HMRC has published the latest issue of the Employer Bulletin. The April issue has information on various topics including:

• Forthcoming deadlines
• Claiming employment allowance from April 2022
• Student loans
• Coronavirus updates and information
• Official rate of interest
• Hybrid working.

Small businesses are being invited to share their views of the tax system through the Tell ABAB 2022 survey.

You can also feedback on the UK central government complaints standards by participating in a survey launched by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

Please contact us for help with tax matters.

Internet link: Employer Bulletin

Up to eight more nuclear reactors could be delivered to existing sites as part of the UK’s new energy strategy.

The plan, which aims to boost UK energy independence and tackle rising prices, also includes plans to increase wind, hydrogen and solar production.

Under the government’s new plans, up to 95% of the UK’s electricity could come from low-carbon sources by 2030.

The energy security strategy includes the goal of producing up to 50 gigawatts (GW) of energy through offshore wind farms, which the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy says would be more than enough to power every home in the UK.

Rain Newton-Smith, Chief Economist at the Confederation of British Industry, said:

‘This strategy sets an ambitious bar for a more resilient, low carbon energy system for the future. Bold words must now be matched by bold actions from the government.

‘The proof will be in the strategy’s delivery, in partnership between business and government. Business believes greater energy independence must go hand in hand with delivering a net-zero, higher growth economy.

‘While it’s welcome this strategy addresses some long-standing challenges, companies are continuing to really struggle with increased wholesale energy costs right now. The Government’s next step should be to provide immediate cashflow support for firms through the Recovery Loan Scheme – and move to cut bills for energy-intensive industries to maintain competitiveness.’ Continue reading...

Intervention by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has freed more leaseholders from increasing ground rent terms that saw them trapped in homes they struggled to sell or mortgage.

Businesses which had bought freeh­olds from housing developer Countryside have now given formal commitments to the CMA to remove terms that cause ground rents to double in price.

These terms, which kick in every ten or 15 years, mean people often struggle to sell or obtain a mortgage on their leasehold home.

Their property rights can also be at risk if they fall behind on their ground rent. The move comes after the CMA secured undertakings from Countryside in September 2021 to strike out terms that doubled ground rent every ten to 15 years.

Andrea Coscelli, Chief Executive of the CMA, said:

‘Thousands more leaseholders can now rest easy knowing they will not be forced to pay costly doubling ground rents. We believe these terms are unjust and unwarranted and can result in people trapped in homes they are unable to sell or mortgage – a major cause of anxiety and stress for so many.

‘We welcome the commitment from these businesses to do what is right by their leaseholders by removing these terms, and we will hold them to it.’

Internet link: GOV.UK

UK economic growth is expected to halve this year amid soaring inflation, major tax rises, and global shocks including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, warns the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

The BCC has downgraded its expectations for UK GDP growth in 2022 to 3.6% from 4.2% in its previous forecast in December 2021. This would be less than half the growth of 7.5% recorded last year.

It says business investment is forecast to grow at 3.5% in 2022, down from the previous forecast of 5.1%.

The BCC says that rising raw material costs, the increase in the energy price cap, the reversal of the hospitality VAT cut and upward pressure on energy and commodity prices from the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will lift inflation.

The business group forecasts inflation reaching a peak of 8% in Q2 2022, the highest rate since July 1991. The BCC also projects that UK interest rates will double over the course of this year, from 0.5% to 1%.

Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the BCC, said:

‘Our latest outlook suggests a legacy of COVID and Brexit is an increasingly unbalanced economy with a growing reliance on household spending to drive growth. Such economic imbalances leave the UK more exposed to economic shocks and reduces our productive potential.’ Continue reading...

The Bank of England has raised interest rates for the third consecutive time.

The Bank also warned that the Ukraine conflict could see under-pressure households hit with double-digit inflation later this year.

Members of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted eight to one to increase rates from 0.5% to 0.75%. The move takes rates back to where they were before the pandemic struck.

Alpesh Paleja, Lead Economist at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said:

‘With ongoing conflict in Ukraine pushing global commodity prices higher and exacerbating supply chain disruption, the MPC are clearly making moves to counter growing inflation.

‘But they will be walking a tightrope in the months ahead, having to both keep price pressures in-check and manage the impact of tighter monetary policy on economic growth – particularly against a background of rising living costs.’

Internet link: Bank of England website

Estimates show that up to £195 million in extra tax revenue has been collected via Making Tax Digital for VAT (MTD for VAT), according to research from HMRC.

The research, conducted by HMRC and peer reviewed by independent academics, showed that in 2019/20 the estimated additional tax revenue was between £185 million to £195 million, compared to a previous estimate of £115 million.

The tax authority stated that the additional revenue was due to the reduction in error on tax returns.

The research revealed that, for businesses below the £85,000 turnover threshold, the estimated additional tax revenue that is collected is £19 per business per quarter, which is a 2.2% increase from the average liability estimates for businesses not signed up to MTD.

For businesses above the threshold, the estimate of the average additional tax revenue is £57 per business per quarter and is a 0.9% increase.

Internet link: GOV.UK

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a 5p per litre cut in fuel duty for petrol and diesel in the 2022 Spring Statement.

The government says it is the largest ever cut on all fuel duty rates, which applies from 6pm on 23 March 2022.

The Chancellor also announced that the starting thresholds for national insurance contributions (NICs) will rise to £12,570.

From 6 July 2022 employees earning between £242 (£190 from 6 April to 5 July 2022) and £967 per week will pay NICs at 13.25%. Earnings over £967 will attract a 3.25% charge. Employers will pay 15.05% on their employees’ earnings over £175 per week.

Although employees’ NICs only become payable once earnings exceed £242 per week, any earnings between £123 and £242 per week protect an entitlement to basic state retirement benefits without incurring a liability to NICs.

For the self-employed, where their profits exceed £11,908 per annum, they will pay 10.25% on the profits up to £50,270 and 3.25% on profits over that upper profits limit.

However, from April 2022, there will be a temporary increase in the rates of NICs payable for employees, employers and the self-employed as a transitional provision in readiness for the introduction of the Health and Social Care Levy from April 2023.

Mr Sunak also pledged that the basic rate of income tax will be cut by 1p in the pound in April 2024. By then the Chancellor said that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) expects inflation to be back under control, with debt falling sustainably. Continue reading...

The level at which students begin to pay back their loans will be lowered from £27,295 to £25,000 for new borrowers.

From September 2023, the interest rate on student loans will also be set to RPI+0%. Additionally, the length of time that students have to pay their loans back until they can be written off has been extended from 30 to 40 years.

University tuition fees have been capped at £9,250 for the next two years and will not rise with inflation.

Michelle Donelan, Higher and Further Education Minister, said:

‘We are delivering a fairer system for students, graduates, and taxpayers as well as future-proofing the student finance system. We are freezing tuition fees and slashing interest rates for new student loan borrowers, making sure that under these terms no one will pay back more than they have borrowed in real terms.’

Internet link: GOV.UK