Planner

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), UK tax revenue as a percentage of GDP rose to 33.3 per cent in 2017. This was up from 32.7 per cent in the previous year and was more than double the average rate of increase for nations covered by the OECD’s research.

As a business takes off, the level of investment it needs in order to expand can significantly outpace growth in revenues and profits. One of the options open to entrepreneurs at this stage in the development of a business is to issue new shares that secure new investment, without the financial pressures...

Confidence amongst small businesses has tumbled to a seven-year low – in part due to the uncertainty of Brexit. A survey carried out by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has found that nearly one in three small exporters think that sales to overseas customers will fall during the early part...

The cash flow difficulties that late payments cause small businesses are well known. However, the cost of recovering late payments is less well publicised, despite being a major and growing expense – coming in at around £9,000 last year for an average business.

The Office for Tax Simplification (OTS) has said that smaller and less complex estates should not be subject to the requirement to file Inheritance Tax (IHT) paperwork. The call was part of a review into IHT, which Chancellor Philip Hammond ordered earlier this year.

The fifth annual UK Alternative Finance Industry Report has revealed a 65 per cent year-on-year increase in peer-to-peer (P2P) lending. The P2P lending market is now worth £2 billion and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) appear to be the dominant force behind it.