It’s happening on Saturday and no, I don’t mean Scotland beating England by eight points. Although that would be fun for us Welsh. No, Saturday is the day the eagerly anticipated Agency Workers Regulations come into force.

Earlier this year, HMRC began a pilot scheme to check the business records of small businesses.

A lot of small businesses and accountants for contractors are too scared to approach their bank for a loan and instead they are hoarding money that could be put to use growing their business, according to a new report from the Bank of England.

The tax gap shrunk slightly to £35 billion over the last 12 months, according to the latest data from HMRC.

Employees, including contractor accountants, should be prepared to see their salaries increase at a much slower rate over the next decade than they did in the noughties, according to the CIPD’s chief economic adviser, John Philpott.

As well as being technically proficient, independently minded and a bit intolerant of rigid work patterns, we’re also a tolerant bunch, us contractors. You kind of get used to having to dig out the truth from the often intentional obfuscation you get from the agencies, the client, the civil service and a host of other places.

A South African has been sent to jail after being found guilty of a £1 million self-assessment income tax fraud.

Two years ago, HMRC set up the High Net Worth Unit to look into the personal tax affairs of the UK’s wealthiest citizens; a move which appears to have paid dividends.

The issue of executive pay and bonuses could be back in the spotlight following a report from Deloitte which shows that many executive directors are receiving above average salary increases.

Syscap, the independent finance provider, has said that lending under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme fell by 42% over a 12 month period.

I’ve been having a rather quiet week, for some reason, although there have been two notable successes. Work seems to have hit one of those periodic phases where I’ve done all I can and am now waiting for assorted other (and rather more busy) people to review what I’ve been doing.

Although they are good at giving financial advice to others, chartered accountants seem to be surprising lethargic when it comes to planning for their own retirement.