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Challenges for hospitality and tourism businesses across Cumbria - Flooding, funding and the National Living Wage

The government has pledged £3m to support Cumbria and Lancashire following the devastating effects of recent flooding to these areas. Of this funding £1m will be spent on a PR campaign to encourage families to holiday in the North of England over the Easter holidays. However, the British Hospitality Association and Cumbria County Council say this is insufficient given the cost of the damage amounts to £500m in these areas alone.

Will any of these changes affect you financially?

As if last year wasn’t hectic enough, there is another raft of changes that come into effect from 6 April this year that could affect a number of our readers. Given that these can have potential taxation implications it’s worthwhile being aware of so that action can be taken in good time.

Personal Savings Allowance

This is brand new and will affect all taxpayers with cash savings not held in an Individual Savings Account (ISA).

Significant changes to the taxation of dividends come into effect from 6 April 2016

Significant changes to the taxation of dividends come into effect from 6 April 2016, which can be summarised as follows:

Love is in the air…..but how does that impact your tax affairs?

With Valentines Day having just passed and whilst romance is still in the air I thought this was an ideal time to talk about marriage - more specifically the tax implications of being married or entering into a civil partnership. You may or may not be surprise to hear that as a Tax Adviser clients often ask 'are there any advantages to being married?' and the answer is yes there can be. Here are five (quite unromantic!) ways you could be better off by saying ‘I do’:

HM Revenue & Customs campaigns and enquiries

In recent times HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have introduced a number of ‘disclosure campaigns’ to allow individuals and businesses to register with HMRC of their intention to disclose income which they have earned without suffering tax.

Campaigns in the past have targeted plumbers, electricians and individuals with offshore interests and the most recent press release clearly shows why HMRC favour such campaigns with over £610 million being raised from voluntary disclosures and a further £395 million from follow up activity.

An uncertain end

When a company comes to the end of its useful life - a standalone project completed, the owner retiring - it may be closed down. Where the company still has assets these need to be transferred out to the shareholders. This can be done by voting dividends or winding the company up as a voluntary liquidation. In the former the shareholders will pay income tax on receipts, in the latter Capital Gains Tax (CGT). For a trading company, the CGT route is often more tax efficient thanks to reliefs such as Entrepreneurs’ Relief.   

Should the ISA be more popular?

The humble ISA can be more than just a simple savings account. With taxation changes imminent, it could be your new flexible friend.

Are you overpaying tax?

As we near the end of another tax year, it’s not just self employed individuals who need to be considering their tax positions.

If you are an employee that has incurred certain expenses over the course of the last tax year, the end of the tax year provides you with an opportunity to reclaim some of the tax you have paid because of incurring these expenses.

Commodity Malaise continues…….

The last year has been difficult for the world economy, and it has affected all of us, and particularly our agricultural clients. What began as an oversupply in the Milk Sector quickly became apparent as one part of a sudden collapse in global commodity prices, in every sector, from oil to metals to food.

Seven key performance indicators retailers should measure to be more profitable

As an advisor to independent retail businesses across Cumbria, I’m often asked if there are ways to be more profitable in an industry savaged by the online world. There is no magic solution to this but what successful retailers have in common is that they use the information they have within their business to help them make better more informed decisions. This in turn helps them make a better return on their business.