Industry News & Updates

Latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that average wages are continuing to grow faster than inflation. After adjusting for consumer price inflation (CPI), wages rose 3.4% between October and December 2024 when compared with the same period in 2023.

Inflation figures for January 2025 were released last week and showed a surprising jump to 3.0%, up from 2.5% in December.

The government announced major plans earlier this month to modernise the house buying and selling process.

Following the reduction in the Bank of England base rate, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have confirmed that their interest rates will be reduced accordingly.

The Bank of England reduced their base rate to 4.5% last week, as had been widely expected in the days leading up to the decision.

Conventional approaches to work and earning an income are changing and with the cost of living ever rising, many now use various ways to make some extra cash outside of their main job. If that’s true of you then you may wonder whether you need to pay tax on those earnings.

Legislation was laid before Parliament earlier this month confirming that the new National Living Wage and new Minimum Wage rates will take effect from 1st April 2025.

When it comes to disposing of computer equipment, how do you make sure that any storage media – hard drives, SSDs, flash drives and so forth – can’t be read by unauthorised users or have the data recovered?

Starting a business in the UK is an exciting venture, but it comes with financial, tax, and accounting responsibilities that you must navigate effectively.

The Prime Minister and Chancellor met with business leaders last week and unveiled proposals to give occupational defined pension schemes more flexibility.

The annual self-assessment tax return deadline has just passed, and for many business owners, the experience may have been a mad scramble to gather documents, double-check figures, and submit their returns and pay the tax on time.

As the UK tax year-end approaches on 5 April, it’s an excellent time for you to review your business finances and explore tax planning opportunities, particularly if you are self-employed. Tax planning can help you to reduce tax liabilities, boost your cash flow and put you in a stronger financial position.

A report released by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has further criticised HM Revenue & Custom’s (HMRC) phone service. It found that nearly 44,000 customers were cut off without warning after being put on hold for more than an hour in the first 11 months of last year.

Starting from 31 January 2025, entry summary declarations will now be required for goods imported into Great Britain (GB) from the EU. This extends the already existing requirements to submit entry summary declarations for imports into GB from countries outside the EU and exit summary declarations for exports to the EU.

Recent economic developments have sparked concerns among UK businesses. Government borrowing costs surged in December to their highest levels in four years, and this has drawn heavy criticism of the Chancellor’s fiscal strategy.

The UK Government has announced a £7 million funding initiative aimed at helping small businesses enhance their productivity and efficiency through artificial intelligence (AI).

The Renters’ Rights Bill returned to Parliament for debate last week and included some new changes.

The government launched an AI opportunities action plan last Monday that aims to ramp up AI adoption across the UK.

The latest figures reveal that UK inflation fell slightly in December, down to 2.5% from 2.6% in November.

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to bring benefits across many industries, including healthcare diagnostics and consumer technology. However, as its applications expand, so do concerns about its accuracy and potential for misuse. Two recent examples—the use of AI in detecting ovarian cancer and its controversial implementation in summarising news—illustrate both the transformative potential and the risks of AI.

With the 31 January Self-Assessment tax return filing deadline fast approaching, HM Revenue and Customs issued a press release last week noting that 5.4 million taxpayers are yet to complete their return.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have revealed that 4,409 people chose Christmas Day to file their tax returns, ensuring their 2023-2024 tax affairs were in order well before the 31 January deadline. 

The start of January marks a time of new beginnings, and for business owners, it’s the perfect opportunity to pause, reflect, and plan ahead. After the whirlwind of the festive season, January offers a quieter moment to consider where your business is headed, how it’s performing, and whether you’re still on track to meet your goals.

The UK government has struck a deal with Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský’s EP Group to secure the future of Royal Mail, a move that could have significant implications for the postal service in the UK.

The EU’s General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) came into force on 13 December. Many small businesses have ceased exports to the EU and Northern Ireland as a result.

The Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) latest official figures for October show that the economy shrank for the second month in a row, while pay growth increased for the first time in more than a year.

Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has confirmed 26 March 2025 as the date for the Spring Forecast.

A new Business Growth Service has been launched that is designed to help businesses across the UK to get quicker and easier help, support and advice.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves spoke last week at a meeting of EU finance ministers as part of the government’s attempt to perform an economic reset with the EU. It was the first time a UK chancellor has attended such an event since the UK left the EU.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have announced the launch of a new interactive online tool and clearer guidance for those who are already self-employed and those considering it.

If you trade as a limited company, then you will likely know that balancing salary and dividends is key to extracting profit from your company in the most tax-efficient way. Both methods have distinct implications. and the right mix will depend on your specific circumstances.

New changes come into effect from January 2025 where online platforms, such as eBay and Airbnb, will start sharing some user sales and personal data with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The government’s promised new Fair Payments Code was launched last week to try and tackle late payment problems that can be particularly harmful to small businesses.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have issued a reminder to be careful about scam attempts that target people filing Self-Assessment tax returns. In the last year, nearly 150,000 scam attempts were referred to HMRC, a 16.7% increase on last year. With the 31 January 2025 filing deadline approaching, fraudsters are likely to step up their activities.

The government has now published the legislation to deliver the business rates changes announced in the recent Budget. These reforms, set to take effect from the 2026/27 tax year, are designed to create a more balanced system, with notable benefits for smaller retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) businesses. 

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has reported that shoppers lost over £11.5 million to online criminals between November 2023 and January 2024. Each victim lost an average of £695. A total of £10.6 million was lost the previous year.

The latest inflation figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) for October 2024 rose to 2.3%, up from 1.7% in September. This marks the first increase in inflation since July, and it has sparked interest among business owners, economists, and policymakers alike. 

As part of the ongoing efforts to modernise the UK tax system, HMRC is rolling out Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD for ITSA).

Since coming into power, the Labour government has made its Make Work Pay plan a centrepiece of their policies. As a result, we have already seen a number of changes being proposed and implemented. This includes the new Employment Rights Bill which is currently making its way through Parliamentary processes.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have begun reminding taxpayers that time is ticking for getting self-assessment tax returns filed in time for the 31st January 2025 deadline.

As had been widely expected, the Bank of England reduced the interest base rate to 4.75% last week. This was due to inflationary pressures easing in recent weeks.

In a recent court case, a company director from Bury was sentenced to prison for failing to comply with basic accounting and legal responsibilities. Vezubuhle Ndlovu, the former director of VN Electrics Limited, was jailed for 10 months after he failed to provide the required records when his company went into liquidation, leaving over £200,000 in unpaid taxes.

As has been widely expected in the last few weeks, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, made some significant changes to the Employers National Insurance (NI) rate and threshold in the Autumn Budget.

The government has announced the new National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates that will apply from 1 April 2025.

On 30 October 2024, Rachel Reeves delivered her first Budget speech. As the first Budget speech ever delivered by a female Chancellor of the Exchequer, the occasion was bound to be one for the history books regardless of what was said.

The UK Autumn Budget for 2024 was presented on 30 October 2024 by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves

In her final speech at the International Investment Summit last week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced two major initiatives aimed at driving long-term investment in the UK. These moves are designed to create more high-skilled jobs and support growing industries across the country.

At the International Investment Summit, the UK government announced nearly £63 billion in new investments, which are expected to create 38,000 jobs.