Digital accounts and future of tax returns

More details are gradually becoming available as to how HMRC’s new ‘digital accounts’ will work. It is planned that every taxpaying individual and business will have online access to their own HMRC ‘account’ showing all the tax(es) they...

Summer Budget 2015

The ’emergency’ Budget overall looks to me to be a tax-raising budget. In particular, some currently receiving tax credits will be hit, as well as those letting out investment properties. However from April 2017, the raised tax-free personal allowance and...

Budget 2015: an end to tax returns?

The prospect of no longer needing to submit a yearly income tax return is appealing! A few taxpayers with very straightforward tax affairs will, it seems, come out of the Self Assessment system entirely with no need to make returns. For most others, the obligation to...

Payment of income tax due 31 January

I recommend using BillPay with a debit card at https://www.santanderbillpayment.co.uk/hmrc/scripts/help3.asp. It’s instant, although the confirmation email can take 2-3 days. If not using BillPay, it’s now too late for BACS if your bank takes three working days...

Budget 2014 – savings?

This was billed as a budget for ‘makers, doers and savers’.  Recent years of recession mean that many probably feel they have been making do and not saving! Before even beginning to think about making long-term use of the various savings incentives...