Monthly Archives: November 2021

Christmas shopping warning

If you are buying Christmas gifts online this year, take care that you are not presented with unexpected VAT, excise duty or customs duty charges before you can take possession of your purchases. HMRC is urging shoppers to consider certain custom’s issues before they start browsing to buy gifts online. Otherwise, they may be hit […]

Beware tax scams

HMRC have issued a press release that sets out the scale of criminal activity, convincing taxpayers to part with bank or personal details under threat of arrest or court action. The scale of these self-assessment scams is staggering, apparently over 800,000 tax-related scams were reported to HMRC is the past year. Why is this activity […]

What are ULEVs?

ULEV expands to Ultra Low Emission Vehicles. It is an acronym that we will see on a more frequent basis as climate issues climb in importance. Most families have cars, some use commercial vehicles. The majority are presently fuelled by petrol or diesel. As manufacturers commit investment to the development of carbon-free transport options, primarily […]

Chips are down

Mention the words chips to most people and fried potatoes would come to mind.   Suggesting that there is a growing shortage of chips would no doubt generate a stampede to the local supermarkets. This sudden rise in demand would double up the pressure on farmers to increase supply and within a short time the […]

Tired of slow internet connectivity?

In a recent press release the government confirmed that more than 500,000 rural homes in the UK are to receive access to better broadband plans. They said:   • 570,000 more rural premises in line for best broadband available via £5 billion Project Gigabit • Includes Cheshire, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Essex, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, East […]

Budget 27 October 2021

We now know the Chancellor’s preferred strategy for plugging any hole in the UK’s finances is by tweaking taxation and using the proceeds to pay-back government borrowings. Various government departments will also need to tighten their departmental belts to reduce government expenditure. When we’ve had time to consider the effects of the announced budget changes, […]