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 the owner/manager of a small company, and you want to buy a new car. What are the different ways of purchasing it and is it more tax efficient to buy the car through the business or pay personally? Naomi Swan advises in this article. You are the sole director shareholder of your company...

Following huge rises in petrol and diesel prices, you may be wondering if now is the time to make the switch to electric company cars, as you understand there are tax benefits in doing so. But what tax breaks are available?  Charley Fojcik discusses. Where an employee has a company car which is available for...

Following on from last weeks blog, the pressure of public opinion, the IMF, the financial markets, and other Conservative MP’s has led to Kwasi Kwarteng doing a sharp U-turn in respect of the abolition of the 45% additional rate of tax. Although the remaining budget still favours the wealthy more than the average taxpayer, the...

You have just completed your first year of a property rental business during which you spent a lot of money getting the properties ready for letting. You spent money on redecoration, repairs, structural work, fixtures, fittings and furnishings. How much of this expenditure is tax deductible?  Sam Scott from the Tax Team advises in this...

You want to buy a holiday home, but you have a limited budget. As a low-cost option, you are considering buying a static home on a holiday park which will generate income to offset the cost. Another advantage is that you’ll get tax relief on the purchase price. Is this true?  Mark Towns from our...

During major sporting events such as The Open or Commonwealth Games, many people looked to boost their income by renting property to spectators and so on. So why might these people receive a letter from HMRC? Lauren Herbert advises. A sporting event held over several days is a great opportunity to utilise spare rooms or...

Your business leases cars for your employees, paying VAT on the monthly charges. But are you correctly claiming input tax and what happens if you return the vehicle before the end of the agreement? Or if you receive a rebate of your rental payments? VAT Expert John Craig explains. If the car has business and...

HMRC has issued new guidance to employers about the tax and NI which is payable on tips. It explains the position when customers choose to tip electronically. The most common form of electronic tipping is already explained in the existing E24 guidance. Where customers pay by card, Apple Pay and so on, and add a...

As of 6 April 2024 most self employed traders and private landlords will be required to comply with HMRC’s new MTD for ITSA rules. Who is required to comply? All individuals who are subject to income tax on the profits of a trade, profession, vocation or property business who have a total turnover from all...