Monthly Archives: February 2017

People planning their retirement will be able to withdraw up to £1,500 from their pension pots tax-free to pay for financial advice, under recent plans unveiled by the government.   The new Pension Advice Allowance, first announced at Autumn Statement … Continue reading →

Buy-to-let property owners have been singled out in recent budgets for some quite draconian tax changes. One of the most pervasive starts 6 April 2017. From this date, tax relief for the cost of borrowing – predominately interest charges – … Continue reading →

A reminder that from 6 April 2017 Lifetime ISAs are available as an alternative tax-free investment. The lifetime Individual Savings Account (ISA) is a longer term tax-free account that receives a government bonus. Details published 17 February 2017 are: You … Continue reading →

While we are members of the EU, it continues to be the case that there are no limits to the alcohol and cigarettes you can bring back to the UK. However, if customs officials believe you are bringing back goods … Continue reading →

Although HMRC refer to taxpayers as customers, and thereby suggest a degree of customer service, in the real world this rarely extends to offering “customers” pro-active tax advice. Historically, tax collectors are trained to maximise the assessment and collection of … Continue reading →