The government must reform the apprenticeship system to make it fit for the 21st Century, according to a new report published by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). The report says that the current framework is too rigid, lacks clarity, neglects higher-level skills and is failing to meet the needs of business. The report found
Sole traders and landlords have been warned they need to act now to be ready for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax. HMRC is reminding those earning more than £50,000 from self-employment and property of major changes from 6 April 2026. They will need to use recognised software to keep digital records and send
The confidence of business leaders in both their own organisations and the wider UK economy rose markedly in January, according to data from the Institute of Directors (IoD). The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism in prospects for the UK economy, jumped to -48 in January 2026, from -66 in December
The introduction of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax this April will be the biggest change to the UK’s tax system since self assessment, says the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG). From 6th April 2026, taxpayers with more than £50,000 of gross income from self-employment and/or rental income in the 2024/25 tax year
An estimated one million taxpayers missed the self assessment deadline for the 2024/25 tax year, according to HMRC. Over 11.48 million taxpayers filed their self assessment tax returns before midnight on 31 January. However, more than 12 million self assessment taxpayers were expected to file a tax return and pay any tax owed by the
The UK can expect to see big falls in the rate of inflation this year, according to the Resolution Foundation. The think tank’s prediction comes despite an increase in December 2025 that saw the UK end the year with the highest headline inflation of any G7 economy – an unwanted position it has now held
Five major UK banks have agreed a £11 billion lending package aimed at SMEs to support small business growth, the government has announced. The lending commitment is one of the largest collective moves by the banking sector in over a decade. The government says this represents an ‘historic show of confidence in the UK economy’. Senior executives from NatWest, HSBC UK, Barclays, Lloyds and Santander finalised
Pubs and live music venues in England will be given a 15% discount on their business rates bills from April and will not see increases for two years, the government announced. It comes after a backlash against November’s Budget, which left many facing major increases in their business rates bills. The government says that pubs
The number of people using the HMRC app to pay their self assessment tax bill has increased by 65% this tax year, according to the tax authority. Almost 340,000 people have used the HMRC app to pay their self assessment tax since 6 April 2025, an increase of 132,788 people compared to the same period
Despite falling behind its peers the UK economy could be on the brink of a turnaround so the government must up rather than run-down its growth strategy, says the Resolution Foundation. A report by the think tank warns that the UK’s poor post-financial crisis economic performance has continued well into the 2020s. Its GDP per