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Tax Insider

Subscribe to our monthly tax newsletter and tax article library and receive news, tips and strategies guaranteed to minimise your tax bill

For everyone with an interest in responsible tax saving
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- Access to digital library of 1203 articles - Downloadable PDFs - Plus print version delivered to your door every month
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  • Up to date monthly tax saving tips
  • New tax strategies added every month (48 over the year)
  • No minimum tie-ins, cancel anytime

Tax Insider Library subscription benefits

We recently asked our subscribers what they love about the Tax Insider Library.

These are the top 7 reasons that they gave us:

Here are just some of the strategies our tax experts are sharing with subscribers this month

  • Once a sole trader or partnership has incorporated, the owner or partners can no longer help themselves to the business’s profits at will; such individuals were previously subject to income tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) based on those profits, irrespective of how much they took from the business. 

    Chris Thorpe looks at some considerations when extracting profits out of limited companies.

  • Given the reliance on and impact of cars, special tax rules are in place to manage the environmental footprint of vehicles.

    Moneeza Siddiqui compares the tax implications of a personal and company car when used in an individual’s employment.

  • It is common for leases between landlords and tenants to give details of what services the landlord shall provide and what the tenants shall pay for the upkeep of the building as a whole. The lease may provide for an inclusive rental, or it may require the tenants to contribute by means of an additional charge to the basic rent. These charges are generally referred to as service charges, maintenance charges or additional rent.  

    Andrew Needham looks at the VAT position of service charges on commercial property.

  • Many in business will trade through the medium of a limited company and the directors will generally be remunerated by the payment of dividends or salary. The former are taxed on the recipient and must be paid out of profits subject to corporation tax, while the latter are subject to National Insurance contributions (NICs) as well as income tax. 

    Richard Curtis suggests possible alternatives to salary and dividends.

  • I was asked a question recently about a transfer of shares between a 60% subsidiary to its holding company and whether this would be better structured as a dividend in specie or a distribution in specie. I was initially thrown by the question; surely, they are the same thing? Of course, from a corporation tax point of view, it makes little odds since what some of us still call ‘Schedule F’ income is exempted by (CTA 2009, s 931B).

    Ken Moody highlights some confusion over what exactly are ‘distributions in specie’ and outlines some important tax implications.

  • The cheapest personal bank loan rates are double what they were 18 months ago, though this has stabilised recently. Currently, the best loan interest rate between £7,000 and £25,000 is 5.9%. 

    Jennifer Adams explores where company owners might get useful short-term loans.

  • The UK tax system is full of potential surprises. For example, it sometimes treats certain situations and events as having occurred, which did not necessarily happen in the ‘real’ world.

    Mark McLaughlin looks at what ‘by reason of employment’ means and a Supreme Court decision highlighting its significance for tax purposes.

Our articles from February 2024

  • These are difficult times for most young people buying their first home, or for recent first-time buyers trying to keep up with their mortgage payments. Some offspring will need help from their parents to get (or stay) on the property ladder.

    Mark McLaughlin looks at some inheritance tax points to consider for parents wishing to help adult offspring manage their mortgage debts.

  • It is not uncommon, in these cash-strapped times, for construction companies to start work on a housing project and either run out of money or stop building due to a lack of demand for the houses. 

    Andrew Needham looks at what is known as the ‘golden brick’ and its effect on the VAT treatment of new residential property in the construction industry.

  • Surprising loved ones with a gift can potentially backfire on the donor, who may end up with a tax charge in exchange for giving up the asset. 

    Moneeza Siddiqui outlines tax implications of assets gifted or sold at an undervalue.

  • For most of us, the house in which we live – our ‘only or main residence’ in the terms of the tax legislation – is our most valuable asset. For many of us, it is one that has increased in value substantially over the years.  

    Richard Curtis considers the basic principles of the capital gains tax exemption for only or main residences.

  • When deciding whether to incorporate a business, tax is clearly a major factor; but it is not the only one, as a company is a separate legal entity – a body corporate, and one which needs to be properly managed by its officers.

    Chris Thorpe points out how a company could benefit a business, and what directorship entails.

  • The starting (savings) rate band for interest income is one of the most difficult concepts for taxation students (and some tax qualified professionals!) to understand, so it is not a surprise that most taxpayers without detailed technical tax teaching, do not understand it either. 

    Meg Saksida considers the operation and practical implications of the income tax starting rate band for savings.

  • Remuneration comes in many guises, usually as salaries, bonuses or benefits-in-kind, all being subject to tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) unless the payment or benefit is specifically exempted (e.g., long-service awards). 

    Jennifer Adams notes there are instances where choosing to take a benefit-in-kind rather than salary may not produce a reduction in tax or National Insurance contributions for employee or employer.

Our articles from January 2024

  • Payments on account (POAs) for the self-employed or those taxpayers who have significant income from sources other than employment have been compulsory for nearly 30 years. 

    Jennifer Adams considers different tax payment methods should a taxpayer be struggling to pay.

  • When considering the best vehicle through which to operate a business, tax is a major consideration which can affect that decision, but it’s not the only one; practical and legal issues should be considered as well.

    Chris Thorpe compares the tax position between trading through a limited company or a partnership.

  • VAT returns and payments should be submitted to HMRC no later than seven days after the end of the month following the end of the VAT period.  If the return and/or payment is late, it can result in the business entering either or both of the penalty regimes for late payments or late returns.  

    Andrew Needham highlights changes HMRC has made to the processing of late return central assessments.

  • My long association with the ITEPA 2003, Pt 7 Employment Related Securities (ERS) legislation leads me to conclude that confusion stalks the land. Or put less dramatically, the rules are often confusing and contain some quite major inherent contradictions. 

    Ken Moody muses on the confusion which can arise between the provisions relating to employment-related securities and the ‘normal’ employment income rules.

  • Although inheritance tax (IHT) can arise on some lifetime gifts or ‘transfers of value’, the main concern for most is its impact on the estate at death. Gifts made in the seven years before death will also be treated (to some extent) as part of the estate on death, but before that they are likely to be a potentially exempt transfer (PET) and not part of the estate. 

    Richard Curtis outlines various inheritance tax reliefs, etc., for gifts.

  • As an employee, it is normal to receive and to be taxed on the worker’s salary, wages and bonuses for the work performed in the employment. However, employers may also wish to remunerate the employee by providing benefits-in-kind. 

    Meg Saksida explores the rules on valuing benefits-in-kind for income tax purposes.

  • These are difficult times for most young people buying their first home, or for recent first-time buyers trying to keep up with their mortgage payments. Some offspring will need help from their parents to get (or stay) on the property ladder.

    Mark McLaughlin looks at some inheritance tax points to consider for parents wishing to help adult offspring manage their mortgage debts.

For everyone with an interest in responsible tax saving
DIGITAL
- Access to digital library of 1203 articles - Downloadable PDFs  
£197 / year
DIGITAL & PRINT
- Access to digital library of 1203 articles - Downloadable PDFs - Plus print version delivered to your door every month
£247 / year
  • 14 day free trial
  • Up to date monthly tax saving tips
  • New tax strategies added every month (48 over the year)
  • No minimum tie-ins, cancel anytime
What our customers say about the Tax Insider Library...
My accountant and I need absolutely accurate and the most up-to-date advice that we can possibly get. Time and time again Tax Insider has come up with the goods! I wholeheartedly recommend the ‘Tax Insider’ to anyone who is interested in legitimately minimising their tax bill.
~Dr Bennie Mallett, General Practitioner~
As a business, we have a subscription to your newsletters because it addresses issues in the buy-to-let market and we can use the advice given in them to help clients with pre-incorporation guidelines on share structures. We find the articles extremely relevant to our work as a small practice in keeping us up to speed and very importantly providing no-nonsense clear advice
~Mark Harwood, Accountant~
I usually never feel compelled enough to ever write to a company to praise them for a first class product and service but for Tax Insider I have made an exception. I am an IFA and always looking to have good solid information to hand but rarely get the time to find it myself. Almost immediately, I knew these guys were experts in the field of Tax. Without hesitation, I subscribed to the yearly publication and was delighted to receive 6 free reports that were excellent (which I've since referred to when speaking to clients)! What a fabulous read, professional, informative with great features and tips. I never thought tax could be so interesting! I have even asked several free questions by visiting the website and should be featured in the publication itself, hopefully. Tax Insider is great value for money. Thank you!
~Andrew Rudge, Independent Financial Advisor (IFA)~
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For everyone with an interest in responsible tax saving
DIGITAL
- Access to digital library of 1203 articles - Downloadable PDFs  
£197 / year
DIGITAL & PRINT
- Access to digital library of 1203 articles - Downloadable PDFs - Plus print version delivered to your door every month
£247 / year
  • 14 day free trial
  • Up to date monthly tax saving tips
  • New tax strategies added every month (48 over the year)
  • No minimum tie-ins, cancel anytime