With political parties searching for revenue raising policies ahead of the election, Chris Etherington Private Client Partner in the Leeds office at audit, tax and consulting firm RSMUK looks at the potential implications of a policy highlighted in recently published commentary from the Institute of Fiscal Studies in restricting certain inheritance tax reliefs. What might the real-life consequences be for taxpayers of such a move and could it genuinely raise much needed funds for general election spending pledges?

Barclays has posted a strong foundation for the delivery of2024 guidance; Guided GBP 1b of cost savings seems challenging unless more headcount reduction; WH Smith: Air travel boom will benefit footfall in the airports; Struggle on the high street is likely to continue; US Market is crucial for future growth; Sainsbury's: Grocery inflation is decreasing but still face challen…

The Education Select Committee has today launched a new inquiry into international student tuition fees. This will be welcomed by universities and businesses alike, who both reap benefits from the inclusion of international students. We warmly welcome the announcement of a new inquiry to assess the changing landscape of international student enrolment in UK universities.

St Helen’s Farm pledging total of £10,000 for good causes, with individual grants of up to £5,000 Grants are available nation-wide

UK small business hiring continued to show signs of recovery in the face of a challenging macroeconomic environment, with employment rising 1.4% year-on-year (y/y) in the first quarter of the year (January-March 2024).

Improving skills and tackling labour shortages were the key topics discussed by Chamber Chief Executives, at a meeting this morning, with Education Secretary Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP. Chambers of Commerce are leading the development of Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) across much of England. The Government designated Chambers to lead 32 out of the 38 LSIPs.

Expend, the expense management fintech, is calling for an end to the ‘outdated business mileage’ rate which causes a painful financial shortfall for employees and volunteers. When businesses ask their employees to use their private car for a business trip, for example a training course, or travelling between sites, they repay their staff at the rate of 45p per mile.

Deloitte has appointed Jo Ahmed as Practice Senior Partner for the North West, heading up a combined team of over 1,350 people working with private, public sector and international clients at a time of significant opportunity for the region. As the new Practice Senior Partner, Jo will oversee the firm’s continued growth across the North West.

Gary Neville’s Relentless Developments has signed a deal with premium serviced office provider, Gilbanks, for c.34,000 sq ft of office space at No.1 St Michael’s in Manchester. The Leeds-based flexible office space provider will occupy 1.5 floors at the £400m development. The announcement follows an extensive search and selection process for a serviced office partner at the new development.

Increased costs impacting business viability was cited by Cumbrian business owners as the main challenge impacting their growth over the next three years. This was one of the key findings in the latest Family, Privately Owned and Owner-managed Business Survey by Armstrong Watson, which received responses from 172 Cumbrian businesses.

Doors and windows are needlessly being dumped into landfill but could easily be reused, the boss of an upcycling company has said Green Doors CEO Joseph Holman founded his company with a set of French doors he found in a skip back in 2014.

Alan Kinnaird, Business Development Manager at Walker Crips Investment Management comments that the G7 economies will likely follow suit in Switzerland’s rate cut decision if inflation doesn’t spike off the back of oil price increases. Plus, two investment picks worth watching.

Yet another decision has emerged from the tax tribunals on the VAT treatment of sweet snacks, this time finding that giant marshmallows for roasting over a barbecue or campfire are VAT-free writes Sarah Halsted Associate Director at audit, tax and consulting firm RSM The mallow-drama of what represents ‘confectionary’ for VAT purposes continues to make life difficult for retailers and manufacturers.

Mental health in the workplace is a major concern in 2024 with stress and burnout related terms trending since the start of the year. This week alone, there has been a 67% rise in searches around support for mental health at work!

The Bank of England must not be tempted to use a smaller-than-expected drop in inflation in March to delay interest rate cuts further, warns the CEO of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory and asset management organizations. ​The warning from deVere Group’s Nigel Green comes as the UK’s annual inflation rate fell in March for a second consecutive month, dropping to 3.2%.

Businesses can overcome barriers to growth by developing a culture of empowerment, continuous learning and innovation, says UKG As organisations battle skills shortages, shifting employee preferences and constantly evolving regulations around safeguarding and wellbeing, providing staff with the platform to reach their full potential has never been more important for business leaders.

Consumer confidence broke a seven-month streak of increases in March 2024, according to the latest data from YouGov and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). The index declined from 107.7 to 107.0 (-0.7), thanks largely to decreases in household finance, business activity, and job security metrics.

Half of all businesses have reported a cyber breach in the last 12 months, and of those 44% went on to experience cyber crime. The Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024 also found that there were an estimated 7.78 million business cyber crimes of all types over the past year.

This morning's UK labour market report reiterated the upward trend in unemployment, with joblessness rising to 4.2%, it's highest level since last summer,

KPMG has started the search for the most exciting technology start-ups in North West has begun, with the launch of the annual KPMG Tech Innovator in the UK competition.

Three-years into its five-year sustainability plan, Greggs outlines the progress made in 2023 and its key focus areas for year ahead in latest edition of The Greggs Pledge

A recent case highlights how tax relief for losses on a failed business can sometimes be denied and taking the wrong step can trip up a business owner as Chris Etherington Private Client Partner in the Leeds office at audit, tax and consulting firm RSMUK

Tesco: Increase in consumer confidence; loyalty card usage is crucial to win market share; Convenience store format continues with strong growth In the UK supermarkets space, Orwa Mohamad, Analyst at Third Bridge remarks on Tesco informed by the insights from industry experts: “Tesco is maintaining the strong progress it had during Christmas into the first quarter.