The beginning of a new year is an opportune time to undertake basic business planning. One aspect that needs continuous management is to protect your business capital.

The downturn in global trade continues to be affected by the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and now the disruption to movement of goods in the Red Sea. This is compounded by persistent inflation, high interest rates and consequent increases in costs.

In the face of these challenges what can beleaguered business owners do to protect their capital base and be in a position step back into the ring as and when consumers start to edge out of their front doors and start spending?

Here’s a few ideas for you to think about:

1. List all of your fixed costs, those that you have to pay even if you have no income coming in and cancel as many as you can that can be re-established when markets open up again. Obviously, many will be tied to contracts that cannot be broken. In which case:
2. Contact suppliers, landlords, service providers etc., and see if you can negotiate a moratorium on payments for a period, a reduction in payments or the cancellation of contracts.
3. When this work is done rework your business plan for the next year and speak to your bank or other sources to secure any cash required to meet the likely dips in cash resources.
4. Importantly, start to think about waking up your business when consumer interest in spending starts to increase demand for your goods or services.

And finally, speak to us. There is no substitute for sharing this planning process with your professional adviser. We know your business. We know how you have burned the midnight oil to develop your business and the problems you have overcome along the way. We can, and we want to help. Call now so we can start to consider your options.

1 February 2024 – Due date for Corporation Tax payable for the year ended 30 April 2023.

19 February 2024 – PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 February 2024. (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 February 2024)

19 February 2024 – Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 February 2024. 

19 February 2024 – CIS tax deducted for the month ended 5 February 2024 is payable by today.

1 March 2024 – Due date for Corporation Tax due for the year ended 31 May 2023.

2 March 2024 – Self-Assessment tax for 2022-23 paid after this date will incur a 5% surcharge unless liabilities are cleared by 1 April 2024, or an agreement has been reached with HMRC under their time to pay facility by the same date.

19 March 2024 – PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 March 2024 (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 March 2024).

19 March 2024 – Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 March 2024.

19 March 2024 – CIS tax deducted for the month ended 5 March 2024 is payable by today.

A number of reforms to tax reliefs for the creative sectors came into effect from 1 January 2024. Under the reformed system, a children’s TV production, animated TV production or film with £1 million of qualifying expenditure will receive an additional £42,500 in relief. A high-end TV production, film production or video game will receive £5,000 in relief. The uplift in relief for animation has also been extended to include animated films as well as TV programmes.

The credits will be calculated directly from a production or game’s qualifying expenditure, instead of being an adjustment to the company’s taxable profit.

Animation and children’s TV productions will be eligible for a higher credit rate of 39%, a rate increase of 4.25%. The 34% credit rate for film, high end TV and video games is roughly equivalent to a rate increase of 0.5%.

Productions and games in development on 1 April 2025 may continue to use the previous tax reliefs until they end or until 1 April 2027 to provide companies with additional time to adapt to the new expenditure credits.

In addition, as part of the Spring Budget 2023 measures, the temporary higher rates for Theatre Tax Relief (TTR), Orchestra Tax Relief (OTR) and Museums and Galleries Exhibitions Tax Relief (MGETR) were extended for two further years until 1 April 2025.

Readers are reminded that if the dividends they draw from their company, when added to their other income, exceeds the basic rate Income Tax Band, then much higher rates of dividend tax will apply.

The tax rates for dividends received (in excess of the current £1,000 dividend tax allowance) are as follows:

• 8.75% for basic rate taxpayers
• 33.75% for higher rate taxpayers
• 39.35% for additional rate taxpayers

Dividends that fall within your Personal Allowance do not count towards your dividend allowance and you may pay tax at more than one rate.

If you receive up to £10,000 in dividends you can ask HMRC to change your tax code and the tax due will be taken from your wages or pension or you can enter the dividends on your self-assessment tax return if you are registered under self-assessment. You do not need to notify HMRC if the dividends you receive are within your dividend allowance for the tax year.

If you have received over £10,000 in dividends, you will need to complete a self-assessment tax return. If you do not usually send a tax return, you will need to register by 5 October following the tax year in which the relevant dividend income is received.

Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR) is available on the sale of a business, disposal of shares in a trading company or an individual’s interest in a trading partnership. Where this relief is available sellers can benefit from a 10% tax charge on exit from their business.

When the relief if available Capital Gains Tax (CGT) of 10% is payable in place of the standard rate. There are a number of qualifying conditions that must be met in order to qualify for the relief.

BADR used to be known as Entrepreneurs’ Relief before 6 April 2020. The name change did not affect the operation of the relief.

You can currently claim a total of £1 million in BADR over your lifetime. The £1m lifetime limit means you can qualify for the relief more than once. The lifetime limit may be higher if you sold assets before 11 March 2020.

Claims for BADR are made either through your self-assessment tax return or by filling in Section A of the Business Asset Disposal Relief helpsheet.

The deadline for claiming relief is as follows:

If you have reached the State Pension age and continue to work, in most cases, you no longer need to pay National Insurance Contributions (NICs).

At State Pension age, the requirement to pay Class 1 and Class 2 NICs ceases. However, you will remain liable to pay any NICs due to be paid to you before reaching the State Pension age. If you continue working, you need to provide your employer with proof of your age.

Your employer remains liable to pay secondary Class 1 employer NICs. If you would rather not provide proof of age to your employer, you can request a letter (known as an age exception certificate) from HMRC confirming you have reached State Pension age and are no longer required to pay NICs.

If you are self-employed you will need to pay Class 4 NICs for the remainder of the year in which you reach State Pension age but will be exempt from the following year.

HMRC provides the following example. Someone who reached the State Pension age on 6 September 2023 will stop making Class 4 contributions on 5 April 2024 and pay their final Class 4 bill by 31 January 2025, together with any Income Tax due.

If you have overpaid NICs you can claim the excess back from HMRC.

Before Brexit, the UK was unable to zero rate VAT on women’s sanitary products under EU rules and the items were subject to 5% VAT. Following the end of the transition period the UK was no longer bound by the EU VAT Directive which mandated a minimum 5% rate of VAT on all sanitary products, and the VAT charge, known as the ‘tampon tax’, was abolished with effect from 1 January 2021.

The government has now extended the VAT zero rate to period pants. Effective from 1 January 2024, women will save up to £2 on a £12 pair. Many of the UK’s largest retailers including M&S, Primark and Tesco, have committed to pass on the savings, worth 16%. This change was first announced as part of the Autumn Statement 2023 measures after 80 MPs, charities and retailers called on the government to scrap the VAT in August 2023.

The Financial Secretary to the Treasury said:

‘This is a victory for women across the UK and for the campaigners who’ve helped raise awareness of the growing importance of period pants.

It’s only right that women and girls can find more affordable options for what has become an essential and environmentally friendly product.’

Since reforming the ‘tampon tax’, the market for period underwear has expanded and they are now a mainstream choice for many women. The scrapping of the current VAT will ensure that period underwear is treated the same as traditional period products.

A new press release from HMRC has highlighted that 49,317 taxpayers took the time to file their tax returns online over the New Year holiday. It is estimated that over 6.5 million taxpayers have already filed their tax returns for 2022-23. This leaves almost 5.7 million taxpayers that are yet to file.

The deadline for submitting a 2022-23 self-assessment tax returns online is 31 January 2024. You should also be aware that payment of any tax due should also be made by this date. This includes the payment of any balance of self-assessment liability for the 2022-23 plus the first payment on account due for the current 2023-24 tax year.

If you miss the filing deadline then you will usually be charged a £100 fixed penalty which applies even if there is no tax to pay, or if the tax due is paid on time. If you do not file and pay before 1 May 2024 then you will face additional daily penalties of £10 per day, up to a maximum of £900. If the return still remains outstanding further higher penalties will be charged after six months and again after twelve months from the filing date. There are also additional penalties for late payments amounting to 5% of the tax unpaid at 30 days, 6 months and 12 months.

HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:

‘The clock is ticking for those customers yet to file their tax return. Don’t put it off, kick start the new year by sorting your Self-Assessment. Go to GOV.UK and search ‘Self-Assessment’ to get started start today.’

If you are filing online for the first time you should ensure that you register to use HMRC’s self-assessment online service as soon as possible. Once registered, an activation code will be sent by mail. This process can take up to 10 working days. 

We would encourage our readers to complete their tax return as early as possible to avoid any last-minute stress as the 31 January 2024 filing date is fast approaching.

If you use your car or other vehicle to undertake business journeys on behalf of your employer, and your employer does not:

• Fully reimburse you for the business use, or
• Reimburses you but at a lower rate per mile than the approved HMRC rates (see below).

Then you may be able to make a claim to HMRC and reduce your overall tax bill.

HMRC’s notes on this topic are reproduced below:

Vehicles you use for work

You may be able to claim tax relief if you use cars, vans, motorcycles or bicycles for work.

This does not include travelling to and from your work unless it’s a temporary place of work.

How much you can claim depends on whether you’re using:

• a vehicle that you’ve bought or leased with your own money
• a vehicle owned or leased by your employer (a company vehicle)

You can claim for this tax year and the 4 previous tax years if you’re eligible.

Using your own vehicle for work

If you use your own vehicle or vehicles for work, you may be able to claim tax relief on the approved mileage rate. This covers the cost of owning and running your vehicle. You cannot claim separately for things like:

• fuel
• electricity
• vehicle tax
• MOTs
• repairs

To work out how much you can claim for each tax year you’ll need to:

• keep records of the dates and mileage of your work journeys;
• add up the mileage for each vehicle type you’ve used for work; and
• take away any amount your employer pays you towards your costs, (sometimes called a ‘mileage allowance’).

Approved mileage rates

Using a company car for business

You can claim tax relief on the money you have spent on fuel and electricity, for business trips in your company car. Keep records to show the actual cost of the fuel.

If your employer reimburses some of the money, you can claim relief on the difference.

How to claim

If you complete a self-assessment tax return, you must claim through your tax return instead.

The 31st of January is a key date for those of us who are registered for self-assessment. There are three deadlines:

1. The closing date to file your 2022-23 tax return without incurring an initial £100 late filing penalty.
2. The date by which any balance of tax, NIC, or student loan payback needs to be made for 2022-23.
3. Due date for making the first payment on account for 2023-24.

What to do if you cannot afford to make these payments

HMRC will allow taxpayers who cannot meet these tax payments by 31^st of January, to spread the cost by applying for a formal HMRC payment plan.

The instructions posted on the GOV.uk website are reproduced below:

Setting up a payment plan

To set up a payment plan you will need:

• the relevant reference number for the tax you cannot pay, such as your unique tax reference number;
• your UK bank account details – you must be authorised to set up a Direct Debit; and
• details of any previous payments you have missed.

You may be able to set up a payment plan online, depending on which type of tax you owe and how much you owe.

If you owe tax from self-assessment

You can set up a self-assessment payment plan online if you:

• have filed your latest tax return;
• owe £30,000 or less;
• are within 60 days of the payment deadline; and
• do not have any other payment plans or debts with HMRC.

HMRC will ask you about your income and spending when you set up your plan.

The Welsh draft Budget for 2024-25 was published on 19 December 2023. The Budget sets out the Welsh government’s revenue and capital spending proposals, including detailed portfolio spending plans.

There have been no changes announced to the Welsh rates of Income Tax (WRIT) which will continue to be set at 10p for 2024-25. This means that the rates of Income Tax paid by Welsh taxpayers will continue to be the same as those paid by English and Northern Irish taxpayers in the new tax year.

This draft Budget does not include any proposed changes to the current Land Transaction Tax (LTT) rates. Two consultations on the future of LTT will, however, be launched at a later date. The Welsh government has also confirmed that the Landfill Disposals Tax (LDT) rates will continue to mirror the UK landfill tax rates in 2024-25.

The Welsh Government confirmed that they will cap the increase to the Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) multiplier in Wales to 5% for 2024-25. This is lower than the 6.7% increase which would otherwise apply from the default inflation of the multiplier in line with CPI. Retail, leisure and hospitality ratepayers (RLHRR) in Wales will receive a 40% non-domestic rates relief for the duration of 2024-5. The RLHRR scheme will continue to be capped at £110,000 per business across Wales.

The plans outlined in the Draft Welsh Budget will be debated in Senedd Cymru, the Welsh Parliament. Following scrutiny of these plans by Senedd Cymru. The Welsh Government will publish the Final Budget 2024-25 on 27 February 2024.

Scotland’s Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary, Shona Robison delivered her first Budget statement to the Scottish parliament on 19 December 2023.

The Finance Secretary said that the ‘Managing the cumulative impacts of the UK Government’s disastrous Autumn Statement, high inflation and ongoing economic damage from Brexit means we have had to make difficult choices and prioritise support for those who need it the most’. The measures announced for next year are expected to raise an additional £1.5 billion in Income Tax revenue, as compared to UK Government policy.

One of the measures announced to help tackle the constrained financial position was a new tax band called the advanced rate band which will apply a 45% tax rate on annual income between £75,000 and £125,140. In addition, 1p was added to the top rate of tax and the starter and basic rate bands were increased in line with inflation. There were no changes to the Starter, Basic, Intermediate and Higher tax rates and the Higher rate threshold will be maintained at £43,662.

The proposed Scottish rates and bands for 2024-25 are as follows:

The standard personal allowance remains frozen at £12,570. 

There were no changes to the land and buildings transaction tax (LBTT) rates for residential or non-residential property. The standard rate of Scottish landfill tax will rise to £103.70 per tonne and the lower rate to £3.30 per tonne from April 2024 maintaining alignment with the corresponding taxes in the rest of the UK.

The Budget measures are subject to final approval by the Scottish parliament.