Blog26th Jun 2024 Working Remotely – Nine to five at the office is no longer the norm… but neither is working in a UK office The impact of COVID has been widespread and far reaching, touching all aspects of work and home life. Many now have the option to work from home, but some are taking this as an opportunity to work from anywhere, including… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 World Breastfeeding Week 2022 In 2022, reports of women receiving criticism for breastfeeding in public are still sadly occurring. Only recently, a staff of a major supermarket chain reduced a mother to tears after being told that she was being “inappropriate” for breastfeeding… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 COVID recovery, labour shortages & supply chain issues: the resilience of Scotland’s food & drink sector In the last two years we have seen some of the most challenging times in business. In particular, the Scottish food and drink industry has been hit hard by varying restrictions imposed across the country. Despite these challenges, the industry… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 Employment (Allocation of Tips) Bill As the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Bill makes its way through Parliament, it is important to understand what the new Code of Practice to be issued by the Secretary of State would mean, especially for the hospitality, leisure and service… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 New Ways of Working: Working from Home There is nothing innovative about working from home. Employees in some capacities have been working from home for years, whether this is in a self-employed position or whilst occupying roles that benefit from a higher level of autonomy and asynchronous… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 Self-Assessment Taxpayers: is your 31 July ‘Payments on Account’ due for payment? Self-Assessment taxpayers who had a liability of more than £1,000 in the 2020/21 tax year are likely to be required to make ‘Payments on Account’ towards their 2021/22 tax liability. The first interim payment was due on or before 31… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 HMRC – Improving the data it collects from its customers consultation document It is usually around this time of year, as the holiday season gets underway that government departments publish consultation documents, and HMRC is no different. HMRC is looking for responses to its consultation on improving the data it collects from… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 Government introduces new Bill to protect Seafarer workers when entering UK ports After the appalling actions of P&O in May of this year, the government has now introduced new legislation to ensure that seafarers are paid at least the National Minimum Wage. This new legislation, effective 6 July 2022, applies to any vessels… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 Research & Development tax relief claims As Research & Development (R&D) tax relief claims become more popular across the UK for both SME and large sized corporations, it is no surprise that HMRC is cracking down on the review process for who they grant this generous… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 Parental Bereavement Leave 2022 On the 6th of April 2022, the Northern Ireland Assembly introduced legislation that will now provide parents with two weeks’ Parental Bereavement Leave entitlement if they lose a child under 18 or suffer a stillbirth after 24 weeks. This… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 ‘Fiscal Drag’ pulls more UK Taxpayers into higher rate bands As inflation reaches 9% in the UK, the freeze on the income tax rate bands will inevitably push more taxpayers into higher brackets. It was announced in the Budget last year that the income tax personal allowance and higher rate… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 The Power of Inclusive Language in Recruitment As individuals, we all see the world through a different lens depending on our background, cultural environment, and personal experiences. This influences our judgment and assessment of others and the situations we are confronted with. Collectively, we hold beliefs and… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 Social Media Policy: Why Having One Is Important The rise of social media Over the past decade there has been a surge in social media usage resulting in a total 60.37 million users in the UK. With such a wide user base, it is evident that social media… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 Additional Dwelling Supplement – am I liable? From April 2016, the purchase of a second home not only brought a liability to Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (“LBTT”) but also to Additional Dwelling Supplement (“ADS”) which is a levy of 4% of the property price where that… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 Extension of the Trust Registration Service The Trust Registration Service (TRS) was introduced in June 2017 as part of the UK’s Money Laundering regulations. The TRS requires trustees to report information about the trust, trustees, trust assets (for taxable trusts), beneficiaries and other parties associated with… By Caroline Murphy View more
Blog26th Jun 2024 Members Voluntary liquidation (MVL) v Strike Off – What is the difference? Since moving into restructuring at AAB, friends and family have asked me: ‘What is an MVL?’ ‘Is an MVL a bad thing?’ ‘Why can’t owners just close businesses themselves?’ These are all very good questions! The restructuring and recovery team… By Caroline Murphy View more