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Read our latest news and analysis on the changing markets and economic environment.
As a business leader, you have probably thought about the future of your business. We understand that your business is a big part of your life, therefore choosing which direction to take can raise challenging questions.
Join our Chief Economist and Chief Investment Officer as they discuss the global economy, inflation, interest rates, and the investment landscape.
On Wednesday 15 March 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt set out his ‘Budget for Growth’, with key takeaways including childcare, pensions and keeping the energy price cap.
27/11/2023. Every company is required by law to keep specified registers and records which set out information on the company in respect of its members, officers and charges (the “Statutory Registers”).
In the coming years, the economy is expected be strongly affected by the resource scarcity and climate change, which will require companies to fundamentally reshape their business model to enable a considered approach to different environmental and societal challenges. In turn, employees, regulators, and financial investors are pushing privately owned businesses in the consumer sector...
07/11/2023. As the shortage of good skilled staff continues to impact upon all aspects of business, how is your finance team coping? With many corporate year ends approaching at the end of December, if you are a Finance Director, you may be about to get a nasty shock. Whether you have had your in-house team, or an independent contractor, deal with your year-end procedures, you could find...
30/10/2023. The consumer sector is in the midst of international transformation. Global trends and macroeconomic pressures including inflation, geopolitical conflict, regulatory change and a spike in e-commerce driven by the pandemic have all accelerated the pace of change. To ride out these challenges, many companies have shifted to new business models, sales channels and ways of engaging...
During the pandemic, retailers rushed to sell their products online, a move which saved many from going bust. Now, just a short time on from a worldwide health crisis, some retailers are heading the other way, realising they need a bricks-and-mortar presence if they are to remain in business.
October 2023. Making investment decisions is sometimes more of an art than a science, and the mere existence of the Efficient Market Hypothesis tells us that trying to predict market movements is, at the very least, notoriously challenging.
October 2023. When it comes to our emotions, we can honestly say that sometimes they make us a bit irrational, meaning we are more likely to make biased decisions.
October 2023. The Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) is an investment theory that states that current stock prices reflect all existing available information, making them fairly valued at any given time.
19/10/2023. In our 2023 C-suite barometer, 30 % of executives of privately owned business surveyed highlighted that the emergence of new technologies will have the greatest impact on their business this year and 29% identified that a new sustainability strategy was a strategic priority in the next 3-5 years.
September 2023. Manias in investing have taken many different forms. The Tulip mania is a famous example, while it could be argued that any price paid for some sort of crypto token that is backed by precisely nothing also amounts to a mania.
September 2023. The number of bankruptcy filings is on the rise, and that may be a good thing.
September 2023. A ‘common knowledge’ view I find very interesting is that Japanese interest rates have been so low for so long due to low growth, which has largely been attributed to the country’s demographics.
Read our latest news and analysis on the changing markets and economic environment.
With an unpredictable economic climate and a harder line from some businesses on working from home, what is the future of remote work and how can employers overcome the challenges in managing regulatory compliance and the retention and recruitment of workers?
Cloud ERPs are wider than normal accounting systems and can improve your business processes, improve analytics and reporting, streamline your finance team and reduce costs. As your business grows and becomes more complex it may lead to issues around data integration, process efficiency, scalability, decision making and reporting making your business inefficient.
05/10/2023. In our 2023 C-suite barometer 43 % of executives of privately owned business surveyed highlighted that economic trends including inflation and higher cost of living will have a big impact over the next 12 months. But how does the current market impact your business if you are looking to finance growth, and what options are available?
Mature markets are experiencing a shift in consumer demand patterns as consumers move away from traditional products and services towards those consistent with environmental, social, and governance goals. Our study ‘Sustainable, smart, and synchronised’ explains how consumer companies can harness ESG and digital transformation to thrive in this changing environment.
21/09/2023. Business growth can sound simple, but if approached incorrectly, it won’t deliver fruitful results and cause additional challenges.
After a recent NIC reclaim tribunal was found in favour of the taxpayer, we are advising businesses on whether they too could be reclaiming NIC on car allowances.
Following a recent tribunal case involving HMRC, it was found that car allowances can be treated as relevant motoring expenditure. This means many businesses could now be due a refund of NIC from HMRC for previous tax years.
The childcare sector has been hitting the headlines over the past months. Examples include the government’s plans to extend extra childcare during term time [1] and more recently an article highlighting the rapid growth of private equity investment into the sector and the associated risks of what some cite as “profiteering and failure” [2].
25/08/2023. You’re selling your company. Is purchaser tax due diligence likely to create any problems for you? It would certainly be better to know in advance.
23/08/2023. The UK tax code is so complex that if you ask a simple question of it you will almost certainly not get a simple answer back. So, let’s try to navigate our way around this not-so-simple answer, although given the complexities of tax, what follows will not be able to cover all the possible answers to our question.
11/08/2023. Have you recently received correspondence from HMRC asking about your overseas assets, income or gains? If so, our specialist tax advisors have provided guidance on how best to proceed.
202 employers have been found in breach of NMW and have been named in the Department of Business & Trade’s National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme.
22/06/2023. Did you know that as soon as you sign your contract for sale you are likely to have a new potential liability to IHT of 40% of the net sale proceeds?
01/06/2023. Mazars are aware that HMRC are currently targeting a number of employers on NMW compliance processes.
26/05/2023. What is a P11D and when is the deadline? A P11D is a form submitted to HMRC where employers report any taxable benefits and expenses provided to their employees or directors that are not included within their salary. The deadline for P11D reporting for the 2022/23 tax year is 6 July 2023.
26/05/2023. Having built up a successful business, you may decide it’s time to move on and explore the options you have for exiting the business.
24/05/2023. As tax is the one certainty all businesses face, it remains at the forefront of negotiation and debate, driving decisions on policy, trade, strategy and business transformation.
23/05/2023. A brand is a long term investment and a key pillar to your business development and marketing activities. While companies have worked to reinvent and update their operations to stay competitive, there is a risk of neglecting to update their brands.
16/05/2023. Over the past few years, HMRC’s attention has been focused on the pandemic and as a result HMRC have had little time to review other key areas. As the admin burden of the pandemic lessens, attention is starting to return to day-to-day compliance matters, one key area being “vehicle classification” for benefit-in-kind purposes.
16/05/2023. In difficult economic environment many business owners are considering how they can get the most out of their sales teams to deliver growth or even just to sustain their current market position. Our Management consulting team have outlined 3 areas of focus to increase sales performance.
11/05/2023. A brand is so much more than just your logo, it’s about your proposition, the quality, consistency and experience you offer customers and still so much more. A well-crafted brand image can increase sales, improve the effectiveness of your marketing budget, grow your business, and make more profit but crucially for every business owner, brand can increase the value of your business,...
05/05/2023. The first quarter of 2023 has seen a slowdown in deal activity after record levels in 2021 and early 2022, and yet I can’t recall a period when I have been having more conversations with owner-managers who are reflecting on what to do next and whether now is the right time to transact. Why is this and what is driving owner-managers to consider their options?
28/04/2023. As a business leader, you may be thinking about your retirement, and in that case, who will take over the family business. Thinking about what’s next means looking at the company at an operations, management, and ownership level.
24/04/2023. Private equity investment focuses on securing capital that can be used to facilitate your growth plans or de-risk your investment by extracting capital from the business.
18/04/2023. Employee ownership offers a combination of potential tax reliefs, and its flexibility means that it can suit a wide range of circumstances and personal preferences.
24/04/2023. If you wish to exit your business, there are a range of options available. You may consider selling your business to a third-party trade buyer in a trade sale.
18/04/2023. Debt can sound daunting for business owners but actually can be a cost-efficient way of obtaining the finance required in the short to medium term to realise growth and expansion plans.
Based on insight from more than 800 executives from 27 countries, we uncover what business leaders across the globe really think amidst a backdrop of inflation and economic instability, increasingly complex rules and regulations, growing energy prices and geopolitical tensions in our latest C-suite barometer 2023.
April 2023. The global rise in inflation began in mid-2021 as economies re-opened following the COVID pandemic. Damaged supply chains were the prime issue, as well as China’s continued zero-COVID policy since the country’s cheap exports had been a prime deflationary factor in recent decades. Inflation was turbo-charged in February last year as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused energy prices...
April 2023. Even with persistent inflation and lingering economic fears, U.S. consumers (in particular) have surprised many with their desire to spend. This unexpected consumer resilience is helping to push the chance of an economic slowdown further away.
April 2023. March was a huge month for developments in artificial intelligence (AI). GPT-4’s impressive performance on coding tasks and standardized exams raised many questions about what jobs would be automated. In finance at least, we believe that humans plus AI will beat AI.
06/04/2023. Capital reduction is the process by which a company reduces its shareholder’s equity through the repurchase and cancellation of shares or a reduction in statutory reserves. A capital reduction can enable a company to reduce its negative position, create distributable reserves or return capital to the shareholders.
30/03/2023. What does the future hold for CJRS claims and HMRC’s areas of focus moving forward? As CJRS compliance checks remain a focus for HMRC until at least March 2024 it is worth reviewing your claim to ensure you are compliant .
A Budget for Growth.
On Wednesday 15 March 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt set out his ‘Budget for Growth’, with key takeaways including childcare, pensions and keeping the energy price cap.
20/03/2023. Resilience is more than just the ability to absorb and recover from disruptive events. It is the capacity to remain relevant, competitive and drive value for your stakeholders in these everchanging times.
17/03/2023.The pandemic accelerated a fundamental change to the way we work, with remote and virtual meetings becoming the new norm. This trend has brought about a shift in the way sales teams operate, with many struggling to adapt to the new environment.
13/03/2023. Are you looking at expanding your UK headquartered business internationally? There are many factors to consider when expanding into new markets, including market research, financing, and logistics. But with careful planning and execution, expansion can be a lucrative opportunity for mid-sized businesses.
10/03/2023. Every business has a plan, even if it isn’t a formal written document. But sometimes that plan can become complicated or a bit unfocussed, and even when it’s good plan, often it’s not being used on a day-to-day basis to help drive growth and performance by everyone else in the business.
03/03/2023. Following the ground-breaking changes proposed in the Autumn budget and their subsequent reversal, it’s no surprise that many businesses are left wondering what their organisation’s obligations are under IR35, or questioning whether the existing rules continue to apply at all.
24/02/2023. The National Minimum and National Living Wage (collectively referred to as “NMW”) rates are increasing from 1 April 2023. At its highest, this is an increase of 10.9% (for 21–22-year-olds), and 9.7% across the National Living Wage, and all other age rates.
23/02/2023.As we move into 2023 in a challenging economic landscape many businesses are facing cash flow pressures. By reviewing your corporate tax affairs there could be government incentives in place to support your business’s cashflow. In this article we will discuss making a claim for the accelerated carry back of losses to generate a corporation tax repayment.
In these challenging times, as high impact low probability (black swan) events become more prevalent, it is essential that robust crisis management and business continuity strategies are in place, and that organisations within the public and social sector can demonstrate how they will protect the community they serve should it be affected.
As we approach the end of what has been an eventful 2022/23 tax year, we take a look back at the changes introduced by Jeremy Hunt in his Autumn Statement and provide some hints and tips on how you can grow and protect your wealth ahead of the 5 April and new 2023/24 tax year.
13/02/2023.The Low Pay Commission (LPC), recently issued their 24th annual report which provides the rationale and evidence to support their recommendations on the national living/minimum wage (NLW/NMW) rates to apply from April 2023.
06/02/2023. Undoubtedly, and without labouring the point, the previous years have been extremely tough for all of us, with challenges dropping one after the other. But one thing stands resolute – our individual and collective power to make a difference.
06/02/23. Employing apprentices is nothing new. It has been in place for hundreds of years, in various forms. However, one of the biggest changes in a generation took place in April 2017 as the Apprenticeship Levy was introduced to give employers more control over how they govern and control training costs.
The last quarter of the year saw some relief for investors who had been hit from all sides throughout 2022 as markets rallied on the belief that the economy was perhaps showing enough signs of stress to persuade central banks to consider slowing and then stopping interest rate rises. Central banks, for their part, remain consistent in their messaging that markets may be overoptimistic.
When it comes to sustainability, what the world expects from businesses has changed: to succeed in the long term, you now need to succeed with ESG. Where are you on your sustainability journey?
26/01/2023. Watch our latest webinar on the legal and accounting aspects around IR35. This collaborative masterclass covered both the tax and employment law perspectives and was delivered by employment tax specialists, alongside legal specialists Irwin Mitchell LLP.
25/01/2023. With new issues over 75% down on 2021 and its market cap falling by over a third, is AIM experiencing a “permacrisis”? This article reviews key aspects of the market and asks whether it will recover?
24/01/2023. Selling a business is often the most important decision many owners will take. Having invested considerable time, money, energy and emotion into a business, ensuring maximum return on that investment is extremely important.
20/01/2023. The super deduction was introduced from April 2021 and was scheduled to run for two years, its main purpose was to encourage companies to continue/expand capital expenditure, as corporation tax rates were also scheduled increase to 25% and there was a fear that companies would pause capital expenditure in preference of higher tax relief in two years time.
17/01/23. What should business leaders have on their New Year checklists in 2023?
16/1/2023. An initial public offering (‘IPO’), also known as a flotation, is a significant milestone for any company. It’s an extensive process, resulting in a proportion of an entity’s shares being available to investors on public markets but one, which if managed appropriately, can be navigated while minimising disruption of the management team’s day-to-day focus.
10/1/2023. If you’re assessing how to fund your growing business, an initial public offering (‘IPO’) may be an option. Many people reference IPO but what does it mean, what do you need to consider and what does the process involve?
12/12/2022 Bah Humbug.. don’t let tax spoil your Christmas party or the presents you give to your staff. To help manage costs and maintain cheer as we approach the festive season, we provide some messages of hope.
Our Tech for Leaders podcast delves into the latest technology developments and how business leaders can tackle challenges whilst ensuring they are protected from a risk, security and compliance perspective. Join our Technology and Digital experts as they speak with industry guests, specialist speakers and subject matter experts on all things tech.
09/12/2022. As the football World Cup is in full flow it seems appropriate to start this article with a sporting cliché, that the current deal landscape would rather aptly be described as a “market of two halves”.
06/12/2022. “People are our greatest asset” – it’s a phrase that we often hear, whether this is from enthusiastic interviewers, at the start of externally ran training courses, or during town hall meetings.
29/11/2022. Organisations who neglect to follow National Minimum Wage (NMW) compliance can be left liable to costly ramifications, both financially and reputationally.
25/11/2022. Following October’s news that eight people have been arrested by HM Revenue & Customs (‘HMRC’) over alleged fraudulent R&D claims worth more than £16 million, along with the decision to temporarily suspend payment of R&D claims earlier this year, it is inevitable that we are likely to see many more enquiries into past claims for Research and Development (R&D) tax reliefs and,...
21/11/2022. There is currently a significant mismatch between the high importance the public places on companies paying the right amount of tax, and the lower emphasis that tax has in discussions on ESG.
16/11/2022. Improving business efficiency should be a key objective of any business strategy, and one that remains consistently monitored for potential improvement.
10/11/2022. Any company, regardless of industry or sector, should consider whether it is able to make an R&D tax relief claim.
10/11/2022. Navigating the complexities of R&D tax relief can be complicated. If you’ve got a question, chances are we’ve heard it before. Here we share some of the most frequently asked questions about R&D tax relief.
10/11/2022. The regime that is right for your business will primarily depend on company size. Whether or not the project has been subcontracted is also another consideration. Both regimes share the same definition of what qualifies as R&D.
09/11/2022. Optimising business value relies on having the correct infrastructure and foundations in place to support growth and value generation.
04/11/2022. Managing a successful business requires consistent drive and ambition to create long term shareholder – or ‘capital’ – value. However, the definition of value for one business will naturally be different to another. This means the starting point for any discussion around creating value needs to first identify what value means in the specific context of the business and its strategy.
In this quarter’s investment outlook, Mazars’ Chief Economist George Lagarias shares his thoughts on the impact the markets are having on businesses, and if we are reaching a tipping point. George also shares his thoughts on the Global UK and US economies.
28/09/2022. ESG and sustainability are increasingly at the centre of business thinking about a more purpose driven approach to enterprise and therefore to attracting and retaining staff, clients, and capital.
27/09/2022. To remain sustainable, competitive and drive value for your shareholders in these everchanging times, organisations must put mechanisms in place to build strategies that both recognise things will not always go in the direction they expected and plan for the inevitable disruptions.
23/09/2022. The cost of living and energy crisis as well as a winter of potential discontent continues to loom large. Despite recent Government measures.
07/09/2022. Experiencing COVID, Brexit, the war in Ukraine, double digit inflation, astronomical energy costs and a looming recession, there have been and will continue to be significant challenges for business owners to overcome.
22/06/2022. Did you know that as soon as you sign your contract for sale you are likely to have a new potential liability to IHT of 40% of the net sale proceeds?
29/04/2022. Debt finance and Private equity investment are two popular options when financing growth. Which option is the best for your business?
28/04/2022. R&D is a corporation tax relief, designed to reduce your company’s tax liability if you pay corporation tax or, in certain circumstances, a tax credit (cash repayment) may be received.
28/04/2022. The UK economy is expected to move in line with the global economy, as systemic risks rise. Broadly speaking, we expect to see lower growth and higher inflation.
28/04/2022. Getting reward right is complicated. All individuals, employees, HR, Finance, Tax and other professionals have their own views and what may work for some may not be viewed as attractive by others.
28/04/2022. When you are selling your business, one important area which is often underestimated is undoubtedly the financial due diligence (FDD) exercise. FDD involves the prospective buyer analysing the financial data of the company for the last say 3-5 years.
25/02/2022. Whether it is Brexit, the pandemic, supply chain shortages or the need for inclusion and equality, there will always be an event on the horizon that will require consideration and action by business owners.
25/02/2022. Supply chain pressures have been at the forefront of business owner’s minds for the last couple of years as they come to terms with the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment they have been thrown into.
Latest news and updates. All information was correct on date of publish.
22/02/2022. Ransomware is becoming a major threat to business operations and high-profile attacks come with huge financial and reputational costs beyond the ransom itself, with many stopping business operations for days or even weeks at a time.
21/02/2022. In this article, we analyse the effects UK interest rates and inflation will have on UK businesses.
21/02/2022. Knowledge is power when it comes to cost management for business owners - an update on tax and NIC changes from April 2022.
21/02/2022. The UK now operates in a vastly different trading environment since its exit from the EU at the start of 2020. As we move further from the EU exit date, many of the transitions put in place to ease the burden on business begin to end. Consequently, businesses need to consider, more broadly and in more depth, the implications of EU exit, particularly when it comes to moving goods...
21/02/2022. The negative effects of plastic on the environment are widely recognised with some quite successful policy changes having been introduced to reduce plastic use.
21/02/2022. Many of our clients are telling us that they are worried that inflation will eat into their profit margins this year because of interest rate rises, clogged up supply chains, labour shortages and high raw materials prices feeding through to higher operating costs that cannot be passed on to customers.
21/02/2022. One of the results of the Covid-19 pandemic has been to make many businesses think more closely about their supply chains.
13/12/2021. The last 20 months have been tough. Whilst many people and businesses have been very resilient and adapted to “the new normal” well, there is an undercurrent of change in the air currently.
13/12/2021. In early October, the Bank of England surprised markets by suggesting it would pursue quick rate hikes to combat rising inflation. Investors began pricing in higher interest rates for the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022.
13/12/2021. In the article ‘What can you do about skills shortages?’, we looked at different ways in which smaller businesses could try to access, and retain, the skills they need in what is an increasingly competitive environment for labour.
13/12/2021. Whilst the recent focus has been on skills shortages such as HGV drivers, the hospitality industry, and seasonal agricultural workers, skills shortages are currently one of the most acute issues facing much of the UK business.
09/12/2021. Some companies still see sustainability policies as a threat to their business. Far from it. In the new economy businesses will soon realise that integrating sustainability into their business strategy will help them take advantage of opportunities, better manage risk, and increase their appeal for inward investment. At the same time, they’ll be helping improve the environment and...
09/07/2021. With Brexit behind us and the supercharged, post Covid-19, economic recovery ahead, does the appeal of the UK shines brighter than ever for people looking to relocate?
09/07/2021. Taxation seems to have rarely been off the front pages during the last year, with an apparent fundamental challenge to past orthodoxies emerging.
08/04/2021. One of the most radical changes to finance teams over the last decade has undoubtedly been the adoption of cloud accounting. The appeal of a cheaper, highly functional cloud-based system has had businesses transitioning in the masses from the traditional clunky desktop packages to cloud technology, which provides more meaningful outputs and reduces time-consuming inputs.
08/03/2021. Employers can review their reward strategy and align it with their environmental goals to make positive change to employee pay and benefits as well as the environment.
20/01/2021. Today's financial system supports most Governments through the taxes from jobs and associated income; and this results in Governments, amongst many other roles, being able to be the foundation for education and healthcare.
What’s next to fund growth in your business?
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Britannia Unchained or Britannia Unhinged?
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In this series, Natalie Wright and her guests delve further into the transition from NowGen to NextGen, exploring the personal and practical aspects of handing over the ownership and the management of the family business, as well as the challenges and opportunities that change can bring.
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