Category: Money
-
MTD Is a Pain — But It Might Fix the Habit That’s Actually Hurting You
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax has been live since April 2026 for sole traders and landlords earning over £50,000, and from April 2027 that threshold drops to £30,000, pulling in roughly 970,000 more people. Most of the commentary on this has been about compliance burden and software costs, and fair enough — it is…
-
Don’t Wait for the Budget to Sort Your Cash Flow
The Autumn Budget is confirmed for 28 October, and the speculation machine is already in full swing — capital gains, property taxes, frozen thresholds, business rates. It’s tempting to put cash flow decisions on hold “until we know what’s actually in it.” That’s the wrong call. Most cash flow problems in small businesses aren’t caused…
-
Growth talk is cheap while compliance costs £25bn a year
The government wants to talk about growth. Business Mentoring Councils, apprenticeship funding, rate cuts for pubs — all announced with the same message: we’re backing small business. Meanwhile, the Federation of Small Businesses has put a number on the thing quietly working against all of it: tax compliance now costs the average small business owner…
-
Stop Watching the Bank of England. Start Watching Your Debtor List.
Every time the Bank of England meets, small business owners hold their breath for a rate cut that might ease the pressure. It’s understandable, but it’s misplaced. Interest rates are a fraction of a percentage point you can’t influence. Late payment is a much bigger problem sitting inside your own sales ledger — and unlike…
-
What tax compliance really costs your business — and where the time and money goes
If tax admin feels like it’s eating more of your week than it used to, you’re not imagining it. According to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), the average UK small business now spends £4,500 and 44 hours a year just staying compliant with the tax system — up around 10% since 2021. Multiplied across…
-
The SIM Swap That Halves Your Bill
EE and Vodafone have both confirmed another round of price rises on their business mobile tariffs, landing in 2027 and again in 2028. It’s a good moment to ask a question most small businesses never get round to: why are you on a “business” tariff at all? For the vast majority of sole traders and…
-
The 76 Plate: Bag Yourself a Bargain, or an Expensive Mistake?
The new “76” plate lands on 1 September, and the run-up always brings the same pitch from dealers: discounted stock on the outgoing plate, room to negotiate, a chance to grab a bargain before the changeover. It’s real money off. But a discount is only a bargain if you were going to buy anyway —…