We’re All Going On A Summer Holiday

According to the UN Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), international tourism is well on track to return to pre-pandemic levels, with figures at the end of 2023 at 88% of 2019. Last year, the Middle East – which includes the ever-popular destination of Dubai – led the recovery, as the only region to overcome pre-pandemic levels, with […]

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HMRC Scams

HMRC is warning people to be wary of bogus tax refund offers, explaining that taxpayers who completed their tax return for the 2022 to 2023 tax year on time, could be taken in by messages offering a tax rebate. HMRC responded to 207,800 referrals from the public of suspicious contact in the past year to […]

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Should I Register for VAT?

When launching a business, there are a number of questions which entrepreneurs typically ask. In addition to whether they should be a sole trader or a limited company, whether or not to register for VAT is a common query. The amount of VAT a business pays or claims back is usually the difference between the […]

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Hanging On The Telephone

HMRC recently quickly reversed a decision to close its self-assessment telephone helpline for half of the year (between April and September), saying that, taxpayers would have to use online services instead. While the waiting times have been lengthy to answer calls, there was an outcry when it was announced that the helpline would be partly […]

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What Can I Claim For?

We’ve all met that person down the pub who tells us, with confidence, that you can put practically everything against tax – from your work clothing to your summer holiday (as they encourage you to believe you can easily call a casual chat with somebody by the pool a business meeting). There are certainly expenses […]

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Working with Creative Industries

According to figures from the Department for Culture, Media & Sports, in 2022 music, performance and visual arts contributed an estimated £11.5 billion to the UK economy. The economic output of the sector saw a large decrease in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, by 2022, it had recovered to above its 2019 level. […]

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It’s February, let’s talk

Here at Lewis & Co, as accountants, we always breathe a sigh of relief when February comes along and all our clients’ self-assessment tax returns have been completed and filed with HMRC. For businesses, with these figures now up-to-date, it’s a good time to work out where you are and make plans for the future […]

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The Benefits of Charity Support

According to the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) Giving Report 2023, in 2022 people in the UK gave £12.7 billion to charity (an increase from £10.7 billion in 2021). Interestingly, animal welfare topped the list of causes donated for all months in 2022, except March and April when it was overtaken by overseas aid and disaster […]

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New Year’s Resolutions

A New Year is traditionally the time for some resolutions and these typically include joining a gym, giving ‘Dry January’ a go or reading more books. But, what about resolutions in your business? Here are some suggested business resolutions for the year ahead: Get organised January is officially Get Organised Month, so this is a […]

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Office Party Perks

The run-up to Christmas is traditionally the busiest time of the year for accountancy firms and here at Lewis & Co, we are no exception. While we’ll be celebrating Christmas Jumper Day and enjoying mince pies alongside working our way through tax returns, we anticipate that our team festive celebrations will be happening in the […]

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