With more and more Britons buying property abroad, Wolverhampton-based accountants AGS are highlighting the opportunity for tax savings and long-term investment.

With Gordon Brown now in the top seat, the eyes of the nation were on Alistair Darling as he delivered his first pre-budget report. The will-they-won’t-they speculation surrounding the election, plus some tax cuts promises from the opposition meant that Darling had to deliver some potentially vote-winning changes.

Accountants and business advisors ags have moved to new offices in the heart of the Black Country.

Wolverhampton based accountancy practice, AGS is delighted to announce the promotion of Laura Williams to the position of director.

PROBIZ is now the largest network of accountants of its type in the world; consisting of over 2,500 accountants based in over 100 accountancy offices throughout the UK. Together, we generate 'tens of millions' by serving thousands of businesses.

The long running saga of Geoff and Diana Jones and their company, Arctic Systems Limited, has recently been back to the courts for the final time to the House of Lords.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publish a series of myths of the month for businesses. The myth for July, which businesses need to be aware of, is that all office equipment must be tested annually by a qualified electrician.

HMRC have started a consultation on the way in which they pursue individuals who do not pay their tax liabilities on time. The proposal, which would result in HMRC taking money owed directly from an individual’s bank accounts, would aim to tackle the problem of approximately 200,000 people who are pursued through the courts each year for outstanding tax.

HMRC have been made aware of certain so-called 'Phishing' scams targeting taxpayers in an effort to fraudulently obtain personal information from them.

HMRC have issued advisory fuel rates for company car drivers. These take effect for all journeys undertaken from 1 August so employers should advise affected employees and update any expense forms as soon as possible.

Wolverhampton based business improvement consultancy Team Integra, in conjunction with leading local accountancy practice AGS, is delighted to announce details of two of its newest recruits who are among the top consultants in the worldwide application of a lean strategy.

Tax credits are state benefits which are generally available to lower income families. However, entitlement to the credits is significantly increased where individuals pay for childcare or have a dip in normal levels of income perhaps due to incurring trading losses.

The long running saga of Geoff and Diana Jones and their company Arctic Systems Limited has been back to the courts last week, this time to the House of Lords.

A couple of months ago we reported on the government’s proposal to increase the minimum statutory holiday entitlement from the current 20 days (including bank holidays) to 28 days (bank holidays inclusive). The 28 days equates to 5.6 weeks for an employee working a five day week.

From 1 June 2007 first time adult passport applicants will no longer be able to use the fast track application service due to a new requirement which means that they may have to attend a face to face interview. The applications made by these individuals will have to be made through the full application process which takes about six weeks.

Not sure what is a sensible driving policy for your business? The Department for Transport (DFT) has set up a new website which contains practical guidance to help businesses comply with their legal obligations. A business must have a safety policy document if it employs five or more employees.

Research by Vanson Bourne for Microsoft has concluded that a significant number of businesses apparently have no formal approach to project management, with a fifth of small business employees managing projects ‘in their head’.

The system of tax reliefs on expenditure on equipment in your business is a complex one. Broadly when you buy a piece of equipment to use in your business you normally cannot set the full cost against that year’s profits, unless the value of the item is quite small, or a special tax relief applies. The cost of more expensive items is written off against profits over a number of years, using the capital allowances system.

Research by Vanson Bourne for Microsoft has concluded that a significant number of businesses apparently have no formal approach to project management, with a fifth of small business employees managing projects ‘in their head’.

HMRC have recently issued a considerable number of penalty notices to employers for not submitting their 2005/06 employer annual and contractor returns, which were due for submission by 19 May 2006.

Following negotiations with other European Community member states the UK Government has decided to implement the reverse charge accounting mechanism on mobile phones and computer chips with effect from 1 June 2007. HMRC are restricting the new rules to mobile phones and integrated circuit devices. Blackberry’s fall within the definition of a mobile phone and will come within the scope of the reverse charge rules.

A few months ago we reported on the proposal by the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) to increase the minimum statutory holiday entitlement from the current 20 days (including bank holidays) to 28 days (bank holidays inclusive). The DTI have been consulting with interested parties and should shortly publish the findings of their consultation.

From 1 July 2007, as a result of provisions in the Health Act 2006, enclosed public places and workplaces have to be smoke free.

This date applies to England only. Wales and Scotland are already smoke free. Wales went smoke free from 2 April this year, whilst Scotland has already passed its first anniversary of the introduction of the law which became effective from 26 March 2006. The date for the introduction of the law in Northern Ireland is 30 April 2007.

It is a common misconception that interest from offshore bank accounts is not subject to UK tax.

HMRC have now received information from many banks about offshore accounts and to encourage taxpayers to declare their offshore income HMRC have announced what the newspapers are calling a ‘Tax Amnesty’.

Wolverhampton based business improvement consultancy Team Integra, in conjunction with leading local accountancy practice AGS, is delighted to announce details of two of its newest recruits who are among the top consultants in the worldwide application of a lean strategy.

Independent business finance consultancy, Business Finance Plus, in partnership with Wolverhampton based leading accountancy practice AGS, celebrates today the launch of its first successful franchisee.

Wolverhampton based accountancy practice AGS is delighted to announce details of its new lean enterprise strategy service.

AGS, in conjunction with Midlands based business performance improvement consultancy Team Integra, is offering this ever-popular business service as a way to help clients maximise their business potential.

AGS will host the event at its Wolverhampton office on Wednesday 25th April. The workshop will illustrate the various ways in which businesses from all sectors can maximise their web presence and unlock their full e-potential.

Gordon Brown has delivered his eleventh, and what is expected to be his final, Budget. This year’s measures contained a few shocks, with the Chancellor’s tax cut provoking an uproarious reaction from Labour and Conservative benches alike. The Budget has been described as ‘substantial’, no surprise if Mr Brown has his eye firmly on Number Ten.

But what does the 2007 Budget mean for you, your family and your business? We have summarised the key issues for you here to help you understand how the changes will affect you.

Offering truly independent advice our expertise and experience spans the needs of both personal and corporate clients.

Sickness absence costs businesses a small fortune. The CBI statistics for 2005 suggest the costs are in the region of £495 a year in direct costs for every worker employed. Indirect costs are probably considerably more.

HMRC have produced some of the tables but not the final VAT fuel scale charges which are due to come into effect on 1 May 2007. Businesses will have to use the new scale charges from the start of their first accounting period beginning on or after this date. HMRC are announcing the change early to allow businesses time to familiarise themselves with the new charging structure and make any necessary IT system changes.

HMRC have announced that the threshold for the Cash Accounting Scheme will be more than doubled from £660,000 to £1,350,000 from 1 April 2007.

HMRC have updated their guidance on Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) due to women whose babies are due on or after 1 April 2007. The important date is when the baby is due not when the baby is born.

With more and more workplaces choosing to adopt to the modern day concept of the ‘paperless office’, Wolverhampton based accountancy practice AGS has decided to follow suite and is preparing to go completely ‘paperless’ in order to provide an even better level of customer service.

Offering truly independent advice our expertise and experience spans the needs of both personal and corporate clients.

Well prepared financial accounts for any business give an excellent insight into the relevant efficiency of that business. The cold hard figures give an immediate statement of your return on assets, stock turnover, cash management, workforce productivity etc.

Well prepared financial accounts for any business give an excellent insight into the relevant efficiency of that business. The cold hard figures give an immediate statement of your return on assets, stock turnover, cash management, workforce productivity etc.

Well prepared financial accounts for any business give an excellent insight into the relevant efficiency of that business. The cold hard figures give an immediate statement of your return on assets, stock turnover, cash management, workforce productivity etc.

Well prepared financial accounts for any business give an excellent insight into the relevant efficiency of that business. The cold hard figures give an immediate statement of your return on assets, stock turnover, cash management, workforce productivity etc.

Well prepared financial accounts for any business give an excellent insight into the relevant efficiency of that business. The cold hard figures give an immediate statement of your return on assets, stock turnover, cash management, workforce productivity etc.

Well prepared financial accounts for any business give an excellent insight into the relevant efficiency of that business. The cold hard figures give an immediate statement of your return on assets, stock turnover, cash management, workforce productivity etc.

In last month’s enews we reported that HMRC had launched their press campaign on the introduction of the new Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) which will be introduced on 6 April 2007. In the Pre-Budget Report the government made two announcements regarding CIS tax rates.

For those of you planning to fly off in the New Year you should be aware that Air Passenger Duty (APD) rates will be increased from 1 February 2007.

HMRC have announced that they have started sending out late filing penalty notices to those employers who they believed sent in their 2005/06 employer’s annual return forms P35 and CIS36 late.