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Yesterday, the chancellor announced his spring budget.
There is a lot to digest and unpick. With a general election looming, it was clear that the chancellor had decided to put more money back into the pockets of working people. However, not much of this money directly comes to small business owners.
National Insurance Contributions are again being cut. The government is cutting the main rate of employee National Insurance by 2p from 10% to 8% from 6 April 2024. Combined with the 2p cut announced at Autumn Statement 2023, this will save the average worker on £35,400 over £900 a year.
The government is also cutting a further 2p from the main rate of self-employed National Insurance on top of the 1p cut announced at Autumn Statement 2023. This means that from 6 April 2024 the main rate of Class 4 NICs for the self-employed will now be reduced from 9% to 6%. Combined with the abolition of the requirement to pay Class 2, this will save an average self-employed person on £28,000, around £650 a year.
The point where businesses need to register for VAT is going up from £85,000 to £90,000. This will supposedly help small businesses grow. There are differing opinions about this. What we see is that, in reality, businesses often slow their growth as they near the VAT threshold. Radically lowering the VAT threshold towards £40,000 or even lower would make it a level playing field for most small businesses. But then, what does the Chancellor really know about small businesses?
Inflation has more than halved from its recent peak, i.e. from 11.1% to 4.0%. The OBR forecasts inflation to fall to its 2% target in Q2 2024, a year earlier than in their November 2023 forecast. In 2023, the UK was pretty much in recession as GDP grew by 0.1%. Growth is now forecast to pick up from the first half of 2024 and the IMF is forecasting that the UK will have the third fastest cumulative growth in the G7 over the 2024-2028 period.
The UK government has recently announced an extension of the Recovery Loan Scheme, which will provide £200 million in funding to assist small businesses to invest and expand. To qualify for the loan, businesses must have a turnover of £45 million or less, must be viable, and should not be experiencing any financial difficulties.
Capital allowances are a great way for businesses to reduce their tax bill. By deducting the value of certain items such as equipment, machinery, and certain business vehicles from their profits, businesses can benefit from tax relief. It’s a smart way to save money and reinvest it back into the business. Full expensing is an allowance which allows companies to use these capital allowances in the year that the investment was made. The chancellor indicated yesterday that at some point in the near future full expensing for leased assets is coming. When? Apparently ‘when affordable to do so’.
At the moment, there is a situation where a household with 2 parents, each earning £49,000 a year, still gets the full Child Benefit, but those with one parent earning over £50,000 will see some or all of the benefit withdrawn. From 6th April 2024 the point at which child benefit will start to be withdrawn will now be at a higher level of earnings i.e. £60,000 not £50,000. Instead of starting to lose child benefit once at least one parent earns over £50,000 a year, it will be £60,000. It will be taken away entirely from £80,000 a year, rather than £60,000. But more importantly, the government is consulting on moving the system from being based on an individual’s salary to a system based on household income. This new system will come in by April 2026. So watch this space!
The government is keen to increase the amount of available housing. It is reducing the higher rate of property capital gains tax from 28% to 24% in April. This will benefit any property owner who is selling a property which is not their home.
The ‘temporary’ 5p cut in fuel duty is being extended for another 12 months.
The alcohol duty freeze is being extended from 1st August to 1st February.
There is a new ISA in town! This ISA gives savers another £5k tax-free allowance, on top of the current £20k that can be subscribed into an ISA. The only restriction is this new UK ISA
needs to be invested in british businesses.
The government is also announcing over £1 billion of new tax reliefs for the UK’s creative industries. This includes introducing a 40% relief from business rates for eligible film studios in England for the next 10 years; introducing a new UK Independent Film Tax Credit; and increasing the rate of tax credit by 5% and removing the 80% cap for visual effects costs in the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit. A permanent extension will be made to tax relief for theatres, orchestras, museums and galleries.
The government is abolishing the Furnished Holiday Lettings tax regime from 6th April 2025 and the multiple dwelling stamp duty relief from 1st June 2024. Contracts that were exchanged on or before the 6th March 2024 – i.e. before the budget was announced – will continue to get the multiple dwelling stamp duty relief regardless of the completion date. Any purchase that completes before the 1st June 2024 will also get this relief.
The tax breaks for non-domicilied residents, people who live in the UK, but not domiciled here for tax purposes have been abolished. Currently, foreign nationals who live here, but are taxed in another country, do not have to pay tax on their foreign income for up to 15 years. From April 2025 this is changing.
For new arrivals, who have a period of 10 years consecutive non-residence, there will be full tax relief for a 4-year period of subsequent UK tax residence on foreign income and gains arising during this 4-year period, during which time this money can be brought to the UK without an additional tax charge.
Existing tax residents, who have been tax resident for fewer than 4 tax years and are eligible for the scheme, will also benefit from the relief until the end of their 4th year of tax residence.
There are transitional arrangements being put in place for existing non-doms.
In Oct 2026 vapers will be taxed more and the tax on cigarettes and tobacco products will go up.
Sadly, the government is not – on the surface of it – making an investment in front-line HMRC staff. It is investing an extra £140m to improve HMRC’s ability to manage tax debts. Think of
this as an investment in identifying where more tax is due and then having the headcount to get this money paid. If you don’t already have tax investigation insurance, now is the time to take it out!
In addition, it was announced that there is a consultation on how best to implement the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework and amendments to the Common Reporting Standard.
Interested to find out more?
Call us on 01617 985789
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If someone asked you right now how your business is doing, what would you say? In my experience, most business owners give a casual response about it being good and that’s that. After all, isn’t that what you are meant to say at a networking event? But if you were asked to prove why, would you know what to say? I’m talking about a proper explanation that can be backed up with up-to-date figures. Not just a gut feeling or guess.
This happened to me recently with my business coach. I was asked how things were going, and in true Graeme style I gave the usual line “yeah, everything’s good”. But then I was asked about my margin. I realised I didn’t know my figures, and I couldn’t back it up. I knew I was going to get a bit of a telling off, it’s exactly the sort of conversations I often have with my clients. Except this time it was me with the ‘oh sh*t’ expression on my face.
Whether you’re in construction, property development, or hospitality, you’ve probably had moments where you think things are going well, but deep down you know you’re just assuming. Just because you’ve got a fully booked restaurant or a few big jobs lined up and the bank account is looking half decent, it doesn’t always mean that your business is fine.
It doesn’t matter whether you run a chain of restaurants or a small building firm. You need to understand what your books are telling you. That means more than just a quick butchers at your bank balance or checking if payroll has gone out. It means knowing your income, costs, margins, cash flow, and upcoming outgoings.
The truth is, many business owners get caught up in the day-to-day. You’re managing staff, back and forth with clients, ordering in the stock or materials, and firefighting as problems arise. Before you know it, a few months have passed and you’ve not looked at your accounts properly. You don’t have a clue if that big invoice has been paid. You’re not sure which suppliers are overdue. And you definitely haven’t compared your actual profit to what you expected this quarter.
Running your business without understanding the financial side of things is like trying to build a house without the floor plans. You might get something that looks right, but underneath, it’s not sound.
One of my clients, a Manchester-based construction business, came to me after they hit a brick wall with cash flow. On paper, it all looked good. Plenty of jobs booked, staff on site, and invoices being raised. But when we took a closer look, we found just over £20,000 in unpaid invoices going back five months. Worse still, they’d taken on a new job that needed a lump sum paid upfront, without checking whether they could actually afford it.
There was no foul play or bad intentions. They were just busy and didn’t have a proper bookkeeping system in place to keep track of what was coming in, going out, and what was overdue. Nothing that a bit of structure and some regular reporting couldn’t sort out. Within a few months, I helped them back on top of their cash flow and better still, they knew exactly what each job was bringing in.
To keep your business running smoothly and make better decisions, there are a few key things you need to know at all times:
These are the basics. You don’t need a finance degree to understand them, but you do need systems in place to track them. Whether that’s decent accounting software or an experienced accountant who specialises in your industry. I can help with setting you up with the right software for your business, or if you need someone to look after your accounts month in month out, I can be that too.
Here are a few steps you can start straight away to get more control over your business:
Understanding your books isn’t about ticking boxes or staying on the right side of your accountant. It’s about putting yourself in control. When you know your margins, your costs, your forecasted income and your biggest risk areas, you can make better and more confident business decisions. Want to take on a new member of staff? Thinking of opening another venue or investing in new equipment? Your accounts will soon let you know whether you should, don’t rely on just a gut feeling.
It also gives you the peace of mind that you’re not just working hard, but working smart. Plenty of businesses look busy on the outside but are quietly leaking cash in the background. When you understand your finances, you avoid that.
If you’re a business owner in construction, property development, or hospitality, and you’re ready to stop blagging your way through the finances, let’s get it sorted properly.
I’ve got decades of experience in these areas, and I’m definitely a lot better at keeping on top of my clients’ books than my own. I’ll help you set up the right software, create simple dashboards and run regular reports. Most importantly, I’ll help make it easier to keep on top of your business and confidently answer what would normally be uncomfortable business questions.
We can have a brew, go through where you’re at, and get your business set up to run the right way.
Let me set the scene. You’re here because you’ve signed a fixed price contract on a building job. Materials are ordered. Labour’s lined up. Your profit margin is as tight as ever. Then out of nowhere, international tariffs go up. Suddenly your steel is 15% more expensive. Copper has gone through the roof. Materials from Europe now cost more, take longer to arrive, and no one seems to know what’s going on.
But your client? They still want the same job for the same money. Make it make sense.
I’ve got decades of experience working with construction business owners and know the ins and outs of the trade, so I’m going to explain what to do in this situation.
Tariffs are essentially import taxes on goods crossing borders. Whether it’s the UK reacting to global trade tensions or other countries adjusting their policies, the knock-on effect is price uncertainty. For the construction industry, which depends heavily on imported materials and equipment, you’ve got yourself a big problem.
If it’s coming from overseas, it’s probably going to cost more.
As of 2025, UK-EU trade relations are still looking a bit worse for wear. We’ve seen fresh tariffs and paperwork delays on everything from European timber and aluminium to specialist energy-efficient materials. It’s not just cost anymore, it’s time, reliability and regulation ballaches all wrapped up in one.
One of my clients, a construction business owner based in the North West, found themselves in exactly this spot. They were midway through a commercial build when the cost of key materials suddenly spiked. Most of it was imported, and the changes came out of nowhere. The problem here was the contract was fixed from day one. No adjustment clause. No way to recover the extra spend. They had to absorb the cost. And the worrying thing is, that’s not unusual.
Let’s be brutally honest. If you’re working under a fixed price contract and tariffs cause costs to rise, that extra spend lands on your plate. Unless you’ve got something in the contract that says otherwise, you’re picking up the bill whether you like it or not.
You price a job based on today’s market. But when tomorrow’s market changes and the contract’s locked in, your hands are tied. The client’s happy and your team’s working hard. But your margin is being squeezed to bits.
Now, not all hope is lost. But you’ve got to know where to look in the contract. Let’s have a look at the usual suspects:
These are more common in big infrastructure projects but not so much in smaller commercial or residential builds. A price adjustment clause lets you increase your price if material costs rise due to certain factors; like tariffs. If your contract’s got one, you’re in better shape. If it doesn’t, and the price of your materials goes up, you’ll likely have to absorb it.
I had one client who insisted on a price adjustment clause in their Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) contract after getting burnt the year before. Good thing they did. When lead times doubled and steel prices went through the roof mid-way through the job, they were covered. It wasn’t easy negotiating that clause up front, but it saved them from working at a loss.
These can be useful, if they include tariffs. But that depends on how the clause is written. Some contracts only account for changes in UK law. If tariffs are imposed by another country or part of an international trade shift, you may be out of luck unless the clause is broad enough to catch that. You also need to look at whether the clause only covers unforeseeable changes. If tariffs were being debated or reported in the news, there’s a chance the client’s solicitor argues you should’ve seen it coming. This is where wording matters. A lot.
People often ask, “Can I claim force majeure?” Short answer, probably not. English law doesn’t treat higher costs or delays as force majeure events unless they’re truly outside your control and make the job impossible. Most force majeure clauses won’t cover tariffs. If you can still get materials, even at a higher price, you’re expected to crack on. Harsh, but true.
Another long shot. Frustration in legal terms means the contract becomes impossible to perform. Not just more expensive. Unless the tariffs are so extreme they completely change the nature of the job or make it illegal, the courts won’t have it. At the end of the day, if the work can be done, even at a loss, complaints won’t be entertained. So save your breath.
Right. Enough doom and gloom. Let’s talk about what you can actually do, whether you’re mid contract or preparing to sign one.
Bonus tip: Keep an eye on government guidance. From time to time, the UK Government offers temporary support or guidance for importers, especially when new trade rules kick in. It’s worth checking the official gov.uk trade and construction pages to see if any schemes apply to you. These won’t always offset the cost, but may help with customs paperwork or delayed timelines.
Construction contracts haven’t kept up with global volatility. Tariffs, trade shifts and political rows now affect material costs on a regular basis. But too many builders and contractors are stuck with outdated contract templates that don’t account for it.
The fact of the matter is, you can’t control what happens in Brussels, Washington or Beijing. But you can control what’s in your contract. And in a world where prices can shoot up overnight, not protecting yourself is a risk you just don’t need.
So next time you price up a job, don’t just check the drawings and schedule. Read the clauses. Ask the awkward questions. Protect your margin. Because if tariffs hit and your contract’s silent, the silence can be very expensive.
Simple as that.
If you can relate, or you want to be sure about what’s written in the small print, let’s have a chat. I can help you review your contracts before you sign, flag where you might be carrying too much risk, and make sure you’ve got proper wording around things like tariffs, supply chain delays, and price increases. Whether it’s reviewing a fixed price contract, tightening up a change in law clause, or making sure your force majeure wording actually covers something useful. I’ll make sure you’re not left carrying the load.
Bonus points if you like dogs, the senior partner, Toto, might just join us for the meeting.
Interested to find out more?
Call us on 01617 985789
Or book a meeting at https://calendly.com/d/ckfd-tzk-zbb
If you’ve had a letter about Making Tax Digital (MTD) and thought, “what now?”, you’re not alone. A few clients have already phoned me, scratching their heads and wondering if they need to worry about it. So if you’re a construction business owner or property developer, here’s what you need to know. Plain and simple in Graeme speak.
MTD is the government’s way of dragging tax into the 21st century. No more scrunched up receipts in the glovebox of your van or spreadsheets that, let’s be honest, needed a bit of TLC (at best). HMRC wants everyone to keep digital records and submit tax info online using approved software.
At first glance, it sounds like a half-decent idea. Reduce mistakes, speed things up, less chance of getting stung with penalties. But as always, where HMRC are concerned, there’s a bit more to it than meets the eye.
Let’s take Brickies. They aren’t known for being good at the technical stuff. They don’t need to be. They’re good at manual labour and building walls that withstand all weather. So all this MTD talk probably makes them want to run a mile. It it wouldn’t be just the Brickies thinking this, But, honestly it’s straightforward once you’re set up. I’ve even managed to get a few of my clients to admit how easy it is compared to what they’ve been reading or hearing about.
As of April 2026, MTD for Income Tax Self Assessment kicks in for:
So if you’re a property developer running your own business and also renting out a flat or two, you need to look at your total income. Hit that £50k mark and you’re in.
From April 2027, the threshold drops to £30,000, so more of the smaller property developers and construction subcontractors will be included. And by 2028, it’s expected to fall to £20,000, which will rope in most CIS subcontractors.
If MTD applies to you, you’ll need to:
Quarterly updates sound like a pain in the a*se, and yes, it’s more admin. But done right, it can actually give you a better grip on your finances throughout the year. And that helps with planning, tax-saving, and not getting a nasty surprise from the taxman in January.
You can’t just email HMRC a spreadsheet anymore. You’ll need proper software that links directly with their systems.
If you’re with NatWest, you’re in for a winner. Their “Mettle” business account comes with FreeAgent at no extra cost. It’s MTD-compliant and perfect for keeping everything tidy.
Personally, I’m a fan of QuickBooks. It does what it says on the tin, it’s user-friendly, and brilliant for construction businesses. Handles CIS deductions, invoices, expenses. The lot. And it links up nicely with your bank accounts so everything stays clean and straight.
Whichever you choose, we can help get you set up and trained up. Which, if you’re not the most technical of people, will save you stuck shouting (and swearing) at the screen. You can thank us later.
Short answer: yes. If you’re affected by MTD, it’s time to separate your finances properly. Business money in one place, personal spending in another. It keeps your records cleaner, your bookkeeping simpler, and keeps HMRC from breathing down your neck.
We can help you open a dedicated business account if you don’t already have one. And once that’s up and running, everything else falls into place a lot easier.
Even though MTD for income tax isn’t starting until 2026, letters are going out now. HMRC is giving people time to prepare, and trust me, you’ll want that head start. The sooner you sort out your systems, the easier the transition will be.
Don’t wait until you’re already over the threshold and panicking. Let’s get your software, banking and bookkeeping lined up ahead of time.
If you’re VAT registered, you should already be doing MTD for VAT. That rule came in back in April 2022 for all VAT-registered businesses, no matter your turnover. If you’re not doing your VAT returns through MTD-compatible software, you’re already miles behind.
MTD isn’t optional once you’re in the threshold. HMRC won’t accept excuses or last-minute rushing about. But if you sort it properly, it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Let’s make it work for you: cleaner records, better cashflow visibility, less of a ball ache at the end of the tax year.
So if you think you’ll be edging towards that income threshold in the next year or two – get in touch. We’ll make sure your books are ready, your software is sorted, and you stay well on the right side of the new rules.
Interested to find out more?
Call us on 01617 985789
Or book a meeting at https://calendly.com/d/ckfd-tzk-zbb
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