In the Summer Budget it was announced that mortgage interest relief for buy to let landlords would start being phased out from 2017/18 onwards and restricted to basic rate only from 2020/21. Now that the Finance Bill has been published the full impact of this change is starting to emerge and for some landlords this […]
Bank & Other Interest to be paid Gross from April 2016
As announced in the spring 2015 Budget, a new personal savings allowance will be introduced from 6 April 2016. This will be £1,000 a year tax free for basic rate taxpayers and £500 a year for higher rate taxpayers, but nil for those with income over £150,000. As a consequence, tax will no longer be […]
Clarification finally issued on new dividend tax!
Following the announcement in the Summer Budget of a major change to the taxation of dividends, HMRC has now published a factsheet which clarifies the rules. How will they work? Changes to taxation of dividends In the Summer Budget the Chancellor dropped a bombshell for owner managers of smaller companies by stating that, from April […]
The dog ate my tax return…
… is not a reasonable excuse! However, it has been announced that HMRC will not contest appeals against the £100 late filing penalty in respect of 2013/14 tax returns where the taxpayer provided a reasonable excuse for not filing on time. In the past, HMRC has looked in detail to judge if each excuse is […]
The Summer Budget – Director shareholders hit hard!
DIVIDEND TAX For many years dividends have come with a 10% tax credit which means that there’s no additional personal tax to pay on dividends received by basic rate taxpayers – the basic rate of tax on dividends is currently 10%. However, the Summer Budget has announced that, from 6 April 2016, this tax credit […]
Avoid losing your personal allowance
For every £2 that your adjusted net income exceeds £100,000, the £10,000 personal allowance is reduced by £1. Pension contributions and Gift Aid can help to reduce adjusted net income and save tax at an effective rate of 60%.
100% tax relief for a Porsche!
As you may be aware motor cars used in a business that emit no more than 95g CO2 per kilometre qualify for a 100% capital allowance. This threshold reduced from 110g back in April 2013 and there are now fewer cars that qualify for this generous tax relief. However, if your business can afford one, […]
Protect Your Pension from 55% Tax Charges
HMRC has just issued a reminder that the deadline to protect large pension funds from the decrease in the lifetime allowance is fast approaching. Lifetime allowance. There is a limit to the size of a pension pot that qualifies for tax breaks. If your pension fund exceeds this limit, the lifetime allowance, then there will be […]
Transferable Tax Allowance for Married Couples
From 2015/16, married couples and civil partners can transfer up to £1,000 of their personal allowance to their partner, but only if neither individual pays tax at the 40% rate. It is therefore a modest tax break, worth a maximum of £200 each tax year, but every little helps (as we are often reminded)! The […]