Ministers are weighing whether parts of the crackdown on the £135 de minimis import relief used by Shein and Temu can land before 2029, as UK retailers demand faster action.
Category: Finance
Financial advice for owners and managers of small and medium sized business SMEs in the UK All your tax, borrowing and administration advice
ISA shake-up risks unwinding a decade of simplification, warns Charles Stanley
From April 2027 the cash ISA allowance falls to £12,000 for under-65s and a 22% charge will hit interest on cash in stocks & shares ISAs. Charles Stanley’s Rob Morgan warns the reforms risk reversing the 2014 simplification and deterring cautious savers.
HMRC warns 700,000 umbrella workers over ‘bills of exchange’ tax avoidance scam
Promoters in the recruitment and temporary labour sector are pushing a bogus payment ‘trick’ that HMRC says has no legal foundation — and SMEs further down the supply chain risk being dragged in.
Many British exporters chasing US tariff refunds may end up with nothing
Thousands of British exporters chasing US tariff refunds through the CAPE system may walk away empty-handed, warns Blick Rothenberg, as ineligibility and filing errors plague claims.
HMRC loses landmark £584,000 tax battle as referees ruled self-employed
HMRC has been defeated in the landmark £584,000 PGMOL employment status case, with a tribunal ruling football referees were genuinely self-employed — casting fresh doubt over the tax office’s CEST tool.
Employers hit with £28bn National Insurance Shock as rate rise bites harder than treasury forecast
Employers’ National Insurance Contributions have soared by £28bn in a single year, £4bn above the Government’s own forecast, triggering redundancies in hospitality and retail and slowing hiring across the UK private sector.
BADR hike branded a ‘tax-grabbing assault’ as Britain’s founders eye the exit
Founders and advisers warn the latest hike in Business Asset Disposal Relief to 18% is squeezing entrepreneurs and pushing Britain’s homegrown talent abroad.
US tariff refund backlog leaves UK exporters in limbo as Washington scrambles to process billions in claims
Thousands of importers face an open-ended wait for US tariff refunds as CBP’s new CAPE portal covers only 63% of claims. UK SMEs trading transatlantically could be owed a share of up to $166bn.
Thousands of growing firms freed from IR35 burden – but freelancers warned not to underprice
New IR35 rules from April 2026 raise the small company threshold, shifting tax compliance back to freelancers. Here’s what contractors and scaling businesses need to know.
Budget tax breaks worth £100m come into force for founders and start-ups
Budget measures expanding EMI scheme eligibility, EIS and VCT limits now in force, with the government expecting £100m in additional investment for Britain’s fastest-growing companies.
NI pension cap risks hitting middle earners hardest, analysis warns
New analysis warns the £2,000 NI cap on salary sacrifice could disproportionately hit middle earners and reduce pension benefits for millions.
Individual insolvencies surge 18% as experts warn households are at ‘breaking point’
UK individual insolvencies have surged 18% year-on-year, with experts warning households are at breaking point as high interest rates, inflation and debt pressures intensify.
Experts warn pension tax cap risks undermining retirement savings as pressure mounts on Chancellor to rethink
Financial experts urge Rachel Reeves to rethink plans to cap National Insurance relief on pensions at £2,000, warning it could damage retirement savings and employer schemes.
HMRC investigations into big businesses now last nearly three and a half years on average
HMRC tax investigations into the UK’s largest businesses now last an average of 41 months, with more than 2,100 open cases as the tax authority intensifies efforts to close the £47bn tax gap.
Taskforce aims to unlock £1bn in small business lending
A new government-backed taskforce is seeking to unlock £1bn in additional lending for small businesses through community development finance institutions.
