This Budget Summary from MHA Larking Gowen covers the key tax changes announced in the Chancellor’s speech, including measures to mitigate the impact of coronavirus, and explains how these changes affect businesses and individuals.
This summary covers the key tax changes announced in the Chancellor’s speech and includes tables of the main rates and allowances. At the back of the summary you will find a calendar of the tax year with important deadline dates shown. We recommend that you review your financial plans regularly as some aspects of the Budget will not be implemented until later dates.
The Chancellor had a difficult task in this Budget: to indicate how he might balance the Government’s books in the future, while still having to pay out huge sums to support the economy. He said that he would continue to provide ‘whatever it takes’ to protect businesses and jobs during the present crisis, while being honest about the need to ‘fix the public finances’ and setting out his plans to build the future economy…..to continue reading this article, and view the full analysis and tax year details, click here.
A special commemorative whisky bottle has been launched to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
The country’s oldest registered whisky distillery, The English Distillery, has teamed up with Norfolk charity Walking with the Wounded for this initiative.
The single malt whisky, aged in a mix of ex-bourbon and virgin oak casks, is limited to just 3,000 bottles.
Each decanter is hand-bottled at the Norfolk distillery, based at Roudham near East Harling.
The collaboration aims to raise funds for the charity, which supports the UK’s veterans struggling to adapt to civilian life.
From each bottle sold, £2 will be donated to the charity.
Kate Tabain, director of fundraising and communications at Walking with the Wounded, said: “We are thrilled to once again be partnering with The English Distillery to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
“Not only will the bottle acknowledge the sacrifices of so many to ensure peace in Europe, but all donations raised will be used to support veterans, whose service has maintained that peace.”
Katy Nelstrop, from The English Distillery, said: “We’re honoured to collaborate with Walking with the Wounded on this special bottle release.”
Delivering critical care throughout the pandemic has significantly impacted waiting times for non-urgent treatment, leaving many people left coping with pain for months. NHS waiting time data in September 2020 showed that 39.4% of patients had been waiting more than 18 weeks at the time the statistics were recorded. Though the treatments are classed as non-urgent, painful conditions or injuries can significantly impact quality of life and overall wellbeing. Supporting your people For those looking to avoid adding to the NHS’s growing burden whilst still accessing affordable healthcare, Surgery Choices can help your people get the treatment they need to get back on their feet quickly and return to work sooner. Surgery Choices provides your people with immediate cover for new conditions and fast access to fixed price private treatment packages, should they need surgery. With two options to choose from, the plans cover over 60 specific surgical procedures for conditions such as slipped discs, hip and knee replacement, gallstones, hernias and carpal tunnel. If you’d like more information about Surgery Choices and the benefits for your people and your business, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our friendly Customer Care Team is here to help. Online westfieldhealth.com Email [email protected] Phone 0114 250 2000 9am-5pm, Mon-Fri (except Christmas Eve and public holidays)
Experienced accountant Sanjay Parekh FCCA, joined TaxAssist Accountants just as COVID-19 hit in March 2020.
Determined to pursue his dream of establishing his own practice in his local area, he has been busy finding and fitting out his TaxAssist Accountants shop, which is now open for clients to attend a face-to-face meeting or arrange a telephone or video consultation.
“I’m so pleased the shop is now open, allowing me to showcase the services we offer, as it’s clear that small business clients are in need of as much help and support as possible to get through these challenging times,” said Sanjay.
“As a small business owner myself, I know and understand what people are going through right now, and am passionate about making a real difference to people’s lives and businesses.
“We are here for much more than tax returns, accounts and bookkeeping. We’re here to help clients to understand how their business is performing, plan for growth, access finance and make key decisions. We can also talk clients through a range of software solutions to help them to select the right package for their needs. I’d urge anyone interested in finding out more, to contact us for a free initial consultation.”
If you share a passion to help your local small businesses, a TaxAssist franchise can provide the systems and support you need to be successful. Regular Virtual Discovery Days are being held, where you can find out more about the technical, marketing and business development support on offer. Call 0800 0188297 or submit an enquiry via the button at the top of the page to register your interest.
Last week, BuxtonThreeTwo and Proudly Norfolk Food & Drink hosted Docky #4 – a bitesize, lunchtime chat on all things food and drink. We’ve had some fantastic guests join us for Docky, but #4 was particularly special as we were joined by Chris Elliott of The Feed to discuss homelessness and hunger in our Norfolk community.
The Feed is a Norwich based social enterprise who have a vision of a community free from poverty. Supporting those who have been out of work for sustained periods of time, The Feed provide opportunities for employment and development in both their cafe and catering business.
During Docky #4, Chris spoke about how The Feed adapted in 2020. Through making phone calls to members of the community, delivering wellbeing packages and opening the community fridge, The Feed maintained a dialogue with those in need throughout the series of lockdowns.
Chris explained that The Feed also offers one-to-one support, mindfulness sessions, cooking classes and work experience programmes for people who have struggled with homelessness, addiction or on-going mental health problems. After these development sessions, the team at The Feed help individuals seek out jobs and start their career.
For 2021, The Feed have even bigger plans as they endeavor to start their own food truck. Not only will the presence of the truck spread The Feed’s message in Norwich, but it will also provide the enterprise with an additional revenue stream to allow them to continue the fantastic work they do for our community.
If you’d like to support The Feed by committing to sponsor the food truck, organising a fundraising event, donating to the community fridge or if you have employment and work experience opportunities for The Feed’s clients, you can get in touch with Chris at [email protected].
In the current circumstances excitement can be hard to come by, however, we are lucky to announce an exciting piece of news – an interview with Mio Conferencing Solutions about the Future 50 programme and its role in developing our international audio, web, and video conferencing.
Future 50 is a business growth programme open to Norfolk and Suffolk’s small-to-medium-sized businesses. Its purpose is to give recognition to innovative businesses and help them thrive and develop. Mio Conferencing Solutions is grateful to have been interviewed about how the Future 50 programme helped us develop our business. Read the interview below.
Transcript:
The business landscape has changed a lot since audio-call specialists Mio Conferencing Solutions took part in Future 50 in 2018. Managing director Kay Daodu shares how the scheme helped the business.
How has the business changed since it was in Future 50?
The business has definitely changed since Future 50 – from the way it competes to its approach towards innovation and also access to regional resources that have helped us stay competitive.
How did taking part in Future 50 help that process?
It put me in contact with some very valuable resources and organisations dedicated to making my business more successful. Some of the opportunities my company has experienced were as a result of some of these relationships.
What were the most helpful aspects of Future 50?
It introduced us to the Enterprise Centre – a very underrated resource when it comes to opportunities for businesses to grow, from its on-site business facilities to research and development funding, to the innovation grants and access to the right resources needed for a company like Mio Conferencing to grow.
What was the best piece of advice from Future 50?
It’s a bit of a bizarre one: a cyber security talk – funny now everyone works remotely and there are more cyber security threats out there. This was a specialist topic so an expert was brought in to present it. The information was invaluable and more relevant today. This particularly stuck with me.
What’s your advice for companies starting Future 50?
This is a massive opportunity to get your business out there… but you have to put in the work on your side as well.
If you are a Norfolk or Suffolk business, take a look at the Future 50 programme which will reopen again for applications in Autumn 2021.
Bukky Shonola will operate her new shop at 6b Brand Street, Hitchin alongside her existing practice in Letchworth.
Experienced accountant Bukky Shonola joined TaxAssist Accountants in 2018, after purchasing a franchise resale in Letchworth, thereby realising her long held wish to run her own practice. Working alongside husband Dapo, and four long-standing staff members, she has had a very successful first three years.
“I’ve really enjoyed running the practice, meeting with, and getting to know and help business clients around Letchworth,” said Bukky. “I have a fantastic team around me, and we are all ambitious to grow, which is why we have now chosen to expand the practice to a highly visible shop on the high street in Hitchin.
“The TaxAssist Accountants network really is one big family and their support for me and my practice has enabled me to expertly guide my clients through the pandemic. Many clients have been very worried about their finances, but by being part of a wider support network, I have a wealth of information and guidance to hand, which I am able to pass on to my clients, which I know they have greatly appreciated. Many have said we’ve made a real impact on their business.
“I’d encourage anyone interested in finding out more about our services to get in touch for a free initial consultation. We provide a comprehensive tax, accountancy and advisory service including business planning and cash flow forecasting. We can talk clients through a range of software solutions to help them to select the right package for their needs.”
If you are interested in joining the TaxAssist Accountants network, regular Virtual Discovery Days are being held, where you can find out more about the technical, marketing and business development support on offer. Call 0800 0188297 or submit an enquiry via the button at the top of the page to register your interest.
Whilst the last year has been extremely challenging for all of us, we are pleased with how our team has been flexible and has adapted to working in a COVID-secure environment, using remote working on occasions to ensure that we can maintain social distancing whilst still maintaining high standards of service to clients.
“The company ensured that measures were put in place to protect both its staff and visitors to the lab over the past year. This included the introduction of movable screens, encouraging hand washing, provision of hand sanitizer and masks throughout the laboratory and reduced on-site staff numbers. We have introduced digital signing of test reports and have encouraged remote witnessing of testing as opposed to witnessing in person to reduce numbers in the laboratory to a minimum.” – Rahul Wadher, Metallurgist (pictured) During this time in addition to delivering our full range of world class mechanical and corrosion testing along with failure analysis, in response to client needs, we have also been expanding our range into testing of welds on reinforcing steel to BS 8548, which should be of great interest to prefabricated reinforcement manufacturers in structural and civil engineering. Please spread the word to any of your HQSE managers, Structural and Civil Engineer contacts. Please contact us to find out more about our services and how we can help you.
IT’S NATIONAL BED MONTH!!! To celebrate we are giving you the opportunity to win a luxurious Silk Opulence Pillow Pair – worth over £100. To enter, purchase one of our 13.5 tog duvets which have £25 off on each size for a limited time only. The competition ends on the 25th March. Good luck and stay cosy! To find out more about National Bed Month please see the bed advice website at www.bedadvice.co.uk or visit their Facebook page, Bed Advice UK . #sleepbetterwithnorfolkfeather#nationalbedmonth
The Norfolk Feather Company is a family business that has been supplying and making traditional Feather and Feather and Down products for over 90 years. The Norfolk Feather Company has now attained accreditation to the Made in Britain organisation.
The Norfolk Feather Company told Made in Britain that it prides itself on a strong heritage of championing the finest Feather and the company says that it was this philosophy, that led to the creation of its own signature range of products, that it supplies to customers all over the United Kingdom. The company is proud of its local and highly skilled workforce which is based at its long-standing production plant in Diss, East Anglia. The company says it is constantly innovating with the latest technological enhancements to guarantee it always delivers the highest quality products and it ensures that all of its suppliers provide ethically sourced materials to enable it to provide the highest standards in the industry.
Peter Crellen, managing director at the Norfolk Feather Company, told Made in Britain, “Accreditation by the Made in Britain organisation provides us with respectability and prominence in the marketplace. Whilst we have a 90 year heritage, being able to utilise the official Made in Britain mark, will endorse us to be fully recognised for our products being British manufactured to the highest standards.”
The Norfolk Feather Company will be using the official Made in Britain mark on its hollowfibre and feather pillows, on its website and on its social media platforms. Find out more about the company at its Made in Britain members’ directory profile page here and its website here.
Norwich Airport has today published its annual destination guide, FLY, giving holidaymakers a wide choice of destinations on their doorstep and a welcome return to commercial air travel.
The launch follows a surge of interest and bookings for 2021 and 2022 holidays, fuelled by the Government’s announced roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions.
FLY Norwich 2021-22 features 18 destinations in 9 countries, including Bulgaria (Bourgas), Cyprus (Paphos), Greece (Corfu, Crete, Rhodes), Italy (Bergamo), Lapland (Enontekio, Pajala), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Spain (Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca, Tenerife), Turkey (Dalaman), and the UK (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Guernsey, Jersey).
As well as the wide range of destinations, FLY Norwich 2021-22 showcases the benefits of flying local, including a quick journey to the airport, parking close to the terminal, short check-in and security times and total step-free access from the terminal entrance to flight boarding.
Census day arrived at the weekend and we are working hard to make sure everyone is included. We have created a series of events for those with questions or those supporting others who have questions.
We know that some people may have questions and may not have completed their census yet so as a Norfolk and Suffolk initiative we have organised 4 x daily drop in support events – live!
Still have questions about Census?
Need some friendly face to face advice?
You can meet with a local census engagement manager who will be able to help you.
4 Times daily Monday to Friday – (Except Thursdays)