Debt Relief Orders (DROs) were first introduced in April 2009. The DROs assist people who have small levels of assets and insufficient surplus income to deal with debts under £20,000. In a news release published by the Insolvency Service we are... Read More

HMRC has launched an unannounced crackdown on money laundering regulation non-compliance by estate agents. This clampdown resulted in over 50 visits by HMRC staff to estate agents across England that were suspected of trading without being regis... Read More

Under the current scheme, banks and building societies transfer the money held in dormant accounts to a central reclaim fund. The reclaim fund is responsible for managing dormant account money, meeting reclaims and passing on surplus money to various... Read More

There is a free tracing service called 'mylostaccount' to find lost bank accounts. The service brings together the three tracing schemes of the British Bankers' Association (BBA), the Building Societies Association (BSA) and National Savings and Inve... Read More

HMRC has issued an updated version of their online guidance on Genuine HMRC contact and recognising phishing emails and texts. The guidance provides a current list of genuine messages from HMRC. This includes email messages, text messages and telepho... Read More

The definition of a finance lease can be difficult to pin down. In legal form a finance lease is just another lease - the legal ownership of the asset lies with the lessor and the lessee only has the right to use the asset. However, in commercial ter... Read More

As the Brexit date fast approaches, it seems the only thing we can say with any certainty is that uncertainty continues to plague the issue of our leaving the EU. The negotiations on the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU are unresolved and the... Read More

In the Spring Statement 2019, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced that the apprenticeship reforms set out in the Autumn Budget 2018 will now be introduced a year early. From 1 April 2019, the co-investment rate for non-levy employers will b... Read More

Your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) identifies your tax records at HMRC. The number is also known as your taxpayer number or tax reference number and should be used whenever you contact HMRC, or when you file your tax returns. The UTR is a... Read More

HMRC has issued a new briefing paper on disguised remuneration charge on loans. Disguised remuneration schemes are tax avoidance arrangements that seek to avoid Income Tax and National Insurance contributions by paying scheme users their income in th... Read More

The Finance (No.3) Bill 2017-19 received Royal Assent (later than originally planned) on 12 February 2019 following agreement by both Houses on the text of the Bill. The Bill is now an Act of Parliament known as Finance Act 2019. The Act contain... Read More

The City of Edinburgh Council is seeking permission to introduce a tourist tax. After an extensive consultation, the members of Edinburgh Council have agreed to submit proposals to the Scottish Government. The City Council voted in favour of the prop... Read More