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The Queen’s Speech 2019 outlined several Brexit-related Bills, including an Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill, designed to end free movement within the UK after Brexit and to lay the foundation for a new, modern and global immigration system. The Bill will also reaffirm the government’s commitment to the right to remain for resident EU citizens “who have built their lives here in the UK”. The main elements of the Bill are:

• Ending the free movement of ...
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HMRC has automatically registered many businesses to use simplified import procedures should the UK leave the EU without a deal on 31 October 2019. The scheme, called the Transitional Simplified Procedures (TSP) will make importing from the EU bloc much easier, especially for businesses completing customs processes for the first time. The TSP will allow most businesses to transport goods from the EU into the UK without having to make a full customs declaration at the border and to postpone ...
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The Scottish rate of Income Tax (SRIT) commenced on 6 April 2016 and is administered by HMRC on behalf of the Scottish Government. The SRIT is payable on the non-savings and non-dividend income of those defined as Scottish taxpayers. This means that Scottish taxpayers who also have savings and dividend income, need to consider the UK rates as well as the Scottish rates when calculating their Income Tax bill. Scottish taxpayer status applies for a whole tax year. It is ...
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The start of the 2019-20 tax year marked a fundamental change to the way Income Tax is calculated for people who live in Wales. The new Welsh rates of Income Tax (WRIT) is payable on the non-savings and non-dividend income of those defined as Welsh taxpayers. The definition of a Welsh taxpayer is generally decided on the question of where the taxpayer lives. It should be noted that in order to be a Welsh taxpayer, an individual must be a ...
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There is a special exemption from Inheritance Tax for cash gifts made on or shortly before the date that the relevant wedding or civil partnership ceremony takes place. The amount of tax relief varies depending on the relationship between the donor and the recipient.

• Each parent (including step-parents) can gift up to £5,000 tax free
• Grandparents and Great grandparents can each gift up to £2,500
• Any other person can each gift up to £1,000

If the value transferred ...
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The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid, has announced that he is planning to hold his first Autumn Budget 2019 on Wednesday, 6 November 2019. However, this date is based on the UK leaving the EU with a deal on 31 October 2019. At the time of going to press, this was certainly not a foregone conclusion. The Chancellor did confirm that if the UK leaves the EU without a deal then the Government would act quickly to announce emergency ...
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There used to be a form that had to be completed advising HMRC if you were returning to live in the UK from another country. Whilst this form was abolished some time ago, there are still various actions that you may need to take if you are returning to live and work in the UK. In most cases, if you return to live in the UK you will be classed as resident in the UK and you will be required ...
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Entrepreneurs' Relief (ER) can be valuable relief when selling your business, your shares in a trading company or your interest in a trading partnership. Where ER is available, Capital Gains Tax (CGT) of 10% is payable. This rate applies to qualifying lifetime gains of up to £10 million. However, it is important to remember that there are qualifying conditions that must be met to ensure you are eligible to benefit from the lower 10% rate. If you are selling all ...
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A reminder that the current National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) rates came into effect on 1 April 2019. The NLW is the minimum hourly rate that must be paid to those aged 25 or over. The current rate for the NLW is £8.21. The hourly rate of the NMW (for 21-24 year olds) is £7.70. The rates for 18-20 year olds are £6.15 and the rate for workers above the school leaving age but under 18 ...
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The Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, has unveiled the design of the new £20 note featuring the artist JMW Turner. The new note will be launched on 20 February 2020 and will join the current £5 and £10 notes in being printed on polymer, a thin flexible plastic. The new plastic £20 note will include a number of new security features including two windows and a two-colour foil, making it very difficult to counterfeit. The Governor said: ...
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There are a limited range of circumstances when a company can request to be removed from the register (known as being struck off). For example, a voluntary strike off can be requested by a dormant or non-trading company. You can object to a limited company’s application to be struck off the companies register if you’re a shareholder or other interested party, such as a creditor, and have a reason to stop the application, for example:

• you have not been ...
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An overseas company must register with Companies House if they want to set up a place of business or branch in the UK. Generally, this would be if the overseas company had a physical presence in the UK through which it carries on business. If an overseas company does not have a physical presence in the UK, they are not usually required to register with Companies House. For example, an independent agent who conducts business on behalf of an overseas ...
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An overdrawn Director’s Loan Account is created when a director (or other close family members) 'borrows' money from their company. Many companies, particularly 'close' private companies, pay the personal expenses of directors using company funds. Where these payments do not form part of a director’s remuneration, they are usually posted to the Director’s Loan Account (DLA). The DLA can represent cash drawn by a director as well as other drawings by a director (including personal bills paid by the company) ...
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If you own a business as a sole trader or in partnership, a Capital Gain will arise if your business is transferred into a company structure. The gain will be assessed by reference to the market value of the business assets, including goodwill, at the date of transfer. This could give rise to a chargeable gain based broadly on the difference between the market value of the assets and their original cost. In most cases, the incorporation of the business ...
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The Inheritance Tax residence nil-rate band (RNRB) came into effect on 6 April 2017. The RNRB is a transferable allowance for married couples and civil partners (per person) when their main residence is passed down to a direct descendent such as children or grandchildren after their death. The RNRB effectively increases your existing £325,000 inheritance tax nil-rate band. The RNRB is being introduced in stages, the threshold is currently £150,000 and will increase to £175,000 in 2020-21. After this, the ...
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There are special rules in place which limit your options to change your company’s year-end date. A company’s year-end date is also known as its ‘accounting reference date’ and is historically set by reference to the date the company was incorporated. Under certain circumstances it is possible to make a change to the year-end. As a general rule, you can only change the year end for the current financial year or the one immediately before it. Making a change to ...
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National Insurance credits can help qualifying applicants to fill gaps in their National Insurance record. This can assist taxpayers to build the amount of qualifying years of National Insurance contributions, which can increase the amount of benefits a person is entitled to, such as the State Pension. National Insurance credits are available in certain situations when people are not working and, therefore, not paying National Insurance. For example, credits may be available to those looking for work, who are ill, ...
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There is usually no Capital Gains Tax (CGT) to be paid on the transfer of assets to a spouse or civil partner. There is, however, still a disposal that has taken place for CGT purposes effectively at no gain or loss on the date of the transfer. When the asset ultimately comes to be sold, the gain or loss will be calculated from when the asset was first owned by the original spouse or civil partner. There are a few ...
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The rules for individuals providing services to the public sector via an intermediary such as a Personal Service Company (PSC), changed from April 2017. The new rules shifted the responsibility for deciding whether the intermediaries’ legislation applies, known as IR35, from the intermediary to the public sector receiving the service. In the 2017 Autumn Budget, the Government announced plans to extend these rules to off-payroll working in the private sector. The new rules come into effect from 6 April 2020 ...
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One of the most often used and valuable of the Capital Gains Tax (CGT) exemptions is Private Residence Relief, which usually exempts any profit made on the sale of a family home. Consequently, there is no CGT on a property disposal that has been used solely as the main family residence. An investment property, which has never been used as a family residence, will not qualify for PRR. However, an interesting counter point occurs if and when you make a ...
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