• Could your area introduce a tourist tax?

    Mayors and local leaders in England are to be given powers to introduce an overnight visitor levy, creating a new charge for people staying in short-term visitor accommodation. The government announced the plans on 10 September 2026 following a

  • HMRC sending 1.8m Simple Assessment letters

    Some taxpayers have already started to receive Simple Assessment letters from HMRC for the 2025-26 tax year, with a further tranche due to be sent between October and December 2026. Simple Assessment is used where HMRC cannot collect income tax

  • Is your business ready for a cyber incident?

    Cyber security is sometimes treated as a problem for large organisations with specialist IT departments. In reality, smaller businesses can be particularly vulnerable because they often have fewer resources available to detect an attack and recover

  • Interest rates may not be coming down soon

    Businesses waiting for cheaper borrowing may need to reconsider their plans. The Bank of England kept Bank Rate unchanged at 3.75% in September, but three members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted for an immediate increase to 4%. The concern

  • Winter Fuel Payment opt-out deadline approaches

    Pensioners who do not want to receive the Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2026-27 have until September to opt out. The payment will be recovered through the tax system from those whose total income exceeds £35,000. In England and Wales, pensioners

  • Tax rules for cryptoassets set to change

    The tax treatment of some crypto assets is set to change under draft legislation for Finance Bill 2026-27. The proposed changes include new rules for qualifying stablecoins, crypto asset loans and liquidity pools. Eligible stablecoins are expected

  • New duty on vaping products starts in October

    Businesses in the vaping sector are reminded that the new Vaping Products Duty and the Vaping Duty Stamps Scheme will take effect from 1 October 2026. HMRC is urging manufacturers, importers, wholesalers and retailers to make sure they are ready for

  • HMRC targets persistent tax debts

    HMRC is reviewing proposals to introduce new powers for recovering lower-value, persistent tax debts from individuals and businesses that repeatedly fail to engage with collection efforts. The proposals, set out in a public consultation earlier this

  • New self-assessment registration service launched

    HMRC has launched an improved online service to make it easier for individuals to register for self-assessment. Anyone who needs to submit a tax return for the first time for the 2025-26 tax year should notify HMRC by 5 October 2026 to avoid a

  • Training clawbacks can constitute an unlawful restraint of trade

    Seeking to claw back training costs from wages is common practice. However, a recent ruling has set clearer boundaries as to how this can become an unenforceable restraint of trade. An appellant joined an IT services provider as a trainee quality