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Following the changes in dividend taxation that apply to individuals for 2016/17, changes have also had to be made to the taxation of dividends and discretionary trusts. In basic terms, this means that because dividends are paid gross, dividends that fall within the trustee’s standard rate band will be taxed

Stephen doesn’t exist. But if he did this would be his story of how we helped him achieve a tax free income of £35,000 per annum.. When we first met Stephen everything was great. Having just turned 55 he was looking forward to his final 10 years working for

Those owning properties worth more than £3million will be hit with tax bills starting from £10,000 under a Labour government, according to research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). Under the party’s mansion tax plans, homes worth between £2m and £3m would attract around £3,000 in liabilities, but

It’s too late to take advantage of your 2013/2014 ISA allowance however this tax year sees some momentous changes to the ISA landscape that make ISAs even more enticing. The ISA allowance is currently £11,880 but from 1 July 2014 ISAs will be reformed into a simpler product called the

We all know that saving for retirement is important. But it’s also difficult. Spend it today and it’s not possible to spend it tomorrow. The government knows that it’s both difficult and important. That’s why they give away free money and reduce tax bills for those that do save for their retirement. 

During my time as a teacher I heard a few excuses – some of them fantastic – about why homework wasn’t handed in on time. My favourite was the boy who handed in a blank maths exercise book. When I asked him where his homework was, he said he

I may be getting older, slower and greyer but there is at least one thing I am getting better at, and that is filing my self-assessment tax return. Three years ago I wrote a blog proclaiming my new resolution was to file my tax return sooner than 7 days before the deadline!

The arrival of spring weather can be difficult to predict. Last year, we enjoyed a balmy March and as soon as the hosepipe ban was announced in April, it rained until Christmas. This year was going according to plan with temperatures steadily rising until we were struck by an

There have been a number of articles in the press recently regarding the problems in getting through to the HMRC  Tax helpline.  Apparently only 1 in 4 people carry on holding to try and get through to someone, with only 74% of callers managing to get through to speak to

Last week we managed to invite 20 professionals into a room to talk about taxes. And the feedback afterwards was that they actually enjoyed it! The wine, nibbles and the chance to win a bottle of champagne may have encouraged a few to come along, but the general consensus was

Anyone who is in receipt of either a salary or pension income will at the end of each tax year receive a P60 from their employer or pension provider. Very often these innocuous looking documents are filed without so much as a second glance. The purpose of me writing