Autumn Statement 2023
The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has announced that he will deliver his Autumn Statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday, 22 November 2023. This move would imply that the annual Budget will not take place until the spring of 2024.
The Autumn Statement is used to give an update on the state of the
Clampdown on fake reviews and hidden fees
The Department for Business and Trade published the following announcement, that if implemented, should reduce the present trend to publish fake reviews and charge hidden fees at point of sale. The overall aim is to help consumers cut the cost of living…
In a recent press release the Department
Back to school – help with childcare costs
As children return to school after the summer break, HMRC is reminding parents that they may be eligible to use the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme to help pay for any approved childcare.
The TFC scheme can help parents of children aged up to 11 years old (17 for those with certain disabilities).
Access to cash to be protected
Recognising the need to maintain access to cash withdrawal facilities, the government is stepping in to set out a new access standard in the UK.
The vast majority of people and businesses are set to be no further than three miles away from withdrawing cash under a new framework set out by the
Scottish charities regulations
Charities in Scotland are regulated by an independent body. This body is called the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). The OSCR is the regulator and registrar for over 25,000 Scottish charities including community groups, religious charities, schools, universities, grant-giving
HMRC increases interest rates again
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) met on 2 August 2023 and voted 6-3 in favour of raising interest rates by 25 basis points to 5.25% in a move to further contain inflation. One member of the MPC voted to keep the rate at 5% whilst two others favoured an increase to 5.5%. This is
Being made bankrupt
The bankruptcy process applies to people living in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. There is a separate process known as sequestration in Scotland. Bankruptcy is a form of insolvency and is normally only suitable for those people who are unable to pay back their debts in a reasonable time. Most
The end of scam calls selling financial products?
Are we about to see the end of phone calls selling sham financial products?
An 8-week consultation by the Home Office and other government departments is aiming to do just this.
The consultation, published on 2 August, covers proposals to ban cold calls offering any financial products and to clamp
Gambling white paper reforms
A public consultation process has been launched to look at how to conduct financial risk checks for problem gambling and at what level stake limits should be set for people playing online slot games.
The move is the next step of the Government’s gambling white paper to update gambling rules for the
Draft legislation published for Finance Bill 2023-24
Legislation Day (L-Day), 18 July 2023, was the date when the government published the draft legislation for Finance Bill 2023-24. This Finance Bill will be colloquially referred to as Finance Bill 2024. Alongside the publication of the draft legislation the government published accompanying