You want to hold a summer event to entertain your employees and to improve morale. But you are unsure what the tax and NI position will be?  Gail Trojan advises. Normally, business entertainment is not a tax-deductible expense. However, the cost of entertaining employees (including directors), such as by having a staff party, is an...

To limit the number of self-assessment (SA) returns HMRC has to process it has changed the criteria for when one is required. If HMRC removes you from SA as a result, should you agree with this? Head of Tax Christiaan Hansen discusses. For 2023/24 and later tax years the self-assessment (SA) income threshold at which...

The 2023/24 tax year is of course now underway and there have been several changes which may affect you.   Head of Tax, Christiaan Hansen provides an overview of the key points, along with our recommendations and advice. Income tax The rates of income tax haven’t been increased; however, the threshold for paying the additional...

James owns a residential property which has been let for many years and he is considering selling it but will lose a large amount of the proceeds to HMRC. What are the options for reducing his capital gains tax (CGT) bill? Head of Tax Christiaan Hansen highlights some of the options available. Capital gains James...

We are delighted to welcome highly experienced tax expert Christiaan Hansen to the JRW team. Christian is our new Head of Tax, replacing Brona MacDougall who has gone onto pastures new a little closer to home. Although based in Hawick, Christiaan will bring his considerable tax expertise to clients across all 6 JRW offices as...

Mrs Smith’s mother has recently died. During her final years she lived in a care home and sold her property to pay the fees. Mrs Smith believes she has lost the right to claim the residence nil rate band as a result. What is advised? Head of Tax, Christiaan Hansen advises. Residence nil rate band...

You are sending an employee overseas for several months to complete a job. They have asked what the tax and NI position will be if they pay for family visits during this period. Head of Tax Christiaan Hansen looks at this in more detail. Commuting You are probably aware that if you pay an employee’s...

You keep various animals for a new fresh produce business. But you may be unaware that there are options as to how the animals are treated for tax purposes.   Elaine Wight from our Accounts Deptartment in Hawick looks at the options. Animals By default, farm animals are treated as trading stock. However, some animals are...

You have employees who make local deliveries using bikes rather than cars where feasible. Can you still make payments for the business mileage tax free? Naomi Swan CA, based in our Hawick office, discusses below. The tax position will depend on whether the couriers are employees or self-employed. Of course, with HMRC’s increased enforcement action...

You occasionally provide entertainment to your employees. How do you ensure that you correctly report anything that is taxable, and how can you take advantage of any exemptions to minimise the liability. Naomi Swan provides the answer below. Staff entertainment for benefit in kind (BiK) purposes is prone to errors. Many businesses under-report it. This...