business is registered as a VAT group and is partially exempt. All cars are leased through one group member that only has taxable income. How much input tax can you claim on the leasing payments and what other issues must you consider?  Associate, Bob Johnstone from our Galashiels office explains in this article. Even...

Under-radar changes to be aware of

9th January 2024
The National Insurance cuts in the 2023 Autumn Statement grabbed the headlines, but there were a number of other changes also announced. What were the most important to be aware of?  Naomi Swan outlines the changes in this article. Self-assessment The criteria to be met for an individual to fall within self-assessment have been changed....
tree planting, charity donation

Is VAT payable on charity donations?

5th January 2024
A trustee of an environmental charity has launched a fundraising appeal to ask for donations from supporters. One tree will be planted in a city centre for each £20 donation. Are the donations subject to VAT as a supply of services?  Naomi Swan explains in this article. What is a donation? VAT is not payable...