Welcome to our round up of the latest business news for our clients. Please contact us if you want to talk about how these updates affect your business. We are here to support you!
If you are thinking about buying cryptoassets (“crypto”) you need to know the basics and understand the risks before jumping in. And remember, if you decide to invest in crypto then you should be prepared to lose all the money you have invested.
The range and accessibility of crypto have grown rapidly in the last few years, accompanied by a surge in speculative trading – which means people trading just because they have heard it may rise in value, rather than seeing evidence to support a potential rise. A number of people invest simply for fun!
Crypto can be thought of as ‘digital representations of value or rights’ that are secured by encryption and typically use some type of ‘distributed ledger technology’ (DLT). DLT allows data to be recorded and stored across a network of participants. This keeps the data secure and means there is no one single central data storage point or one central authority that grants participants permission to access and participate in the network.
The way some cryptoassets are created and operated makes them very different from what some people would class as ‘tangible’ assets (meaning things that you can physically see and touch) like gold or cash. So called ‘unbacked’ crypto have no tangible assets that sit behind them. Their price can increase or decrease depending on whether other people are willing to buy them. If people stop buying, the price could fall dramatically.
Whereas central banks – like the Bank of England – issue and oversee the money we use daily (fiat currencies), cryptoassets are developed and run by groups, individuals, or companies. Publicly available information about some of these groups/individuals can be vague, and as crypto activity is not regulated yet in the UK, there is no safety net if things go wrong.
Currently, using crypto as a means of payment is very limited – they’re accepted by certain IT and travel companies, for example, but you probably won’t be doing your weekly shop or paying your 5-a-side football subs with crypto. The reason for this is that cryptoassets tend to be very volatile, so it’s hard to pinpoint their value from one day to the next, which makes them unreliable as a payment method. However crypto that are are linked to fiat currency can be less volatile and more stable and have the potential to provide faster, cheaper and more efficient payments in the future. Some investors take the view that crypto could possibly one day be accepted in everyday transactions but this is some way off.
Investing in crypto comes with all kinds of risks, some of which you might not even have thought of. For example, converting crypto to fiat currency can prove challenging and holders must keep a record of their digital keys. Capital gains tax can apply to exchanges and other disposals of crypto, even if fiat currency has not been realised. In 2022, crypto lender, Celsius, filed for bankruptcy and owed its users $4.7 billion, meaning many investors could not get their money out and did not get anything back.
Following the surge in people’s interest in crypto over the last few years, scammers have been increasingly active in targeting potential investors. Remember - if something sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Find out how to protect yourself and others from investment scams on the ScamSmart site.
If you are trading in crypto be aware HMRC expects you to keep detailed and accurate records of your purchases and sales. In 2021 they published their internal Cryptoassets Manual which outlines how they measure any profit or loss on trading and details the records required. You can see this here: Cryptoassets Manual - HMRC internal manual - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). It has just been announced in Budget 2023 that new boxes will appear on the self-assessment tax return to prompt crypto disclosures next year.
Anyone trading in Crypto needs to be aware of their tax obligations and when transactions need to be included in their tax return. Please make sure you tell us about any transactions (even if fiat currency has not been received) so that we can assist and include the appropriate amounts in your self-assessment tax return, as required.
As an employer running payroll, you need to report to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on the previous tax year (which ends on 5 April 2023), give your employees a P60, and prepare for the new tax year, which starts on 6 April.
What you need to do - When
Send your final payroll report of the year - On or before your employees’ payday
Update employee payroll records - From 6 April
Update payroll software - From 6 April
Give your employees a P60 - By 31 May
Report employee expenses and benefits - By 6 July
HMRC have published important information for employers on GOV.UK, which includes help with finishing the tax year 2022 to 2023.
Please talk to us about our payroll services; we offer a secure payroll service that not only saves you time and money but can eliminate the risk of getting something wrong.
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has unveiled a new centralised website, targeted at helping the UK’s 5.5 million businesses.
The new ‘Help to Grow’ site from DBT is aimed at upskilling both big and small businesses across the country by helping them to:
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £250,000 from the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Programme to fund projects that will develop innovative ideas to help with the collection of flexible plastic packaging waste from households.
The ultimate goal of this competition is the reduction of the amount of waste ending up in landfill or in the environment. The selected projects will have the opportunity to develop their concept, and then present and prototype their idea as part of a nationwide trial to collect flexible plastic packaging waste from UK households.
Your project must:
To be eligible, your project must:
Experts at the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) have focused on pensions taxation, pension fund investment and retirement planning in their analysis of the Spring Budget.
The Chancellor set out plans to deliver on 3 of the Prime Minister’s 5 key priorities: to halve inflation, grow the economy and get debt falling.
Pensions tax reform
GAD’s latest Technical Bulletin examines the government’s announcements on pensions tax reform. The Spring Budget aimed to increase the labour supply and support people to move into employment. There is a particular emphasis on encouraging workers aged over 50 to extend their working lives.
Reforms were announced to the total tax-relieved pension savings an individual can make each year and over their lifetime. These affect the lifetime allowance (LTA), annual allowance (AA), and money purchase annual allowance (MPAA), as well as other tax limits.
Pension fund investment
GAD’s Technical Bulletin also looks at the government’s plans to support high growth sectors of the economy. This will include encouraging investment and smarter regulation.
The Spring Budget set out some initial measures, while the government will work closely with industry and regulators to bring forward a package of measures by the autumn.
Retirement planning
There will be more focus on retirement planning. People in their 40s, 50s and 60s will be encouraged to make more active planning in key areas of work, wellbeing, and money. In the Spring Budget 2023, the government announced it will work with employers and pension providers to encourage people to undertake midlife MOTs.
See: Spring Budget 2023: a GAD technical bulletin - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
In the UK there is a wide range of different religions that both employers and employees may need to have some understanding of and how they may occasionally affect the workplace.
One of the holiest months of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan, which began on Wednesday 22 March and will end on the evening of Friday 21 April. This means Eid al-Fitr 2023 will be celebrated on Friday 21 April. As the commencement of Ramadan is confirmed by moon sighting, these dates may vary by one day.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community.
Many workplaces have employees from different religious and non-religious backgrounds.
Other examples include:
Encouraging greater awareness and understanding of these backgrounds can be rewarding, particularly in terms of team building. It can also help to reduce the chance of misunderstanding resulting in complaints or disciplinary action.
See: Acas guide on religion or belief discrimination | Acas
Fast growth firms - which are normally defined as achieving 20% growth per annum - make up less than 1% of the UK business population but represent 50% of the total SME turnover output.
The UK Fast Growth 50 project will undertake a data-driven approach to identifying the fastest growing firms in each nation and region of the UK. It will research, develop, and publish lists that identify the 50 fastest growing companies in eight UK nations and regions, namely the East of England, London, the Midlands, North of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, South of England, and Wales.
See: The UK Fast Growth 50 | Ideas Forums Ltd (freshbusinessthinking.com)
The UK government has published a roadmap for reaching tech superpower status by 2030 through a new International Technology Strategy.
The Foreign Secretary and the Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary set out at the launch in London how the UK will build on the strength of our tech sector, which is already the largest in Europe and the third highest valued in the world after the USA and China.
The UK government will work closely with governments, academia, and industry to leverage the UK’s strengths in technology through international partnerships with established and emerging science and technology powerhouse nations.
See: Plans to make UK an international technology superpower launched - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Webinars from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are intended to help the self-employed understand tax issues that affect them. Listed below are a number of upcoming live HMRC webinars.
The webinars are free and last around an hour.
Business expenses for the self-employed
Tue 11 Apr at 1:45pm
Car expenses for the self-employed
Wed 12 Apr at 1:45pm
Residential property income for individuals - an introduction
Tue 18 Apr at 11:45am
Tue 25 Apr at 9:45am
Residential property income for individuals - expenses and deductions
Thu 20 Apr at 1:45pm
Thu 27 Apr at 11:45am
Record keeping for the self-employed
Fri 21 Apr at 11:45am
Capital Allowances for the self-employed
Tue 25 Apr at 1:45pm
How to apply the VAT reverse charge for construction services
Thu 27 Apr at 9:45am
Webinars from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are intended to help employers and businesses understand tax issues that affect them. Listed below are a number of upcoming live HMRC webinars.
How to make sure you are paying the new minimum wage rates correctly
Wed 29 Mar at 1pm
Getting payroll information right
Thu 23 Mar at 11:45am
Fri 19 May at 9:45am
Employer filing obligations
Mon 22 May at 11:45am
Statutory Sick Pay
Wed 12 Apr at 9:45am
Thu 4 May at 9:45am
Statutory Maternity and Paternity Pay
Mon 17 Apr at 11:45am
Wed 3 May at 11:45am
Expenses and benefits for your employees - travel
Wed 19 Apr at 9:45am
Thu 11 May at 11:45am
Expenses and benefits for your employees – phones, internet and homeworking
Fri 21 Apr at 9:45am
Wed 10 May at 9:45am
Expenses and benefits for your employees - company cars, vans and fuel
Mon 24 Apr at 9:45am
Tue 16 May at 11:45am
Expenses and benefits for your employees - social functions and parties
Wed 26 Apr at 11:45am
Wed 17 May at 9:45am
Expenses and benefits for your employees - trivial benefits
Fri 28 Apr at 9:45am
Wed 17 May at 11:45am
The webinar, run by the Federation of Small Businesses, covers:
You can now watch this webinar on YouTube. See: Video
Thames Freeport has received final government sign off, unlocking new high-quality jobs and much-needed investment.
The Freeport will now receive up to £25 million seed funding from government and potentially hundreds of millions in locally retained business rates to drive growth in the UK’s advanced manufacturing, biomanufacturing, logistics, and low carbon industries.
The government says it will help drive investment into sectors including automated and electric vehicles, renewable energy and battery storage, generating thousands of jobs and boosting the local economy.
See: Jobs and investment boost for Thames region as Freeport gets green light - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
