Despite the financial pressures caused by the pandemic, the government has gone ahead with the planned extension to tax breaks for environmentally friendly vehicles. What might this mean for your business? Bob Johnstone advises. Businesses wanting to take advantage of the capital allowances (CAs) tax break for environmentally friendly cars and other vehicles have been...

You recently saw a press article about tax and Gift Aid donations, it said that people who donate to charity and whose income has been hit by coronavirus can face unexpected tax bills. Are you at risk of this? Helen Johnstone provides the answer. As you probably know, under the Gift Aid scheme charities and...

The Scottish Government are providing a new fund for owners and operators of mobile and home-based close contact service businesses and for registered driving instructors. The fund will give eligible applicants a one-off payment of £4,000. The deadline for applications is 16 March 2021 at 6pm. To be eligible for this fund, you must own...

The Scottish Government’s fund for Newly Self-Employed Businesses is going to be opening up for a second round. This was originally introduced in May 2020 to support those self-employed individuals who did not qualify for SEISS. Importantly, individuals who previously fell though the gap as they could not evidence the fact that income from self...

New VAT rules for construction In this attached guide we look at the ‘Domestic Reverse Charge’ (DRC) that applies for VAT on construction services from 1 March 2021. This was announced in a consultation in early 2018, with the intention that it should be introduced on 1 October 2019. It was delayed for a year...

Funding has been provided by the Scottish Government to local authorities to provide additional support for businesses where they consider that necessary or justified. The aim of this fund is to mitigate the short term financial challenges being experienced by businesses adversely impacted by restrictions and regulations introduced since October to control the spread of...

What is the Scottish Inbound Tour Operators Fund? The Scottish Government have recently announced a £6 million fund delivered on behalf of the Scottish Government by VisitScotland with input from the Scottish Tourism Alliance, the Scottish Destination Management Association, the Scottish Incoming Golf Tour Operators Association and UK Inbound. The fund is available for inbound...

The Scottish Government have announced additional support to Taxi and Private Hire Drivers who are experiencing decreased demand, by way of a one-grant of £1,500 to eligible individuals. This support is separate and additional to any other funding receivable from the Scottish or UK Government. For example, a driver may be eligible even if they...

The United Kingdom officially left the European Union (EU) on 31 January 2020 and the 11-month transitional period ended on 1 January 2021. There are important changes businesses must now make in order to continue trading with the EU. VAT changes The UK left the EU VAT Territory on 31 December 2020. Following this date,...

At the end of September, the government announced the end of the VAT Retail Export Scheme (VAT RES) with effect from 1 January 2021. This means that overseas visitors will no longer be entitled to a VAT refund on items they buy in England, Scotland or Wales which they take home in their luggage. The...