In the Scottish Borders May to August is Common Riding Season with each town choosing its principal in May and then Common Riding season starting in earnest with the Hawick Common Riding.  Ride-outs involve hundreds of horses to mark the boundaries of the town and celebrate the town’s and regions rich history. If you have...

On 6 April 2015 a new Marriage Allowance came into effect, offering tax benefits for eligible couples.  The allowance applies to married couples and civil partnerships where one of you doesn’t pay tax and the other doesn’t pay more than the basic rate of income tax (20%).  It allows the non-tax payer to transfer up...

Are you one of an increasing number of people who work from home? The number of people working from home has risen to its highest level since records began -according to the Office for National Statistics. There were 4.2 million home workers in the UK in the first three months of 2014 amounting to 13.9%...

A huge change in the way people fund their retirement is expected following the Chancellor’s well reported ‘pension revolution’. From 5th April this year, millions of people reaching retirement age will be able to spend their pension pot in any way they want. The move will remove the requirement on many people with defined contribution...

Ask someone to name a famous franchise and they will probably say MacDonald’s or Subway but there are numerous kinds of franchises out there in the market place. In relation to any other small business, franchising has proved to be successful, with 94% of units still operating profitable businesses 5 years down the line whilst...

It might surprise you to know but Inheritance Tax (IHT) is starting to become more of a concern to many people, the main reason for this being rising property prices. Most estates (the assets you leave when you die) are still not charged with Inheritance Tax, as the total value is not high enough, but...

With record numbers of UK students being accepted for full time university courses, it will come as no surprise to you that that young people across the UK are more likely to begin university than ever before. With almost 496,000 students beginning full-time undergraduate courses last year, this means that 40% of young people in...

By John Craig If you are a small business you will definitely be interested to hear that there is a way to simplify your VAT return and if you qualify, reduce your VAT liabilities too. If your VAT taxable turnover is less than £150,000, The VAT Flat Rate Scheme has been designed to simplify the...

By Kevin D. Ferguson BA CA, Partner , JRW Chartered Accountants There is no absolutely no doubt that cycling has enjoyed a boom in recent years with the amazing success of British cyclists in the Tour de France and the 2012 Olympics really capturing the public’s imagination in the sport.  Sir Bradley Wiggins, Laura Trott,...