BRave Business and The Tax Factor

This week Gabby Donald and Stefanie Tremain look at what we genuinely know so far!? After what feels like the longest build-up in years, Stephanie puts it simply: “Expect everything, expect nothing.”

Just when it seemed the Budget couldn’t bring any more gloom, another idea surfaces: the Milkshake Tax. With retail already wrestling with complexity, do we really need another layer of rules for such a marginal ...

This week Tom Goddard and Paul Haywood-Schiefer look at the Government’s possible attempts at fiscal choreography with the potential Income Tax and NICs see-saw. One goes up, one goes down… but as they explain, that doesn’t always mean a neutral outcome for taxpayers.

They then discuss what a cap on salary-sacrifice pension contributions would mean: a measure that could be highly attractive to the Treasury while ...

Gabby Donald and Paul Noble return to one of our favourite topics – The Budget! Following the Chancellor’s rather unusual breakfast briefing -  did it really tell us anything new? With Bonfire Night still in the air, Gabby wonders if this was the moment when the manifesto pledges finally went on the bonfire.

Paul turns to the world of tax and gambling - while your winnings might be tax-free, it’s still worth ...

For the 100th episode of The Tax Factor, Robert Salter and Malli Kini take a look back over two rather turbulent years. 2 Prime Ministers, 2 Chancellors of the Exchequer: 2, 3 Major fiscal statements and an election.

Robert and Malli then explore how HMRC is using Artificial Intelligence to identify discrepancies and catch out taxpayers, what possible changes could be coming to the taxation of partnerships and LLPs, and why the Rev...

This week on The Tax Factor, we have a special episode featuring Max Schofield from Devereux Chambers, a leading indirect tax Barrister and VAT litigator. Max has worked on some of the very VAT cases we’ve discussed on the show, bringing a rare insider perspective to the stories that often make the headlines.

Heather and Max dive into the world of VAT -  the tax everyone pays but few fully understand. From the ...

This week, Neil Insull and Matt Crawford look at the IFS Green Budget and its warning to Rachel Reeves to avoid “half-baked” tax fixes ahead of the next Budget. They discuss what this could mean for future policy and the pressures facing the Chancellor.

They also cover a rare court ruling allowing a judicial review against HMRC five years late, and the Treasury’s plans to tighten the sugar tax,  a move that c...

This week on The Tax Factor, Annie Hughes and Sarah Stenton look at the stories making headlines in tax and business. Annie looks at Revolut founder Nik Storonsky’s move from the UK to the UAE, part of a wider trend of wealthy individuals changing their tax residency since the non-dom regime ended.

Sarah highlights HMRC’s warning to pensioners about withdrawal schemes that sound too good to be true, while acro...

Robert Salter and Tom Goddard look at the now infamous “donkey field” connected to Keir Starmer. With politicians’ tax affairs under the spotlight yet again, Robert explains why the arrangement looks more like straightforward trust planning than a scandal, and sometimes what makes the front page isn’t really much of a tax dodge at all. The pair explore what this story says about public attitudes to politicia...

This week Matt Crawford and Suzanne Briggs discuss the Resolution Foundation’s Budget proposals including a new salt and sugar tax and what that could mean for already rising food prices. Matt also runs through some draft legislation that’s been published, which some may find heavy-handed given how tricky the rules can be.

Suzanne takes us through a case in the Upper Tribunal, Executors of Elborne & others v HMRC, w...

This week on The Tax Factor, Malli Kini and Stefanie Tremain show why precision matters in both politics and tax with Nigel Farage learning the hard way that there’s a big difference between “I” and “we.”

The conversation then turns to the ICAEW’s warning about Government plans to regulate tax agents. While the idea might sound straightforward, could it actually make the system less eff...

This week on The Tax Factor, Rehana Earle and Ele Theochari talk about the fallout from Angela Rayner’s resignation and what it says about the complexity of the UK tax system. Was it a simple SDLT mistake or something more? They also look at Labour’s revived debate on wealth taxes and Rachel Reeves’ cautious approach to reform ahead of November’s Budget.

HMRC has an increasing focus not just on the users of ...

The Tax Factor is back for its second episode of the season. This week, Neil Insull is joined by Annie Hughes for her debut appearance, as they look at the top tax stories making the news: we finally have a date for the Autumn Budget.

But the real question is what the Chancellor might have in store. Could inheritance tax be in the firing line? Will we see changes to the VAT threshold or even VAT rates themselves? And with...

The Tax Factor is back after its summer break!

In this episode, Blick Rothenberg CEO Nimesh Shah is joined by Tom Goddard for his debut appearance on the podcast. Together, they discuss how frozen tax thresholds and fiscal drag have quietly become one of the Government’s most powerful tools for raising revenue.

The conversation also looks ahead to the upcoming Autumn Budget, exploring the options and ...

Turn the dial to the 1980s for a special FM broadcast of The Tax Factor. Styled on London’s famous talk radio station The Capital Gains Breakfast Show takes you through one of the most transformative decades for tax policy. With bold reforms, headline-grabbing Budgets, and the economic legacy of the Thatcher years, we bring the eighties tax landscape to life - complete with the feel of local radio news and updates.

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It’s the 1960s - the Beatles are topping the charts, London is swinging, and tax is making headlines. Join us for a lively "pirate radio-inspired" edition of The Tax Factor broadcasting from just off the Frinton coat and tune in to the decade of change on Swinging Radio Tax Factor. From the introduction of new tax rules to the cultural shifts that shaped finance and society, this episode captures the energy of the sixties whi...

Step back to the 1940s with our special "newsreel edition" of The Taxation Factor. To mark Blick Rothenberg’s 80th anniversary, we revisit the year of Blick Rothenberg’s founding that shaped modern taxation in post-war Britain. Presented in the style of a cinema newsreel, this episode explores the policies, challenges, and innovations that defined the era - from rebuilding the economy to the birth of the welfare state.

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As the current series of The Tax Factor draws to a close, Nimesh Shah and Heather Self serve up a final episode looking back over the last 12 months. From the arrival of a new Labour government to the twists and turns of the Chancellor’s fiscal manoeuvrings, it’s been a year of tax drama, policy pivots, and HMRC under the microscope.

There’s a sense of déjà vu as we head into the summer break - more ...

This week on The Tax Factor Neil Insull and Suzanne Briggs look at Reform’s controversial proposal for a 'Britannia Card' that would let wealthy foreigners pay a £250k fee to move to the UK and live exempt from all tax, and a significant rise in HMRC investigations into high earners, signalling a more aggressive compliance strategy.

Elsewhere, the tax gap among SMEs is growing - what’s causing it, and how might it...