Casual labour / subcontracting

It is not widely known that you must establish someone's status when you pay them any money for helping you with their labour.The trick or tip is to get them to supply their unique tax reference number. They should invoice you for their services . If they don't offer an invoice, it's best to issue a self billing invoice for them to sign at the time you hand over the money.
Lots of people will offer their services to you if you have work which needs doing. In some industries it's well regulated such as within the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS).
Most labour suppliers will be registered as self employed or a partnership and frequently these days as a limited company.
Each of them will have its own unique tax reference number(UTR).
They are not obliged to put this on their invoice to you.
You must request it if you fall into the classification termed by the government as a contractor or subcontractor.
There is a useful helpline for Construction Industry Scheme if you are not sure about your position and always try to get professional tax advice from companies like Taxfile in South London and Exeter where their tax accountants make sure to sort out all your tax affairs.
If for example you are doing up a buy to let then you do not necessarily have to register just for this one activity, just make sure you follow the invoicing guidelines as above.
It may seem a lot to ask of the person doing the work for you but these days you just can't be sure of how the government will react if they discover you have paid someone without adequate proof that they are registered to pay tax on their own profits.
For more information on the new CIS you can refer back to our blog dated 25th August entitled ''What is the Construction Industry Scheme?''

Your personal tax allowance

Everyone who lives in the UK is entitled to a personal allowance. This is the amount of income you can receive each year without having to pay tax on it. Depending on your circumstances, you may also be able to claim certain other allowances.
There are three levels of personal allowance for 2007/2008 tax year:
•Basic rate, which is 5225 (with no income limit)
•age 65 to 74, which is 7550 (with an income limit of 20900)
•age 75 and over 7690 ( with an income limit of 20900).
It is important to bear in mind that if your income is over the income limit, the age related allowance reduces by half of the amount (£1 for every £2) you have over that limit, until the basic rate allowance is reached (you'll always get the basic allowance, whatever the level of your income).
If you become 65 or 75 during the year to 5 April 2008, you are entitled to the allowance for that age group.

So if, for example, you are 69 and have an income of £22,000( £1100 over the limit) your age-related allowance would reduce by £550 to £7,000.

If HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) knows your age you should get the personal allowance automatically. But bear in mind they won't know your age unless you've told them or shown your date of birth on a tax return or claim form. If you haven't done this already and you are 65 or over you need to contact your Tax Office.
If you want to claim a tax refund because you didn't use your personal allowance (or for any other reason), you need to do so within five years from the 31 January following the end of the tax year concerned. Taxfile in South London and Exeter can help you claim the overpaid tax . Their tax advisers deal with the Inland Revenue on your behalf , taking the strain off you at a taxing time, making sure that you never pay more than your minimum tax liability, whether this be income tax, capital gains tax (CGT) or inheritance tax(IHT).

Business welcomes tax Tory plans

The Tories yesterday set out proposals for easing the burden of tax and regulation on British businesses in an attempt to improve the economy's competitiveness.

However Chancellor George Osborne said that any tax reductions would have to be paid for by tax increases elsewhere, such as new environmental taxes:

'' Any reductions in specific taxes will have to be balanced elsewhere, most notably green taxes.''

The former Cabinet minister John Redwood called for a series of tax reductions including abolishing inheritance tax, reducing corporation and capital gains taxes, abolishing stamp duty on share deals and raising the threshold for the higher rate of income tax.

Mr Redwood said that '' reducing the tax burden was the best way to stimulate economic growth and increase overall prosperity.[...] we believe a lower tax economy would be a more successful economy. If you have the courage to cut the rates , the rich pay more.''

The proposals received great support from business organisations.

Richard Lambert, CBI director-general said that the goal of getting corporation tax down to 25% and reducing tax on small businesses, represents a welcome direction of travel after a period when the burden of business taxes has grown substantially. He added, '' A focus on cutting regulation and red tape, one of the biggest irritants for firms trying to succeed and expand, is also positive. Too often, while our European competitors manage to implement EU directives in a few pages, the UK goldplates them with reams of prescriptive and complex regulations and guidance.''

Companies like Taxfile In South London and Exeter can help you understand better the way corporation tax and capital gains taxes, inheritance tax and income tax works, giving you the right accounting advice at the right price.