UK importers have just had a timely reminder that tariff costs are not a “set and forget” part of doing business. The government has closed its latest objections window for proposed new duty suspensions, while…
Businesses that run permitted waste sites are being given a long runway to prepare for the government’s new Digital Waste Tracking service, but for the SMEs affected this is one of those compliance changes that…
The government has warned UK business leaders that AI is making cyber attacks faster, cheaper and easier to scale, and for small firms that should land as a practical prompt rather than background noise. In…
March inflation is not a shock in the abstract. For UK small businesses, it is a practical reminder that fuel-led cost pressure has started pushing back into day-to-day trading again. The Office for National Statistics…
The government says it wants to weaken the link between gas and electricity prices, using voluntary fixed-price contracts for older low-carbon generators. For small firms, the practical point is not instant bill cuts, but a possible reduction in future pricing shocks.
New PAYE figures show retail and wholesale lost 57,000 payrolled employees over the past year, while overall pay growth softened. For smaller firms, that points to a labour market that is loosening in places but still awkward on costs.
Brent crude climbed back towards $96 a barrel after fresh disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, and while the UK is not facing an immediate fuel shortage, small businesses have another reason to stress-test transport, pricing and cash-flow plans.
Nearly 160,000 uninsured vehicles were seized on UK roads last year, and that is a timely warning for small firms to check named drivers, business use, temporary cover and any van or car that might be slipping through the cracks.
HMRC has refreshed its guidance on choosing software for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, and the update is a useful prompt for sole traders and landlords to check whether their current setup will actually handle quarterly updates, final returns and future changes.
HMRC has published new VAT road fuel scale charges for the year from 1 May 2026, and while this is not the biggest tax story on any owner-manager’s desk, it is exactly the sort of…