our blog

Thinking of moving to Scotland from another country in the UK? There are plenty of benefits to working or retiring in Scotland, not least the incredible landscapes and friendly people – but you should keep the tax differences in mind, too.
The Scottish Parliament has been deciding its own income tax bands and rates since 2017, which are separate from those applied in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
As a result, most Scottish taxpayers pay more income tax than other taxpayers in the UK. With new tax changes coming in Scotland from 6th April 2024, it’s important to consider the tax cost before relocating to Scotland.

The stark financial crisis surrounding Birmingham City Council is a timely reminder of why it’s so crucial to get equal pay right the first time.
Many equal pay claims were made against Birmingham City Council starting from the early 2000s, but the public body tried to minimise its responsibilities – until 2012, when the UK Supreme Court ruled in favour of workers receiving financial compensation.

Until now, the Companies House registry has passively received the information that UK companies filed – but new reforms will implement a more active role for Companies House as a regulator to better maintain the register’s integrity.

Since the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) was passed into law in October 2023, the changes in the Act will begin to take effect in 2024.

There are several new measures that aim to clamp down on financial crime and improve the reliability of corporate data, which should help to make it easier to do business in the UK and support economic growth.

So, if you have a registered company, limited liability partnership (LLP), or limited partnership (LP) in the UK, these measures will affect you from 4th March 2024.

The start of this year saw a media storm around rumours that HMRC would be cracking down on online sellers in 2024, spreading concern amongst people who sell personal items and secondhand goods on sites like eBay, Depop, and Vinted.

However, the stories about a new ‘side hustle’ tax were completely false, fuelling unnecessary panic for the public and unfounded outrage against HMRC.

Here’s what is actually happening with income tax for sellers on digital platforms.

While most people welcome increased income, it can be a double-edged sword, resulting in more than just a higher income tax bill. With tax bands frozen for several years, higher rate taxpayers should be looking at which reliefs are still available to them.

The new tax year in April will bring reduced allowances and frozen thresholds, so it’s essential to check whether a pay rise will affect the reliefs you’re entitled to as well as the rate of income tax you’ll pay, so you can keep your personal finances in order.

Under the government’s original plans, anyone required to submit Income Tax Self-Assessment returns to HMRC would have been obligated to sign up for the Making Tax Digital (MTD) service by April 2024 – but the implementation of MTD for ITSA has since been delayed until April 2026.

Switching to the online tax service will initially be mandatory for landlords and self-employed earners with income over £50,000 a year, while those with annual income below this but above £30,000 will be required to join from April 2027.

Before setting a deadline for extending MTD to smaller businesses earning less than £30,000 a year, the government conducted a review to consider how this might affect the needs of small businesses.

The outcome of the MTD small business review is the announcement that there are no plans to extend MTD for ITSA to landlords and the self-employed earning below £30,000 a year for the foreseeable future – though this may be reviewed again.

Here’s a short guide explaining what self-employed workers and landlords should know about current changes to MTD for ITSA.