Month: April 2016

  • Property and help to buy

    More than 150,000 people have bought a home using the Help to Buy Scheme since its launch in 2013. The mortgage guarantee scheme, which allows lenders to buy a guarantee on mortgage loans, has proved popular with first-time buyers. The Treasury reports that 79% of mortgage completions through the mortgage guarantee scheme were people buying…

  • Lack of management skills limit business growth

    A lack of leadership and management skills may be inhibiting the growth of businesses. Just under half of new start-ups in the UK last less than 3 years. The UK also has a growing productivity gap, currently 18% below the G7 average.

  • Succession planning for a family business

    A guide to transferring a business to a family member. There are more than 3 million family businesses in the UK, which between them employ more than 9 million people and contribute 15% to GDP. Despite these successes, family businesses often experience difficulties when it comes to passing their businesses to younger generations.

  • A guide to reducing an individual’s tax liability

    The overriding aim of all personal tax planning is to legally reduce the amount of tax paid on an individual’s income. This income can come from a number of sources and the tax reduction strategies available will be based on the reliefs and allowances applicable to each source.

  • National living wage: employer responsibilities

    Employers must now pay workers over the age of 25 at least £7.20 an hour. The national living wage (NLW) replaces the current national minimum wage (NMW) of £6.70 an hour for people who are 25 or over. This is not a simple increase of the adult rate of NMW as individuals between 21 and…

  • Business announcements from Budget 2016

    Chancellor George Osborne delivered his Budget 2016 on 16 March 2016 and outlined several changes national insurance, corporation tax and stamp duty. Some of the headline measures relating to businesses announced in the Budget include: Corporation tax – the rate of corporation tax will reduce to 17% by 2020 Business rate relief – the doubling…