HMRC now have powers to name and shame individuals and companies who deliberately evade taxes, by publishing their names, address and details of their evasion on the HMRC website.

New Powers

The law that provides HMRC with the power to disclose is included at Section 94 of the Finance Act 2009.  This ruling can be used by HMRC for accounting periods starting 1 April 2010, it therefore may take a little time before anything ‘juicy’ is made public.

Deminimus

To be named and shamed the evasion must be deemed to be deliberate and involve tax of £25,000.

Preventing the embarrassment

A full voluntary disclosure of tax wrong doings without undue delay may help avoid the detail being published.

My thoughts

Once again HMRC have been given more opportunity to burden taxpayers with the subjective views of individual inspectors.

• deliberate
• undue delay and
• ‘full’ disclosure

are all terms that I consider could be misconstrued or misrepresented and this allows different cases to be dealt with in different ways dependant on the mood, attitude or experience of the inspector.

If you are exposed to this new HMRC power, defending your position by challenging the inspectors opinion of your guilt may well be expensive and stressful.

The information provided in this blog illustrates my opinions and experiences, it does not constitute advice and I do not accept responsibility for any actions taken or refrained from as a result of reading this post.

If you have discovered that you have underpaid VAT  to HM Revenue & Customs and are concerned what action you should take, read on. 

When did the error occur?

HMRC are now able to look back at the previous four years records should they chose to carry out an inspection whereas previously they were only able to look at the previous three years.

The extra year is not all bad news it also means should you have made an error in your favour you now have an extra year to rectify it.

Declaring errors

For accounting errors beginning on or after 1 July 2008, businesses can adjust past errors on the next VAT return they submit providing the error is less than £10,000 or one per cent of the Box 6 turnover figure up to a maximum of £50,000. Any errors above these amounts must be notified to HMRC on a separate form.

Penalties

A new penalty system was introduced for VAT returns due to be submitted after 1 April 2009.  Penalties are now charged based on a percentage of the VAT payable.

If an error has been made but reasonable care has been taken then no penalty is applicable, but deliberate or concealed errors are dealt with more seriously and can attract a penalty equal to 200% of the VAT undeclared.

Honesty is always the best policy

Should you have made a mistake and are likely to incur a penalty then honesty is your best policy, as this can lead to a reduction in the penalty charged. But beware if you have already been notified of a visit by HMRC voluntary disclosure before they carry out their inspection will not reduce your penalty.

Evading VAT registration

Failing to register your business for VAT when it should have been can be costly.  Now that HM Revenue & Customs  manage direct and indirect taxes it is easy for them carry out checks with regards to business turnover.

The annual registration limit increased to £70,000 from 1 April 2010.

And finally,

Don’t forget, all new businesses and those with a turnover over £100,000 must now submit their VAT Return electronically. If you have not already registered make sure you do as soon as possible. Do not leave it until the day your return is due it will be too late. For more information click here

The information provided in this blog illustrates my opinions and experiences, it does not constitute advice and I do not accept responsibility for any actions taken or refrained from as a result of reading this post.

I am delighted to announce that George Hay are now using revolutionary online accounting software in order to help our clients more easily manage their bookkeeping and keep a better track of their financial position.

New Service

We believe we have future-proofed our bookkeeping offering for clients by moving to an award winning online accounting software package.  The company will now be using KashFlow, which enables accountants and their clients to easily access their own financial records at any time, whenever they have access to the internet. 

Online accounting software is considered by many to be the way that the industry is heading because it enables businesses to keep a constant eye on their company’s financial position without having to install and regularly update costly and bulky software direct onto their computers.  This recent additon to our service portfolio is further evidence that George Hay is a forward thinking and dynamic organisation that puts it’s clients’ needs first.  We are very aware that accountants are generally Sage lovers, and Quickbooks has tried to make bookkeeping more exciting and user friendly, but neither are considered easy or ‘beneficial’ to small business owners who have no bookeeping experience.

Kashflow is extremely easy to use, with continuous functionality development led by user feedback.  We can now talk to clients and update records in real time without having to wait for them to send in reams of paper-work or email back-ups.  This also means we can be even more proactive with our traditional advice and support.

All the records held on the system are stored behind a state of the art encryption system that prevents data from being accessed or passed on without the user’s permission.

The options

I researched the market intently, including taking time to demo Xero and FreeAgent and speaking with representatives from all three.

My brief was clear, I wanted a solution that filled the gap for clients who were outgrowing their spreadsheets but didn’t really have the inclination to learn to use Sage.  I strongly believe Sage is a great package if used properly, but in the hands of an inexperienced, busy business owner, it can be a devil.  Many clients in the past have started using Sage or Quickbooks believing it will save them and us time, thus reducing fees, to be disappointed when I show them the amount of ‘unpicking’ and reconciling we have had to do.

Kashflow won my vote with unprecedented numbers of great testimonials from end users and practicing accountants.  Their helpline and support offering appeared to be excellent and the MD‘s constant involvement with social media platforms such as Twitter gave me confidence that he cares very much about his brand and his customers’ thoughts.

A new beginning

Managing Director of KashFlow, Duane Jackson said, “George Hay Chartered Accountants have shown that they’re forward-thinking by being early adopters of online software. We’re looking forward to working with them the help small business and start ups in Huntingdon and the surrounding areas.” Jackson continues, “Our software is going to help George Hay to deliver on their aims of offering a high-level of service to all of their clients.”

KashFlow launched its flagship product, an online tool specifically designed to help owner-managers in small businesses manage their accounts, in mid 2005.  Since that time it has quickly won a significant share of the valuable accounting software market along with launching a new direct-to-accountant division in late 2006.  In late 2007 KashFlow won a Business Software Satisfaction Award, judged entirely by customer feedback, for the category of web-based accounting, beating the likes of Sage and Netsuite.

Free, No obligation trial

If you would like to discuss this offering or register for a completely free 30-day trial of the software please email toni.hunter@georgehay.co.uk or call me on 01480 426500 and I will send you a link by return.

The information provided in this blog illustrates my opinions and experiences, it does not constitute advice and I do not accept responsibility for any actions taken or refrained from as a result of reading this post.

Along with the England flags and hopes of World Cup success the emergency budget is becoming a distant memory, but if you are in business you shouldn’t be so hasty.

Here at George Hay, we regularly advise on the advantages of incorporation and strongly believe that for the majority of small businesses it is the most tax efficient structure, as remuneration (profit distribution) for the owners/directors can be carefully planned to benefit their personal tax circumstances.  These savings can be particularly advantageous if you are operating as a family business.

Corporation Tax reduction

One of the main headlines of the budget was the reduction in the Corporation Tax rate by 1% making the Small Companies rate 20% from April 2011. This was good news for business owners but of course it only applies to those which are incorporated. Those who operate their business as either a sole trader or partnership are subject to Income Tax and National Insurance on their business profits so will instead be hit by the rise in National Insurance rates from April 2011.

The changes in the Corporation Tax rate and National Insurance rate along with forecast reductions in the basic rate threshold for individuals poses the usual question of should those in business consider incorporating and is it beneficial for everyone to do so?

Indicators do strongly suggest that it is widely beneficial for most owner managed businesses to incorporate and when doing the sums at the new rates from April 2011 the tax savings as a result of incorporation increase even more.

Risky Strategy?

There have been many attempts to try to curb the incorporation trend in the past due to the significant tax savings that can be achieved.  Gordon Brown aired his view that business owners are not paying the ‘right amount of tax’,  and we are sure HMRC will continue their expensive and difficult case in the courts.   But I personally have been advising on incorporation for over 10 years and it continues to be a successful strategy, so why not take advantage whilst the regulations allow it?  It is not something that can not be withdrawn from if circumstances change.

Real life example

In 2007 I was recommended to a small business that was earning very handsome profits due the unique nature of its trading activity.  On engagement I quickly did some sums (good old Excel!) and explained the value of Incorporating.  The owner immediately understood and asked me to incoporate the business without delay.  By involving his wife in the business strategy, she was able to take a ‘very nice’ Company Car and between them they saved and continue to save over £15,000 per annum in Tax and National Insurance.  If only they had sought advice years before…..

It’s not all about tax

Careful consideration should be given to incorporation and expert advice sought. It is not always the right choice for everyone and other factors come into play such as legal liability, increased regulation and therefore costs, disclosure of financial information and future business plans such as sale of the business but it is always worth thinking about.

For further details on the key announcements in the ‘Emergency Budget’ download a copy of our budget summary.

Disclaimer: This article is for general guidance only.  All taxation planning should only be undertaken after appropriate professional advice.  George Hay Chartered Accountants are registered to carry on audit work and regulated for a range of investment business activities by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

The information provided in this blog illustrates my opinions and experiences, it does not constitute advice and I do not accept responsibility for any actions taken or refrained from as a result of reading this post.

The new Chancellor, George Osborne  delivered his first budget on 22 June 2010. He said his budget was ‘tough  but fair’ but described it as being ‘unavoidable’ due to ‘the years of debt and spending’ by the previous labour government.

The Chancellor’s package included various tax increases and spending cuts, some measures had been widely anticipated such as the increase in the VAT rate and an increase in Capital Gains Tax. The Chancellor stressed that his measures were intended to be fair ‘Everyone will pay something but the people at the bottom of the income scale will pay proportionately less than those at the top’.

As tax is not my preferred subject (I have highly experienced colleagues for dealing with that!) I will be brief:

The key announcements included:

VAT Rate rise – As anticipated the VAT rate will increase from 17.5% to 20% with effect from 4 January 2011.

Personal Allowance increase – The personal income tax allowance is to increase by £1,000 in April 2011 to £7,475. This is worth £200 a year to a basic rate taxpayer.

Capital Gains Tax increase – The Capital Gains Tax rate for higher rate taxpayers will increased from 18% to 28% from 23 June 2010. It remains at 18% for basic rate tax payers.

Entrepreneurs Relief extended – Entrepreneurs relief has been extended to a rate of 10% on the first £5m of gains as opposed to the first £2m.

Corporation Tax Rate cut – The Corporation Tax rate will be cut by 1% each year over the next four years until it reaches 24%. The Small Companies rate is to be cut to 20%.

National Insurance rise to stay – The National Insurance rate increases announced by labour remained intact and will still take place however the threshold at which employers start to pay will rise.

No change to Cigarettes, Alcohol and Fuel – No changes were made to duty on cigarettes, alcohol or fuel and the plan to increase the duty on cider from July was scrapped.

Freeze on Child Benefits – Child benefit is to be frozen for the next three years.

Changes to Tax Credits – Tax credits will reduce for families earning over £40,000 next year but for low income families they will receive more Child Tax Credit with the amount per child increasing by £150 above the rate of inflation.

State Pensions – The state pension is to be linked to earnings from April 2011 and is guaranteed to rise in line with earnings or 2.5% whichever is greater. The increase in the state pension age to 66 is to be accelerated.

For further details on the key announcements download a copy of our budget summary.

Alternatively come along to one of our Budget Seminars which we are holding on the 24th and 25th June where we will be providing planning advice as a result of the changes.

Disclaimer: This article is for general guidance only.  All taxation planning should only be undertaken after appropriate professional advice.  George Hay Chartered Accountants are registered to carry on audit work and regulated for a range of investment business activities by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

The information provided in this blog illustrates my opinions and experiences, it does not constitute advice and I do not accept responsibility for any actions taken or refrained from as a result of reading this post.

HM Revenue and Customs have gradually been trying to standardise the tax system across all the different taxes. From the 1^st April 2010 further changes have come in to place in a bid to make the tax system more consistent.

Cross Compliance Inspections

Last year as part of the standardisation process HMRC introduced cross compliance checks enabling them to obtain information regarding various different taxes all at the same time. This meant that HMRC now have one set of powers giving them the ability to inspect records and consider the affect any information obtained has on various taxes such as Corporation Tax, VAT and PAYE, so if an error is found affecting one tax it could now have consequences across other taxes too.

From 1^st April 2010 the list of taxes which can be inspected at the same time has been extended to cover almost all taxes imaginable. The major taxes of Income Tax, Corporation Tax, Capital Gains Tax, PAYE, VAT and CIS where all covered last year but this year majority of the remaining taxes have been added to the list, it now also includes Inheritance Tax, Stamp Duty Land Tax, and many more.

Time frames aligned

The standardisation process also covered the alignment of the amount of time a taxpayer has to make a claim and the amount of time HMRC have to make an assessment.  It now means that for Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax and Corporation Tax where the time limit for how far HMRC could previously go back was six years this has reduced to four years. However for VAT time limits have increased from three to four years.

 The changes to time limits largely took effect from 1 April 2010 so it could be well worth considering if a previously out of time claim could now be made or if a deadline is now nearing. Anyone needing to make an Income Tax repayment claim for earlier years should check the new deadlines to ensure they do not miss out.

Consistent and fair?

The new process is supposed to make the tax system more consistent and clearer for everyone to administer, but that remains to be seen.

Disclaimer: This article is for general guidance only.  All taxation planning should only be undertaken after appropriate professional advice.  George Hay Chartered Accountants are registered to carry on audit work and regulated for a range of investment business activities by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

The information provided in this blog illustrates my opinions and experiences, it does not constitute advice and I do not accept responsibility for any actions taken or refrained from as a result of reading this post.

PAYE notices of coding are notorious for being erroneous, but HMRC have surpassed themselves with this computer generated nightmare that not only leads to extra work and a lot of confusion but may even leave you paying too much tax.

Multiple Notices

In the last few months you may have received several Notices of Coding all showing different codes for the tax year 2010/11. There have been a number of instances where taxpayers have been receiving one tax code one day followed by a different one the next or even more than one code in one day. This has left many people bewildered and uncertain about exactly what tax code will be operated against their income and many of the codes issued are wrong anyway.

New HMRC  system

The problems have occurred as a result of HM Revenue & Customs recently introducing a new system for issuing coding notices called the National Insurance and PAYE Service (NPS). The new service has brought to light various discrepancies in their records and so they have been trying to rectify the errors, hence so many codes being issued all at once. They expect to complete their review by mid April 2010 which will hopefully bring an end to all the confusion.

Resolution?

Any problems occurring as a result of an incorrect code will ultimately be resolved at the end of the tax year once a taxpayer submits their 2010/11 Tax Return to HMRC. However if serious problems are not dealt with near the beginning of the tax year it could result in a large underpayment arising for some people which it may not be possible to collect via a later year’s tax code.  If you are not required to file a Tax Return, over or underpayments may go undetected for quite some time.

A careful review is necessary

In view of the problems which have occurred it is important that any codes received for 2010/11 are reviewed fully. If you believe that your code is incorrect you should either contact your advisor if you have one or HMRC as soon as possible.

Need help?

As agents we receive a copy of the majority of PAYE Coding Notices issued to our clients and therefore we are able solve many of the matters arising before problems begin to appear. We have discovered various reasons for an incorrect code but the problems particularly appear to have affected those with multiple employments. Close scrutiny of your code is therefore important.

Disclaimer: This article is for general guidance only.  All taxation planning should only be undertaken after appropriate professional advice.  George Hay Chartered Accountants are registered to carry on audit work and regulated for a range of investment business activities by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

The information provided in this blog illustrates my opinions and experiences, it does not constitute advice and I do not accept responsibility for any actions taken or refrained from as a result of reading this post.

On Wednesday 24^th March the Chancellor, Alistair Darling gave what could be his last budget. Many are saying how the budget was a waste of time, being so close to an election and the lack of assistance to small businesses or real attempt to recover from the significant budget deficit certainly supports this view.

Businesses however, should consider reviewing their own budgets and make sure they are set appropriately. As someone a lot wiser than me once said ‘failing to plan is planning to fail’.  Just as sinful is spending time creating a business plan and annual budget and not reviewing, updating or revising them on a regular basis.

Budgets are an important tool for anyone in business and at least an annual review should be considered. Many businesses approach their accounting year end at this time of year so it is an ideal time to appraise how your business is doing and what you wish it to achieve in the future.

Here are a few tips to consider when reviewing your budgets for the year:-

• Are you producing management accounts on a regular basis, if not, what financial information can you easily extract from your accounting system that would help you monitor the business?
• Business forecasts and cash flow projections should be prepared for a minimum of twelve months giving you something to monitor performance against;
• You should ensure budgets are realistic in the current climate,
• Are there any costs that can be trimmed back? Do you know which of your costs are fixed and which are variable, in reality in the short term most costs are fixed, if you need to go through a cost cutting exercise you need to know which costs can be varied and when.
• Is cash flow behaving as expected? Are you likely to need further banking facilities at some point in the future?  Are your debtors and creditors being managed appropriately?
• If you are selling a product, it is important to know at what point the business is generating a profit, following the recession with pressure on prices the break even point can be higher than you realise, you need to be aware of this.
• If you are selling a service, do you know how many of hours of time you are invoicing out a month, you may feel busy but is it resulting in billable income.
• How are you generating new business, and what is this costing you in terms of time and resources.  Are you being realistic about how much new business can be won?

Focus your attention

Reviewing your businesses budget can be a very valuable exercise.  It will focus your attention on how your business is doing and help you to keep control of costs.  It should also give you a target to achieve for the future.

If you are in business on your own, it may be beneficial to speak through your budgets with someone who understands your business, like your accountant, for example as this may help you to look at the bigger picture, question your processes or brainstorm ideas.

The information provided in this blog illustrates my opinions and experiences, it does not constitute advice and I do not accept responsibility for any actions taken or refrained from as a result of reading this post.

The end of the tax year is almost here, so those of you who administer the payroll function for your business are nearing a busy time and need to ensure you are prepared for a few changes which occur this year.

Online Filing

The first change affects those who have not previously filed their Employer Annual Return online. 2009/10 is the first year that online filing is mandatory for all employers regardless of the size of the business. Paper filing of forms is no longer an option. Therefore if you have not previously been registered for electronic filing you must ensure you now register with HMRC’s PAYE Online Service which can be done via the HMRC website.

Late Payment Penalties

Another change which will affect employers from May 2010 is the introduction of late payment penalties if your PAYE is paid late. Currently interest is only charged when the PAYE payment is received late at the end of the tax year.

From May 2010 your PAYE payment will need to be received on time either each month or each quarter depending upon which basis you pay.  Businesses will have to ensure that HMRC always receive postal payments by the 19^th of the month or that electronic payments are received in HMRC’s bank account by 22^nd of the month to avoid a late payment penalty. The new late payment penalties will apply to all employers and contractors that do not pay on time.

Details of whether you have incurred a penalty will not be sent out until April 2011 but will apply for the whole of the 2010/11 tax year. Penalties will start at 1% of the late amount and will increase to 4% depending upon how many times you pay late. You will not have to pay a penalty if only one payment is late unless it is more than six months late. Payments that are more than six months late may attract a penalty of 5% and a further 5% if still outstanding after more than twelve months.

This is an important change for employers who should ensure they get in to the practice of paying their liability on time each month not just at the payroll year end to avoid any extra costs.

If you have any queries regarding the preparation of your payroll my colleagues at our in-house payroll bureau PayScheme will be happy to help. Contact a member of the team direct on 01767 220199.

The information provided in this blog illustrates my opinions and experiences, it does not constitute advice and I do not accept responsibility for any actions taken or refrained from as a result of reading this post.

The designatory letters DChA are used by holders of a Diploma in Charity Accounting, a qualification awarded by The Institute of Chartered Accountants  (ICAEW) who hope that it will inspire confidence that the holder of the Diploma has the knowledge to make a real difference to the prosperity of an organisation through understanding of charity accounting and financial management.

Prior to 2007 the diploma could be achieved through study and examination or by submitting evidence of experience in advising the 3rd sector.  The ‘experience’ route is no longer available.

At the time of writing this post, around 700 accountants in the UK hold this diploma (listed here) and just over half of these are working in practice as auditors / independant examiners and advisers.   The remaining mainly being financial managers working with in the sector itself.

As a trustee, what does using an accountant with the Diploma mean to you?

• Confidence to trust them to provide specialist financial care with knowledge of your sector and its inherent challenges
• Reassurance that they understand the complexities of Charity Accounting
• Non-financial matters such as governance are addressed with practical solutions
• Information is presented in a straightforward and understandable manner
• Value for Money services with fixed fees and experienced resources to keep fees to a minimum
• You can get on with running your charity knowing that you are in safe hands!

In my opinion providing services to not-for-profit organisations takes additional expertise as the sector has specific accounting requirements as well as a different type environment in terms of targets, principles, reporting and management needs.  Often the people working within this sector do so for low or no monetary reward and do not necessarily have the same skills of someone who has been involved in a corporate environment.  Therefore the level of support and the approach taken to professional advice should be different.

To get the most value from your professional advisers, it is essential that they have carried out adequate and relevant professional development (CPD) and have experience in your industry.

Update:  In August 2010, ICAEW announced that in response to demand the DChA experience route is being re-opened for senior professionals in charity accounting to gain recognition for their expertise.

The information provided in this blog illustrates my opinions and experiences, it does not constitute advice and I do not accept responsibility for any actions taken or refrained from as a result of reading this post.