Bespoke - for private clients

Sun, sea, sand and…Tax!

Friday, October 23, 2009 | Posted by: Francesca Lagerberg
Categories: Protecting your wealth | Tags: Francesca Lagerberg, property, tax reliefs, rental, rental property, furnished holiday accommodation, holiday rental, EEA, Tax Return

If you own a holiday rental property abroad you may have just returned from enjoying the late summer sun. Well now is the time to turn your attention back to the serious issue of ensuring you are completing your Tax Return correctly and claiming all the tax reliefs to which you are entitled…especially in respect to your rental property itself.

Continue Reading

Tax rises – the elephant in the room

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 | Posted by: Richard Jameson
Categories: Protecting your wealth | Tags: recession, economy, capital gains tax, CGT, income tax, government, Richard Jameson, VAT, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, tax manifesto, National Insurance, Nick Clegg, general election

image

Approximately six weeks ago, plenty of commentators were suggesting the economic outlook had improved and the economy had turned a corner, primarily on the back of strong performance in the stock market. But an elephant has since marched the room – and, if you’ll forgive the pun, it’s a potential jumbo…

Continue Reading

EFRBS appears on the tax authorities’ radar

Monday, October 05, 2009 | Posted by: Sue Knight
Categories: Protecting your wealth | Tags: tax planning, HMRC, Sue Knight, EFRBS, Employer Financed Retirement Benefit Scheme, high earners

Last month, I outlined Employer-Financed Retirement Benefit Schemes (EFRBS) as part of 10 strategies for tax planning in 2009.

However, for other reasons, EFRBS have been catapulted into the ‘spotlight’ by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), which says it will ‘actively challenge examples of such arrangements as and when they arise’.

So, does this apply to all EFRBS and is this planning idea dead in the water for higher earners and companies?

Continue Reading

The history of money (and how much makes you happy)

Friday, October 02, 2009 | Posted by: Fiona Cullinan
Categories: Personal | Tags: wealth, trading, money, fiat money, happiness, gold, history, currency, happy, commodities, bank notes, coinage, barter, rich

image

We deal with it every day but have you ever wondered about money’s rich past? Exactly how did we go from trading cowrie shells to carrying purses of gold coins to swapping pieces of paper for our goods?

Continue Reading