Small businesses are the lifeblood of the UK economy, but with rapid inflation and other economic headwinds making trade difficult, they can struggle to access support. There is a wide range of important tax reliefs available to SMEs, which could provide some much-needed financial assistance. Employment Allowance claims This scheme allows eligible businesses to reduce

Changes to charges and penalties applied to late submission of VAT returns will kick in from January next year. For the VAT period starting on or after 1 January 2023, new penalties will replace the default surcharge for returns submitted or paid late. Any VAT returns received late will also be subject to late submission

New legislation allows HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to recover Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) grants that have been overclaimed. Those who fall foul of the legislation could face interest charges, financial penalties and even be named and shamed. If a business overclaimed a CJRS grant and has not repaid it, it needs to inform the tax

A leading business organisation has highlighted the problems faced by the industry after new figures show a steep rise in business costs. According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), producer input price inflation stands at a record-high 18.6% and the consumer prices index at 9%. It says the disparity between the two

Research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) shows that successful applications for finance among members have dropped to the lowest level on record. Conversely, figures from the Bank of England show the annual growth rate of lending to big corporates has increased significantly since the start of the year. It has led to the