Housing Minister Brandon Lewis announced recently government-wide support for a new scheme that will become available to thousands of potential tenants.

The minister said he was determined to “create a bigger, better private rented sector”.

All of Whitehall has now agreed to offer deposit loans to staff looking to take up new tenancies in the private rented sector, following in the footsteps of the Department for Communities and Local Government. This includes the Home Office, Ministry of Defence, Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs and the Department of Health.

More help for tenants

The scheme, which works in the same way as a staff season ticket loan, will allow employees to borrow some of their salary upfront in order to pay for rental deposits, which is then repayable from salary payments over up to a year. It is available to be taken up in both the public and private sectors.

The Department for Communities and Local Government last October became the first government department to roll the scheme out to its staff, with ministers pushing other parts of government and the public sector to follow suit. The department is working with the Department for Business Innovation and Skills to increase availability across the private sector.

Brandon Lewis said:

With millions of people across the country renting their home we are determined to create a bigger, better private rented sector that is fair to tenants.

Today’s move will mean thousands of people will be offered a helping hand to rent privately through season ticket style loans from their employers.

I hope to see more employers in the public and private sector joining the scheme in the near future.

The tenancy deposit scheme can be adapted by different employers to suit their needs, but generally employees are offered interest-free loans to pay their deposits when they move into a privately rented home, which are then paid back through their salary over the course of up to a year.

In preparation for the 2017 Revaluation, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is sending out forms to ratepayers from January asking for information about their property and business. This is to help the VOA update the rateable values of all business properties which are used by councils to calculate the business rates they pay.

If you receive one of these forms, you should complete and return it quickly and accurately as failure to do so could mean you pay the wrong amount in business rates. It could also mean a fine of £100 if not returned to VOA within 56 days.

The next revaluation will come into effect on 1 April 2017 and will assess all business properties in England and Wales, based on the rental value as at 1 April 2015.

This revaluation will not apply to business property in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

1 February 2015 – Due date for Corporation Tax payable for the year ended 30 April 2014.

 19 February 2015 – PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 February 2015. (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 February 2015.)

 19 February 2015 – Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 February 2015.

 19 February 2015 – CIS tax deducted for the month ended 5 February 2015 is payable by today.

 1 March 2015 – Due date for Corporation Tax due for the year ended 31 May 2014.

 2 March 2015 – Self Assessment tax for 2013/14 paid after this date will incur a 5% surcharge.

 19 March 2015 – PAYE and NIC deductions due for month ended 5 March 2015. (If you pay your tax electronically the due date is 22 March 2015.)

 19 March 2015 – Filing deadline for the CIS300 monthly return for the month ended 5 March 2015.

 19 March 2015 – CIS tax deducted for the month ended 5 March 2015 is payable by today.

In a recent case considered by the courts a company that sold a baby lifting blanket appealed a ruling by HMRC that the supply was standard rated for VAT purposes.

For the company this placed them at a competitive disadvantage as retail outlets selling the item were required to charge VAT at 20%.

At issue was whether a Snugglebundl qualified as an article designed as clothing or footwear for young children and should therefore be zero rated for VAT when sold.

The First-tier Tribunal disagreed with HMRC’s judgement and the appeal was upheld.

The case is of interest as it helps to clarify that an item of clothing can have other uses and still qualify as clothing for VAT purposes; although the decision in this case is “fact sensitive”.

The local property tax you pay, in England and Wales, will be either Council Tax or Non-domestic (business) Rates depending on the type of property. Some properties are part business and part domestic, so you may pay both taxes. Good examples are public houses where the publican lives on the premises or shops where the shopkeeper lives in a flat over the shop.

Generally, you should not have to pay business rates for minor business use of the home. The Government does not normally expect home-based businesses to have to pay business rates if:

• You use a small part of your home for your business (for example you use a bedroom part of the day as an office), and
• You do not use it to sell goods or services to visiting clients or members of the public (as opposed to selling by post), and
• You do not employ other people to work at the premises, and
• You have not made alterations of a sort that would not usually be associated with a home (such as converting a garage to a hairdressers or installing a hydraulic car lift).

 These are general guidelines currently set out on the GOV.UK website. Some situations might need the facts of each case to be considered.