Family Investment Companies (FIC) offer a tax efficient way to retain control over assets and still pass them on to the next generation. By providing a degree of flexibility they can be ‘fine-tuned’ to a family’s particular circumstances or requirements e.g. by drafting the company’s articles in such a way as to prevent the transfer …
The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word ‘normal’ to mean ‘conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected’. A minor, often misunderstood inheritance tax (IHT) gift exemption uses this definition of ‘normal’ whereby payments made (however large) are deemed to be inheritance tax-exempt transfers. To succeed, it needs to be shown that the payment represents …
Changed business conditions in light of the Coronavirus pandemic have caused many companies to review their dividend policies not least because the company’s financial position may have deteriorated significantly from that shown in its last annual accounts. The Companies Act 2006 requires that a dividend be paid only if there are sufficient distributable profits. Even …
By law, there are various statutory payments that an employer must make to an employee while the employee is absent from work due to the birth, adoption or death of a child. The employer must pay employees who meet the qualifying conditions at least the statutory amount for the relevant pay period. The statutory payment …
Under the minimum wage legislation, workers must be paid at least the statutory minimum wage for their age. There are two types of minimum wage – the National Living Wage (NLW) and the National Minimum Wage (NMW). From 1 April 2021, as well as the usual annual increases, the age threshold for the National Living …
National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage changes from April 2021 Read More »
For 2020/21, it was possible to enjoy an electric company car as a tax-free benefit. While this will no longer be the case for 2021/22, electric and low emission cars remain a tax-efficient benefit. How are electric cars taxed? Under the company car tax rules, a taxable benefit arises in respect of the private use …
Lockdown restrictions have forced many businesses to close temporarily. Selling goods or clothes on sites such as eBay and Depop offers the opportunity to raise some much-needed cash in these difficult times. What are the associated tax implications and do you need to tell HMRC about it? Badges of trade There is a difference between …
Most people do not expect to pay capital gains tax when they sell their only or main home, particularly if the property has been their only home for their entire time that they owned it. However, what is less well known is that the exemption places a limit on the amount of garden that falls …
Selling your main residence with land – Will the SDLT return trip you up? Read More »
The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the hospitality and leisure industry hard. Landlords with furnished holiday lettings have been unable to let their properties for considerable periods of time as a result of national and local lockdowns. Properties need regular maintenance and refurbishment, and while being in lockdown is not ideal, it does provide a window …
In July last year, the Government announced a temporary increase in the residential stamp duty land tax (SDLT) threshold to £500,000. The higher threshold applies where completion takes place between 8 July 2020 and 31 March 2021. From 1 April 2021, the threshold will revert to £125,000, with a higher threshold of £300,000 applying to …
Deadline to benefit from increased SDLT threshold approaching Read More »
