In August 1989 I started my training as an Accountant. Mrs. Thatcher was still the Prime Minister and everyone under the age of 21 wanted an XR3i or a 205 GTi.

Contractors, whether new to contracting or experienced hands, will often be approached by salesmen for tax-efficient pay structures. “Great – where do I sign?” might be your first thought. However, you might want to reflect and find out a few things before committing yourself.

UK individuals, including limited company contractors, appear to be committing less tax offences than in previous years according to law firm McGrigors.

The tax man has netted an extra £12.6bn from its investigations into large company’s corporation tax over the last 4 years.

So our Beloved Leader has finally allowed us an election. Good news on several fronts. I make no secret of my desire to see the end of the current Parliament in general and our sitting PM in particular.

There was quite a lot of minor change in the Budget, and we should praise the intention to focus on helping businesses with a raft of measures, but for us one man consultancy companies there was actually nothing of very much interest in there.

It was only a matter of time before HMRC launched an all out attack under the Managed Service Companies legislation – it would now seem that time is up! Some of the big providers have already fallen and the rest will soon come under fire.

The certainty in the UK tax system has been thrown into doubt by the Treasury’s use of retrospective action according to the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

Big news of the day is about a court case that concerns a piece of the 2008 budget referred to as BN66. This is one of those things that came out in the supporting documentation that tells the actual truth about the contents of the 2008 budget as opposed to what the chancellor said in the House.

According to The Public and Commercial Services union, the Government and the main political parties should be focusing on tax evasion and avoidance rather than making “savage” cuts in public sector spending over the next few years.

In his Pre Budget Report last week, the Chancellor outlined further plans to clamp down on individuals who utilise offshore bank accounts in an attempt to bypass the UK tax system.