Tax Health Plan (THP)

The HM Revenue & Customs is offering a disclosure opportunity for medical professionals known as Tax Health Plan (THP).
Under the plan, medical professionals have until 31 March 2010 to notify the HMRC that they will be making a disclosure of any undeclared tax bills.
After which the full disclosure and payment of all outstanding taxes and duties, interest and penalties must be made by 30 June 2010.
Under the Tax Health Plan, the HMRC are offering a reduced penalty rate of 10% but no penalty where the total of unpaid tax is less £1000.
After 31 March 2010, the HMRC have stated that they will be undertaking a data matching exercise using information from payments from NHS trusts, private hospitals and medical insurers.
If the choice is made not to disclose and HMRC discover any undeclared tax bills, they will seek to apply penalties of 30% to 100% of the unpaid tax bill.
If you wish to take advantage of the THP, Taxfile's tax agents may be able to assist you in entering the THP and preparing your disclosure. Pop in to see us or call us on 020 8761 8000 to book an appointment.

Ministers of religion and their allowable expenses

There are certain expenses that you can claim as a minister of religion as long as they are incurred wholly and exclusively for the duties of the office or employment.
• The cost of ministry journeys from one place of work to another .Also allowable are related costs of accommodation and meals.
• Maintenance, repairs and insurance of vicarage or manse
• A proportion of the cost of lighting, heating, cleaning and maintaining of premises where you live.
• A proportion of rental cost if part of the house is used mainly for work;
• Cost of postage, stationary;
• Cost of telephone calls where a deduction is made to cover personal calls;
• Cost of repair or replacement of robes worn for divine service;
• Communion expenses such as bread and wine;
• Subscriptions to professional bodies approved by HMRC;
• Secretarial assistance cost;
• Books used in the conduct of services or preparation of sermons;
• Work-related training;
• Reasonable entertaining costs for official visits from clergy or officers of the church;
• Temporary cover cost known as locum tenens.
For more information about taxation of ministers of religion you could visit HMRC.

31st January Deadline

If you have not submitted your tax return to HM Revenue and Customs already, you must do it online by the end of this month.

If HMRC receive your tax return after 31 January you will be liable for a late filing penalty of £100.
But even if if you miss the deadline for your tax return, you will not have to pay the penalty if you pay all of the tax you owe by 31 January.
In some rare cases, you might still be allowed to send your return on paper after the October deadline when no software is available. This is the case for the following types of returns:

• SA700 - Non-resident Company Tax Return
• SA970 - Trustees of Registered Pension Schemes

According to HMRC, "Tax returns that are in an HMRC office letter box when it's first opened on Tuesday 2 February or delivered to an HMRC office by hand on Monday 1 February will be treated as being received on the 1 February. You won't have to pay a late filing penalty, but HMRC will have longer to start a check into the tax return - until 30 April 2011 rather than 31 January 2011"

So if you have not managed to deal with your tax affairs so far, Taxfile's tax accountants can still submit your tax return on your behalf at reasonable rates.

Hurry up and beat the deadline!

PBR 2009 and the taxpayer

The 2009 Pre-Budget Report was published on 9 December 2009. The Report covers a lot of issues but we will only focus on the ones affecting self employed individuals.

According to the Pre-Budget Report 2009, the tax rates and thresholds for the year ended on 5th April 2011 will remain the same as the ones for the current tax year. The same principle will apply to National Insurance Contributions rates and thresholds in 2010/2011.

But "for the tax year 2011/12, in addition to the 0.5% increases to rates already announced at PBR 2008, the Chancellor has announced that there will be a further 0.5% increase to those rates, making a 1% increase in total from 6 April 2011. The primary threshold and lower profits limit will be increased by £570 to compensate the lowest earners."(HM Revenue and Customs).

The Child element when calculating the CTC entitlement will increase from the current £2235 p.a. to £2300 p.a while the disabled elements will increase by 1.5%.

Also, all elements of the WTC (except the childcare element) will increase by 1.5% in 2010/2011.

The income threshold for those claiming CTC rises from 2010/2011 to £16,190.

The inheritance tax threshold will be frozen at the current level of £325,000 from the tax year 2010/2011.

For any other details to do with the Pre-Budget Report 2009 please visit HMRC.

Venture Capital Trust (VCTs) and tax

Venture Capital Trusts were schemes introduced in 1995 to encourage individuals to invest in high-risk trading companies.

With a VCT the risk of the investment is spread over a number of companies.

VCTs must be approved by HMRC and must meet a certain qualifying conditions.

If you have subscribed for shares in Venture Capital Trusts and you are 18 or over when the shares were issued you are entitled to a few tax reliefs.

According to HMRC, these are the tax reliefs for investing in VCTs:

Income tax relief:

One of the income tax reliefs of VCTs is that you are exempted from income tax on dividends from ordinary shares. This is called dividend relief;

Another very important tax relief when investing in a VCT is called income tax relief .

The amount of the tax relief will be the smaller of the amount subscribed up to a maximum of £200,000 at 30% or the amount that reduces the tax bill to zero for the year.
The rate of 30% applies in the tax year 2006/07 and onwards and for subscriptions for shares issued in previous tax years the rate is 40%.
Capital gains tax (CGT) relief :
One of the CGT reliefs when investing in VCT schemes is called disposal relief as you may not have to pay CGT on any gain you make when you dispose of your shares. In order to qualify for the reliefs certain conditions need to be met. You can find more about them on HMRC website.

As there are no guarantees that VCT investments will be successful, Taxfile's tax agents recommend that you seek professional advice from financial advisers beforehand.

15% VAT rate extended for New Year’s Eve traders

On the 1st Of January 2010 the VAT rate is due to go back to its original rate of 17.5%.

As this transit might prove to be difficult for certain businesses that trade on New Year's Eve after midnight, HMRC is allowing them to charge the 15% VAT rate the next day.

According to HMRC ,businesses that remain open on New Year's Eve like pubs, clubs, restaurants, shops etc will be able to charge customers VAT at the 15% rate until 6am the next day.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury said:
“New Year’s Eve celebrations are a vital source of income for many in the service sector. The Government recognises that it would be very difficult for them to make the necessary changes to account for VAT at 17.5% immediately after midnight. To make the transition as easy as possible retail and telecommunication businesses will be able to charge VAT at the old rate into the early hours of New Years Day"


For more information, Taxfile welcomes you to follow this link on the HM Revenue and Customs website.

31st October Deadline

If you would like to send your tax return for the year ended on 5th April 2009 by paper, you would have to do it by the end of this month.

Very important to remember is that the tax return has to reach HM Revenue & Customs by Saturday 31st October.

If you send your return on paper the HMRC will calculate the tax liability to be paid or owed.

If the paper return arrives after this deadline you will be charged a £100 penalty.

According to HMRC, if you miss the deadline because of the postal strike you would not be liable for paying the £100 penalty as long as you post the return before the 31st October.

If you hand deliver your return on the 2nd of November, no penalty would be due either.

In case you miss the deadline you can always send your return online.

At Taxfile in Tulse Hill we submit all the returns online as it is safer and more secure, tax returns are processed faster, and there are later deadlines to meet.

Changes to Minimum Wage from October the 1st

As explained in a previous blog post, Minimum Wage is defined as the lowest wage payable to most employees as fixed by law or union agreement.

As from 01/10/09 new rates came in place:

•£5.80 - as the main rate for workers aged 22 and over;
•£4.83 - the 18-21 rate;
•£3.57 - the 16-17 rate for workers above school leaving age but under 18.

A very important change from 01/10/09 is that fact that employers running bars and restaurants can no longer be allowed to use tips to top up pay up to the minimum wage.

Workers will now be paid at least the National Minimum Wage and be paid their tips on top of this.

If your employer is paying you less than the Minimum Wage entitlement you must report this by filing an online complaint form.

If you have any queries regarding Minimum Wage or any other tax related question, please feel free to ring us on 020 8761 8000 or come to see us in our office in Tulse Hill on the South Circular.

Interest in Land and Property

As a landlord or a property investor, you are able to claim interest relief by offsetting it against your lettings income. So even if you have an interest-only mortgage or a repayment one you can still claim the interest.Also if you take a personal loan and you use it entirely for the purpose of your rental business, you can claim the interest on the loan as an expense.
Very important to remember is that you can only claim interest against a loan up to the value of the rented property when first let. The capital account cannot be overdrawn.

There is a possibility to re-mortgage for a greater amount and claim this when the additional amount is used for the purpose of an investment property or wholly and exclusively for the business property.
You can claim interest on your mortgage even when your property is empty.You do not have to split the interest on the mortgage if you are genuinely trying to let the property but it is empty because it has not been able to find a tenant. In this case the interest will meet the ‘wholly and exclusively’ test. It will not meet this test if you have not been trying to let the property or you have been using it for private or non-business purposes .
We at Taxfile hope to have captured your interest in landlord tax and if you need to know more about it, feel free to pop in at our Tulse Hill office and speak to one of our tax agents.

Taxfile:Barristers and Tax

As a barrister you are treated as self employed by HM Revenue and Customs.

Historically barristers computed their professional profits for tax purposes on a “cash basis.”

Fees were brought into account only when received, and expenses only when paid.

From fiscal year 1999/00, it is required that all professionals including most barristers to compute their profits on a “true and fair view.”

Barristers in their first seven years of practice are still allowed to use the cash basis.

In computing their profits for tax purposes, barristers can deduct certain expenses like:

• Travelling costs from Chambers to court;

• Off street parking;

• Library and periodical subscriptions;

• Postage, printing, photocopying and stationary;

• Professional and accountancy fees;

• Devilling fees

• Chambers’ rent;

• Legal literature;

• Professional Indemnity Insurance premiums;

• Subscriptions (Circuit, Bar Council, Bar Associations)

• Bank charges;

• Use of home as an office;

• Robing room fees;

• Law report subscriptions;

• Staff costs;

• Silk application fees;

• Clothing and cleaning.

According to HMRC, "You should allow a deduction in computing profits for the cost of replacing gowns and wigs and frock coats worn by Queen's Counsel. You should not, however, allow a deduction for expenditure on `normal clothes', for example, black coats and pin- stripe trousers worn by male barristers or black dresses and suits worn by female barristers (this follows the decision in Mallalieu v Drummond"

Taxfile's tax agents will ensure you keep the necessary records of your income and expenditure and you make the right adjustments with regards the to private use of your expenditure.

Also, our tax accountants in South London and Exeter will make sure you obtain the maximum available tax deduction when calculating your taxable profits.

Payments on account towards 2009/10

Payments on account are normally required from any taxpayer who is assessed to income tax, of any amount, for the preceding tax year (HM Revenue and Customs).
These payments are due by the end January and July each year.
You will be asked to make two payments on account for the current tax year if the total tax due in the previous tax year is less than 80 per cent of the tax deducted at source through the Pay As You Earn system and your Self Assessment tax bill for the previous year was over £500.
Each payment on account equals half of the total tax bill that you had to pay directly to HMRC on your income for the previous tax year.
If you expect your income for the current year to be significantly different from the previous year you can ask for these payments to be adjusted. You can reduce your payments on account by filling in an additional form called SA303.
If you ask for your payments to be reduced and it turns out that you did not pay enough tax on account, you would have to pay interest on the difference from the date the payment was due.

HMRC charges interest at a variable rate, currently 2.5% since (applicable since 24/03/09).

From 6 April 2009, the threshold below which taxpayers do not need to make in-year payments on account of their annual income tax liability under the income tax self-assessment system will double from £500 to £1,000.
So if your tax liability in 08/09 is less than £1000, will not have to make instalment payments on 31 January and 31 July 2010 towards that 2009-10 liability, but will instead make a single payment on 31 January 2011.

If you would like to know more about payments on account and in what circumstances they can be reduced, Taxfile's tax agents could help.
Just drop us an email at info@taxfile.co.uk or ring us on 020 8761 8000.
Alternatively, you could pop in to see us at our office in Tulse Hill on the South Circular.

Loss Relief with FHL-Before and After

If a taxpayer makes a loss on furnished holiday lettings, he could take advantage of a special relief called Loss Relief.
The way to get this relief is to offset your furnished holiday lettings losses against any other type of income (employment, self employment etc) and so you can immediate take advantage of the relief.
Taxpayers can claim to set their furnished holiday lettings losses against their other general income for either the tax year in which the loss was made or the year before the year the loss arose.Of course another option is to carry the loss forward and offset it against future letting profits. This option is available not only for holiday lets but also for residential ones.

As from 2010-11 tax year , the Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHL) rules will be repealed. Among the changes to take place from 2010-11 is the one related to the Loss Relief.

As a result of this change no loss relief will be available to offset against other type of income from 2010/2011. Only option is to carry forward the loss and offset it against same type of income when a profit is made as with any normal residential lettings case.

Another important change worth mentioning is the fact that "HMRC will now treat the FHL rules as including furnished holiday accommodation elsewhere in the EEA."

That being said you can amend your already submitted tax returns to HMRC so you can take advantage of the reliefs previously only available for FHL in the UK.

You can amend your income tax and capital gains tax returns for the year ended on 5th April 2007 until the end of July this month.The same deadline applies to corporation tax returns for accounting periods ending on or after 31 December 2006. If you want to amend your return for 07/08 tax year then you need to do it by 31/01/2010.

If there is still confusion in relation to loss relief with FHL or the rules to be repealed from 2010/2011 you can visit HMRC website or ask Taxfile's tax accountants for more details.

Business Payment Support Service

Business Payment Support Service (BPSS) was launched on 24 November 2008. This service is designed to support businesses having trouble payment their tax bills in the current economic crisis.
Very important to realise is that this service does not deal with anyone that has already made a payment arrangement with HMRC .
Also, the BPSS does not deal with you if HMRC has already got in touch with you regarding an overdue payment.
In order for the BPSS to be able to help your business, you need to contact them before the tax, VAT, Corporation Tax, Pay As You Earn or National Insurance contributions liabilities are due.
You can contact them seven days a week on 0845 302 1435.
According to HMRC, this service "designed to assist all businesses (large and small) that will be unable to pay their tax. The service is primarily available to self-employed people and companies but can be used by any of your clients who are having difficulty in meeting their tax liabilities. It covers most taxes and duties including Income Tax, Corporation Tax, VAT, PAYE and National Insurance."
The Payment Support service only applies to businesses that cannot genuinely meet their tax payments on time and they are likely to pay their tax over a longer period of time.

Also according to HMRC, " surcharge(s) can be avoided on late payment of income tax where a Time to Pay agreement is entered into before the relevant surcharge date AND the terms of the agreement are adhered to."

Although surcharges can be avoided, interest on late payment will be charged in the normal way.

If you would like to know more about this service , you can follow this link.

Taxfile's tax agents in South London and Exeter can discuss your business position with HMRC on your behalf and arrange a Time to Pay agreement.

Taxfile: Introduction to IR35

IR35 is an Intermediaries legislation which took effect from April 2000.
According to HMRC, the aim of IR35 is "to eliminate the avoidance of tax and National Insurance Contributions (NICs) through the use of intermediaries, such as Personal Service Companies or partnerships, in circumstances where an individual worker would otherwise -
•For tax purposes, be regarded as an employee of the client; and
•For NICs purposes, be regarded as employed in employed earner’s employment by the client."

Before the introduction of this tax legislation, workers/contractors who owned their own companies were allowed to receive payments from clients direct to the company and then distribute the profits as dividends, which are not subject to National Insurance payments.

The IR35 does not focus on a certain profession or occupation. It mainly targets people working through service companies like medical staff, teachers , legal and accountancy staff, construction industry workers, IT contractors, engineering contractors, clerical workers, etc.

Through this legislation, HMRC is trying to make sure that taxpayers meet their obligations to pay the correct tax and NI: "we [HMRC] have a duty to ensure things are put right for the past and, where appropriate, for the future. Interest and penalties may be charged on any additional tax/NICs due as a result of any review or enquiry."

So Whether you are caught by IR depends on a number of factors. It is a very complex tax area and legal advice is essential in order to protect your interests.

Enquiry Meeting:One Big Interview

According to the HMRC, during a tax investigation, meetings between the taxpayer and the tax inspector play a vital role.

Why is that? Because according to HMRC, this is the easiest way to obtain information about the taxpayer's business and settle the enquiry faster.

Also, meetings between the taxpayer and the tax inspector ''ensure that, where omissions have been found, the taxpayer is aware what offence has been committed and the likelihood of penalties and of the benefits of co-operating in bringing about an appropriate settlement at the earliest possible date, but you should make it clear that it is entirely a matter for them to decide.''(Enquiry Manual, HMRC)

When dealing with a meeting with the taxpayer, the inspectors are advised to consider a few points :
•the purpose of the meeting,
•the reason of the meeting,
•list of questions to be answered by the taxpayer
•review of all the information held,
•establish the basis of settlement.

The Inspectors Enquiry Manual (EM1822) tells the Inspector that the meetings enable them to:
''•obtain facts from the taxpayer about the business, how it is run and the records that are kept;
obtain the facts in non-business enquiries;
•explain the purpose of your enquiry. Taxpayers may not always be fully aware of the extent of HMRC enquiries;
•establish whether the taxpayer wishes to disclose omissions;
•agree what action is required and by whom to move the enquiry towards conclusion;
•ensure that, where omissions have been found, the taxpayer is aware what offence has been committed and the likelihood of penalties and of the benefits of co-operating in bringing about an appropriate settlement at the earliest possible date, but you should make it clear that it is entirely a matter for them to decide.
•quantify and agree omissions;
•settle the enquiry.''(Enquiry Manual, HMRC)

What you need to realise when dealing with a tax investigation is that there is no legal obligation for you to attend a meeting/interview with the Inspector.
Also it is important to go through the structure of the meeting in advance with your tax agent.
It is vital while attending such a meeting to have appropriate representation.
Tax Investigations and conflicts with the HMRC can create difficult and stressful times for anyone involved as well as a big accountancy bill.
Here at Taxfile we have free-of-charge enquiry protection cover. The insurance will cover the whole costs involved in dealing with your tax investigation. For more details about our insurance policy come and see us in our office in Tulse Hill or Exeter.

Arising and Remittance basis of taxation

As resident in the UK you are being taxed on an Arising basis.

Arising Basis of Taxation means you will pay UK tax on all of your income as it arises and on your gains as they accrue, wherever that income and those gains are in the world.

The Remittance Basis of Taxation is an alternative tax treatment available to some people who are resident in the UK and who are either non domiciled in the UK (you are normally considered to be domiciled in the country where you have your permanent home) or/and non ordinary resident in the UK (your residence in the UK is typical for you and not casual and your presence here has a settled purpose ; it is part of a regular and habitual mode of your life for the time being).

This treatment of tax is only relevant if you have foreign income or/and gains. If you are eligible and choose to use the remittance basis, you will be liable to UK tax on all of your UK income and gains on an arising basis but you will only be liable to UK tax on your foreign income and/or gains if and when you remit them to the UK that means when you bring them directly or indirectly to the UK.

What is important when opting to have your foreign income taxed on a remittance basis is the amount of unremitted foreign income and/or gains you actually have during the tax year.

If your unremitted foreign income (and/or gains) arising or accruing in the tax year is less than £2,000 you can use the remittance basis without having to make a claim.

If your unremitted foreign income (and/or gains) arising or accruing in a tax year is more than £2,000, you will have to make a claim if you want the remittance basis to apply to you otherwise you will be liable to UK tax on the arising basis.

If you decide to claim the remittance basis and have been a 'long term' resident in the UK (resident in the UK for at least seven out of the last nine tax years immediately preceding the relevant tax year) you may have to pay the The Remittance Basis Charge (RBC).

The RBC is an annual tax charge of £30,000. It is tax on a part of the foreign income and gains which you leave outside the UK (unremitted) and is payable in addition to any UK tax that you have to pay on either UK income (and/or gains) or foreign income and gains remitted to the UK.

We here at Taxfile hope you found this useful . As this is a complicated area of expertise you should always seek professional advice before taking any decisions related to residence, domicile and the remittance basis.

Employed or Self Employed?

If you work for someone else, it is important to know whether you are working for that person as employed or self-employed as an independent contractor.
If you are the one having to employ somebody, it is your responsibility to correctly determine the employment status of that person.
A worker’s employment status will determine the charge to tax on income and the class of National Insurance contributions due.
It is necessary to determine whether the person works under a contract of service (as an employees) or under a contract for services (as self-employed or independent contractor).
There are some test and factors that can determine the worker's right status. For instance if the workers are paid by the hour, week or month and if they can get overtime pay or bonus it means that they are employed. Also, if they work a certain amount of hours and they can be moved from task to task than again they are considered to be employees.
Important to establish is whether the workers can be replaced by somebody else and whether they are being told where, when and how to carry out their work. Again if the answer is affirmative than that worker classifies as an employee within the company.
If the workers are self-employed,the answer to all the following questions should be positive:
•Do they regularly work for a number of different people?
•Can they hire someone to do the work or engage helpers at their own expense (the so called right of substitution and engagement of helpers)?
•Do they carry a financial risk?
•Can they decide what work to do, how and when to do the work and where to provide the services?
•Are they providing the main items of equipment they need to do heir job?
•Do they agree to do a job for a fixed price regardless of the time it takes?

Very important to highlight the HMRC's view of a worker : "Just because a worker is self-employed in one job, doesn’t necessarily mean he or she will be self-employed in another job. Equally, if a worker is employed in one job, he or she could be self-employed in another. "
It is a general requirement that those wishing to take on workers consider the terms and conditions of a particular engagement to determine whether the worker is an employee or self-employed. If you any doubts, you can always ask your local Status Inspector for an opinion as to the employment status of your workers. Also there is an Employment Status Indicator (ESI)
tool that enables you to check the employment status of an individual or group of workers.
Unfortunately, the status of self-employed workers is a favourite target of the Taxman, particularly during a PAYE compliance visit.
So take Taxfile's tax agents advice and protect yourself with a contract and and keep all the correspondence between you and the contractor covering the main points about employment status to avoid problems in the future.

Commercial letting of furnished holiday accommodation and tax

Commercial letting is defined as 'let on a commercial basis and with a view to the realisation of profits'.
Accommodation is furnished if the tenant is entitled to use of sufficient furniture.

It will generally be necessary to calculate the furnished holiday lettings profit or loss separately from the rest of the rental business.

If a letting is to qualify as furnished holiday letting(FHL)a few conditions should be met:
• the property to be in the UK ;
• property has to be furnished;
• property should be available for holiday letting to the public for at least 140 days a year;
• it should be let commercially for 70 days or more, and
• cannot not be occupied for more than 31 days by the same person in any period of 7 months.
The difference between residential lets and holiday lets is that with residential ones you can claim a certain relief called wear and tear as compared to the holiday ones where you can claim capital allowances.

Capital allowances can include the cost of furnishings and furniture, and equipment such as refrigerators and washing machines.

Another important difference between residential and holiday lettings is that with holiday ones you can offset any loss you make in the year against other type of income.
You may also be able to take advantage of Capital Gains Tax (CGT) reliefs, such as 'business asset roll-over relief'.
For example, if you reinvest within three years in another UK holiday letting property or certain other assets costing the same as or more than you got for the property you have sold, you may be able to defer payment of CGT until you dispose of those new assets.
To work out your taxable profit you deduct your allowable expenses from your gross rental income. These include:
•Letting agent fees (where applicable)
•Legal and accountant fees
•Buildings and contents insurance
•Interest on mortgage payments
•Maintenance and repair costs (but not improvements)
•Utility bills
•Council Tax
•Cleaning or gardening
•Other costs related to letting the property, such as phone calls, advertising and stationery.
Landlords with income from furnished holiday accommodation in the UK are
currently treated as if they are trading for certain tax purposes, as long as they
satisfy the above criteria.
Landlords with income from furnished holiday accommodation elsewhere in the
European Economic Area (EEA) cannot currently qualify for this treatment. They
were treated instead in the same way as landlords of other types of overseas
property, under the property income rules.
The Government has decided it should repeal the Furnished Holiday Lettings rules from 2010-11.

Next week we are going to talk about these changes in more detail.

If you are still confused about lettings in relation to tax, Taxfile's tax agents in South London and accountants in Exeter are here to assist you.

Annual Investment Allowance

Capital allowances are set by the government at fixed rates at which a business can claim the expenditure on fixed assets against the taxable profit.

From April 2008 the 50 per cent and 40 per cent first year allowances was replaced with a 100 per cent Annual Investment Allowance for capital purchases in any one year of up to £50,000.

On 6 April 2008 the annual writing down allowance (WDA) for plant and equipment was reduced from the previous 25 per cent to 20 per cent per annum. This writing down allowance is applied to the written down value of equipment brought forward from earlier tax years.

The annual investment allowance applies to all assets categorised as plant and machinery which includes most fixed assets including plant, equipment, fixtures and fittings, computer equipment and commercial vehicles.

Important to note is that qualifying plant and equipment expenditure does not include Motor Cars.

Motor vehicles are now subject to a reduced writing down allowance in the first year of 20 per cent.

The annual investment allowance does not replace the 100 per cent first year allowance schemes currently applicable to various green and environmental schemes and approved research and development projects ( for example Research & Development Allowances or Business Premises Renovation Allowances). So these schemes will be unaffected by the introduction of the AIA. The annual investment allowance is complimentary to these schemes.

Another important thing worth remembering is that for the financial year starting April 2008 small businesses which have a written down balance for tax purposes of under 1,000 pounds will be entitled to write off the total written down value as a capital allowance.

If by any chance you decide selling the asset after claiming the AIA, the proceeds of the sale would go into your capital allowances calculation and you would have a balancing charge to the value of the sale proceeds which would be treated as a taxable income.

If you have any queries regarding AIA or any tax-related matter, Taxfile's accountants in South London and tax advisers in Exeter are here to guide you through.

Deferred tax scheme for loss-making companies

One of the better tax-related things to come out of the Chancellor's recent budget is the potential help some struggling companies may receive from HMRC. Companies who anticipate making a trading loss in the current tax year may be allowed to take the anticipated loss into account earlier than previously possible, when scheduling payments of Corporation Tax or Income Tax. Such businesses will no longer need to wait until the end of their complete accounting period (which is often some considerable time ahead) before they can take probable losses into account for payment of tax. Qualifying businesses may be able to agree extensions to the time in which they can pay with a couple of provisos: firstly that they really are likely to make a trading loss in the current year and secondly that they are genuinely unable to pay straight away or enter into a reasonable instalment agreement with HMRC.

Since launch, more than 110,000 businesses have already agreed deferred tax payment arrangements, equating to around £2 billion. Typically, repayments are scheduled over 3 to 6 months. The scheme is administered by the BPSS (Business Payment Support Service).

For further information and help with any of your tax affairs, contact Taxfile, accountants based in Tulse Hill, South London (tel: 020 8761 8000) or go to the relevant HMRC web page.

HMRC launch 'Tax Matters' educational site

"Tax Matters" is the new educational website from HM Revenue & Customs, aimed particularly at young people aged between 11 and 19, although also being a resource for anyone wishing to learn more about taxation and public services.

The main areas explored on the site are Income Tax, National Insurance and 'Tax & Society', an exploration of how the government gets and spends its money. This is all done through the use of interactive resources, such as videos, games and quizzes, along with key facts, figures and info.

PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) education will become a statutory part of the National Curriculum by 2011 so this is a great resource for both teachers and students.

London Employers - beat the 19 May deadline!

If you are one of London's 165,000 employers, you only have a matter of days to meet the deadline for filing your Employer Annual Returns — the deadline is 19 May! Miss it and you could end up with a costly penalty for filing late.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) also requires large employers (that's those employing 50 or more people) to file their 2008/2009 Employer Annual Return online. Again, if they don't, they may well end up having to pay an additional penalty.

If you have less than 50 employees you do not have to use the system but there is a good incentive to do so anyway, in the shape of a £75 payment - tax-free!

Further information from HMRC is available although if you would prefer to have some personal help from South London-based accountants Taxfile, then they know the system extremely well and can make sure everthing is done correctly for you, and on time. Be quick though .... the 19 May deadline is ony a few days away at time of writing.

Taxfile can be contacted on 020 8761 8000 and it may help to know that many different languages are spoken.

Darling's 2009 Budget

On Wednesday of this week Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling gave the Budget.
We would like to present you some of the main points of the Budget:
• VAT: the VAT rate, now 15%, will return back to the standard rate of 17.5% from 1st January 2010.
• Companies’ loss carry back for business: this will affect all companies making losses from carrying on trades, professions or vocations this is normally referred to as trading losses. This legislation will be introduced in Finance Bill 2009 to extend the ability of businesses to carry trading losses back against profits of earlier years to get a repayment of tax, due to the current turbulence of the financial markets.
• Capital Allowances (Plant and Machinery: Temporary first year allowances): This will most likely affect businesses investing in plant and machinery between April 2009 – April 2010. This legislation also in the Finance Bill 2009 will introduce a new temporary 40% first year allowance (FYA) for the expenditure on plant and machinery that would normally be allocated to the main capital allowance pool.
•Income tax: You will now be taxed a shocking 50% if you earn over £150,000
•Child Benefits: Child Benefits will be increased by £20 by 2010.
So from 2010 your eldest child would get £40.00 and any child after that would get £33.20, and guardians allowance would be £34.10.
• Child trust funds: Trust funds for disabled children would increase by £100 and by £200 for those severely disabled.
•ISA’s: This will affect the savers, as Alistair Darling made the decision to raise the tax-free ISA limit to £10,200, although those over 50 years-old will benefit this tax year. The rest of us will get this benefit the following one.
If you would like to know more about Alistair Darling's Budget, Taxfile recommends you following this link.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is a standard rate state benefit payable by the employer from the fifth day of sickness. The first three qualifying days of a period of incapacity for work are called waiting days and there is no SSP payment.

In order to qualify for SSP you must meet the following conditions:

• you have to be sick for at leat four days in a row (including weekends and bank holidays)

• you must earn at least £90 per week or £95 a week from 08/09 tax year. This is to do with National Insurance contributions. (If you have two jobs, you may even be able to get SSP from each of your employers, depending on how many hours hours you work.)

Also you would need to provide your employer with some sort of medical evidence.

The standard rate of SSP is £79.15 a week. The way your employer will work out a daily rate is by dividing the weekly rate by the number of days you would normally work in that week.

It is important to remember that SSP payments is subject to tax and NI just like any other type of earnings.

If your employer does not pay you SSP or pays you less you have to clarify with them the reason.

Company sick pay schemes vary from employer to employer, but most state that you should have been working for at least 3 months before you make your claim for sick pay. After this you would then receive your normal pay during any period that you are off to work due to illness, but this is only up to a specific number of weeks. After that you are probably going to receive only half pay for another further period before taking any sick leave as unpaid.

We hope that you have found this information useful, and if you still have any unanswered questions regarding SSP, please fill free to pop in to our offices in South London, Tulse Hill or Exeter.

Happy New Tax Year!

With the new tax year just around the corner, Taxfile offers you the opportunity to save some money on your accountancy bill just by presenting this voucher when you come to see us in our office in Tulse Hill or Dulwich.
So not only would you save money by getting this discount but also you get to join Taxfile and meet its multilingual team.To give you a better idea of what to expect, you can see bellow our colourful card:

So whether you are a builder and you qualify for a tax rebate , a landlord or a cab driver and you want to know your tax position in order to start saving towards your tax bill, Taxfile is here to take the strain.

Also, as many of you may have noticed a significant drop in your earnings due to the current financial crisis, by coming in early to see one of our experts you might be able to avoid paying your second payment on account for the following tax year, which is due in July.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon.

May the New Tax Year bring you less hassle and more money in your pockets!

Taxfile-Jobseeker's Allowance

Unemployment figures are now showing that just over 2 million people in the UK are out of work, this unfortunately means that when you are out of work you are not earning. Fortunately there is an allowance where if you are unemployed and available for work, you could qualify for something called Jobseeker’s Allowance depending on your circumstances.
To qualify for JSA, you must meet the following requirements:
•Be available for work
•Be able to work
•Be actively looking for work
Also you have to be under the state pension age, live in UK and not be working or working for an average of less than 16 hours per week.
There are two types of Jobseeker’s Allowance: Contribution-based and Income-based.
Income-based JSA (IB) is given to you if you are on low income, even if you have not made any National Insurance contributions in the past.
Contribution-based JSA (C) is dependent on your NIC record and is paid for a maximum period of six months. However if you did not earn enough to pay NICs, you many still be entitled to get JSA(C) if you were given NIC credits. This would have happened, if you were earning more than the lower earnings limit (£90 a week in 08/09 and £95 a week for 09/10), if you were unemployed or unable to work because of illness, and in some other circumstances.
If you are unemployed and either 16 or 17, usually you do not receive JSA unless you are forced to live away from your parents and will suffer severely if you don’t receive JSA or if you or your partner are responsible for a child.

If you are on JSA(C), you will receive £47.95 if you are aged 16-24and £60.50 aged 25 and over per week. For JSA (IB), you will receive a maximum weekly rate depending on your circumstances:
•Single people aged 16-24 - £47.95
•Single people aged 25 and over - £60.50
•Couples and civil partnerships (both aged 18 or over) - £94.95
•Lone parents (aged under 18) - £47.95
•Lone parents (aged 18 and over) - £60.50
Your payments might be reduced if you receive income from part-time employment or you will get less if you have savings over £6,000 and if you have savings over £16,000 you probably will not qualify.
In certain cases, a claimant’s Jobseeker’s allowance may be stopped.
One reason would be that you did not actively seek work or sign the Jobseekers Agreement. If this happens, your benefit will be automatically suspended until the date you complete and sign the agreement. Once this has been signed, you are still not guaranteed back all of your benefit, as a decision maker will decide how much you get back, if any.
Other reasons why your Jobseekers allowance could be stopped is if you miss a restart interview, if you voluntarily leave work or refuse a notified vacancy or if you refuse to attend a compulsory scheme or fail to comply with Direction. Doing any of the above could result in you missing a month’s benefit or having to renew your claim, which could take months.

If you wish to make a claim for Jobseekers Allowance, follow this link and it will take you to Job Centre Plus where you can type in your postcode to find your local Job Centre.
Taxfile’s tax agents hope you found this useful, and if you have any more queries regarding Jobseeker's Allowance why not pop into our offices in South East London and Exeter. Our accountants and tax advisers would be happy to assist.

Disability Living Allowance

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a tax-free benefit for people under 65, including children, who have normally care needs or encounter problems getting about.
Disability living allowance (DLA) is paid at different rates depending on how your disability affects you.
There are two types of disability living allowance:one is the care component and the other is the mobility component. You may be able to get one claim or even be entitled to both.
For the care component there are three types of rates. Lower, middle, and higher. To be eligible for the lower rate, you must need help or supervision for most of the day or be unable to cook a main meal for yourself. For this lower rate you would be entitled to £17.75 per week. If you were receiving the middle rate you would get £44.85 per week, this would be because you would need personal care continually through the day or night. To be entitled to the higher rate you would need help throughout the whole day and during the night as well, the higher rate pays £67.00 per week. Even if you live alone and no-one is actually giving you the care you need, you still can get the care component for Disability Living Allowance.
There are only two types of rates for the mobility component, lower and higher. To get this part of the disability living allowance, you must have difficulty in getting out and about. For the lower rate, you would get £17.75 per week if you need guidance or supervision out of doors or in unfamiliar places. For higher rate of this component, you would be entitled to £46.75. This would be because you are unable or virtually unable to walk, or if you have no legs or feet, also if you get very short of breath after only walking a short distance.
To claim DLA you must have needed help for at least 3 months and be likely to need it for another 6 months. However there are special rules that apply to people that have a terminal illness, this allowing them to get the allowance more quickly and easily. This must be claimed before you reach 65.
If you were to start getting the DLA there is chance it could increase your other benefits such as Council Tax Benefits, Working Tax Credits, Pension Credits, Income support, Housing Benefit and Child Tax Credit. This is because Disability Living Allowance is normally ignored as income for working out these income-related benefits and credits.
To claim for DLA, you can call the benefit line enquiry on 0800 88 22 00,download a form from the governments website or contact your local Jobcentre office or local social security office.
We hope you found this useful, and if you do have any more questions regarding anything to do with Disability Living Allowance, please feel free to pop into our office in South London, Tulse Hill, talk to our accountants and tax advisors in our Exeter office, or send us an email.

Taxfile: Scholarship Income

By scholarship we mean an exhibition, bursary or any other similar educational endowment. If the holder of the scholarship is receiving full-time education at a university, college or school then the income from the scholarship is exempt from tax.
The rate of payment including lodging, subsistence and travelling allowances is now £15,480 a year, £1,290 a month or £297.92 a week. This rate has increased from £15,000 (rate used up to 01/09/2005) to £15480 (from 01/09/2007 onwards).
Important to note is that this exemption does not apply to payments of earnings made for any periods spent working for the employer during vacations.
If the rate exceeds £15,480 HMRC will look at the arrangements in detail. This is because the level of payment exceeds what might reasonably be described as a scholarship or training allowance. However, an increase in the rate of payment over the qualifying limit, part way through a course, will not affect the exemption applying to any payments for the earlier part of the course
One of the condition to be met by the employee receiving the scholarship, is that he/she must be enrolled at the educational establishment for at least one academic year and must attend the course for at least twenty weeks in that academic year.
Also, the educational establishments must be recognized universities, technical colleges or similar educational establishments, which are open to members of the public generally and offer more than one course of practical or academic instruction.
Very important to know is that the concepts of “earnings” and “scholarship income” are mutually exclusive.
In conclusion, it is important to remember that there are a few factors to consider when dealing with scholarship income:
•the relationship between the payer and the recipient;
•the nature of the course;
•where the course is being undertaken;
•whether it is full time;
• total amount.
So pop in to see us in our office in South London Monday to Friday and even Saturday now!
Any of our tax agents at Taxfile will be more than happy to help if you have any further queries.