Latest News

A growing Corporate Finance Team for Yorkshire

Building on the bringing together of its Yorkshire based teams into Leeds, Armstrong Watson’s Yorkshire Corporate Finance Team continues to develop and grow following a sustained period of increased activity.

New appointment brings insider knowledge to benefit businesses

Armstrong Watson is delighted to announce the appointment of Jon Wilson who has joined the firm as Director this month.

Jon’s role will be focussed on supporting businesses in their development and growth, and his exceptional experience has seen him enter a business through a management buy-out, survive through a recession, grow in tough competing markets, and make a business fit for an ongoing sale.

Auto Enrolment - what is postponement?

Employers approaching their Staging Date can choose to postpone Automatic Enrolment for up to three months, but it is important to note that the Staging Date does not change and you must also ensure that you write to all your staff within six weeks of the Staging Date to alert them of the postponement.

A Taxing Divorce

While it may sound clichéd, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence from family solicitors that enquiries from people contemplating divorce increase in the New Year. 

However latest hard facts on divorce, courtesy of the office for National Statistics, actually show a slight decline in the number of divorces. There were 2.9% fewer divorces in the latest figures from 2013 compared to 2012. There is also a suggestion that couples marrying after 2000 are faring better - perhaps because they are marrying later and often after a period of co-habitation. 

The most important piece of financial advice?

I have been fortunate enough to work with a number of clients over the years and continue to advise many of them today. I have enjoyed seeing my clients grow their families, build up their careers and even set up their own businesses.

Working on flooded homes – don’t get soaked by the tax man in 2016

After the devastating floods this winter - starting in Cumbria before hitting Lancashire, Dumfries, Yorkshire, the Scottish Borders and even Greater Manchester - many of our clients in the building and allied trades are getting stuck in helping to dry out and rebuild homes. Heart-breakingly many of them are going back to redo work from previous flooding incidents. The bitter experiences of individuals and businesses from previous floods are informing how everyone deals with the current floods. 

Armstrong Watson advise in £13m law firm disposal

Armstrong Watson’s specialist legal sector team are celebrating with their client after the successful completion of the acquisition of Pryers LLP, a firm of solicitors based in York, by Pure Legal Limited.

Tax Return deadline – leaving it to the last minute could be costly!

The advent calendars are being opened, the build up to Christmas has well and truly begun, but with taxpayers focused on the festivities how many, I wonder, are pushing thoughts of their tax affairs to the back of their minds?

You may think there is plenty of time in January to get your Tax Return submitted but leaving it to last minute can be costly.

A Stockingful of Tenuous Christmas Tax Facts

Santa Claus nearly bankrupted by a Finnish tax bill - the company that owned Finland's Santa Claus Office declared itself bankrupt in August this year when faced with an unpaid €200,000 (£143,000) tax bill. Revenue had dropped following a fall in Russian visitors. The office is a major visitor attraction in Lapland but was saved a few days later by Lapland Safaris Group which bought the struggling company and paid off the tax bill.

Are you a business owner with an unprotected shareholding?

Recent research by Legal and General reveals that many business owners don’t fully appreciate the consequences of the death of a shareholder or a partner and the potential impacts this could have on their business.

The case study below hopefully helps to illustrate the problems that a lack of protection can create. This isn’t a real company, but most business owners should be able to identify with the circumstances which are relatively common amongst enterprises of all sizes.