Harts CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

Latest Business & Tax Issues – January 2017

Posted: 6th Jan

Happy New Year from all at Harts, we wish you all the best for 2017.

In January’s newswire bulletin, we discuss latest business and tax issues:

  • Apprenticeship Levy – will be introduced from 6th April 2017 and will be payable by large employers.
  • Scottish Budget – on 15th December, Finance Secretary Derek Mackay delivered the 2017/18 Scottish Draft Budget setting out the Scottish Government’s financial and tax plans.
  • Personal tax accounts ‘first birthday’ – the Government are celebrating the ‘first birthday’ of their award winning Personal Tax Account which recently won Digital Project of the Year at the annual UK IT Industry Awards.
  • Charity fines – an investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has revealed that two national charities; the RSPCA and the British Heart Foundation, secretly screened millions of their donors so they could target them for more money.
  • SDLT online refund procedures – HMRC have introduced an online service to apply for a repayment of the higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) for additional properties if the property sold was previously a main home.
  • Latest statistics show unemployment at 4.8% – the government has announced that the labour market has had a record breaking year.

For further information or to discuss how any of these changes will affect you, contact us on 01625 669669