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Meacher Jones Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers

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Meacher Jones Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers

Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers

We know that small and medium-sized businesses need a bit more than just an chartered accountant – so we work right alongside you, providing the ‘stepping stones’ to guide you through every stage of growing your business. Whether you’re a business start-up or an established company, or if you’re retiring or selling your business, Meacher-Jones Chartered Accountants & Business Advisers can help bot

h with everyday tasks such as taxation and payroll, through to the more complex issues that keep business owners awake at night.

15/07/2026

HMRC have proposed a new criminal offence for making reckless, untrue statements or declarations about what's known as 'direct taxes' - Income Tax, National Insurance and the like.

For Customs and Excise and VAT ('indirect taxes'), it is already possible to prosecute individuals who make untrue statements or submit incorrect documents either knowingly or recklessly, without the need to prove dishonesty.

The penalties for such offences can be severe, including substantial fines and imprisonment. The direct tax regime does not currently contain an equivalent offence.

It is proposed that the offence would carry a custodial sentence and/or a fine on indictment, to be decided by the courts. Consideration is being given to following the Customs and Excise rules, which include a maximum sentence of two years and unlimited fines. This differs from the provisions for VAT rules, which provide for a potential custodial sentence of up to 14 years.

The consultation can be found at:

https://f.mtr.cool/umagxsoqpf

07/07/2026

Keep up to date with all the latest Tax News by reading our monthly newsletters!

You can read the latest one here:

https://meacher-jones.com/tax-e-news-july-2026/

29/06/2026

As the tenth anniversary of the Brexit vote passes, the Institute of Directors (IoD) has published research revealing a shift in business sentiment towards the European Union.

The IoD report found that 52% of business leaders believe the government should make the EU its top trading priority, considerably higher than the 35% reported in April 2025.

Although the UK-EU Summit slated to redraw post-Brexit relations was scheduled for 22 July, António Costa, the European Council president, said it would be shelved to allow the EU to work with the UK prime minister’s ‘successor’.

The IoD views the change in support as an underlying and growing recognition of the EU’s importance to UK business.

Sixty-three per cent of respondents backed the government’s approach to pursuing closer regulatory alignment, with 48% expressing strong support for alignment. A quarter of respondents were strongly opposed to close alignment.

Although 64% of business leaders believed that a closer alignment to EU legislation would have a positive effect on the UK economy, three-quarters also agreed that it was important that the UK retained its sovereignty to shape its own regulations.

15/06/2026

A High Court order has confirmed that Emma Sleep, a mattress seller, behaved illegally and broke consumer law by using misleading countdown timers, false ‘high demand’ messages and ‘discount claims’.

Concerns were raised about Emma Sleep in 2022 over behaviour that misled shoppers and pressured them into making rushed purchases. This included the use of discounts, countdown clocks and other claims that urgency was required.

Following the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) investigation, Emma Sleep was taken to court in 2024 for failing to take action to address the CMA’s concerns.

Hayley Fletcher, Senior Director of Consumer Protection at the CMA, said, “Businesses should be clear on what the law says: using fake countdown clocks on misleading ‘discounts’ to push people into spending is illegal.”

The case against Emma Sleep commenced prior to the CMA receiving new powers in April 2025 that allow it to decide independently whether the law has been broken, without having to go through courts. It can now fine companies up to 10% of their global turnover and secure refunds for affected customers.

The CMA is determined to use its powers and has launched investigations into 14 businesses to date and has indicated that it is keen to stamp out illegal practices that take advantage of consumers. Hayley Fletcher said, “Our message to businesses is simple - get your house in order or deal with the consequences.”

12/06/2026

A letter to local authorities confirms amendments that the government has made to the eligibility criteria for Supporting Small Business Relief, a scheme available in England.

Eligibility for the relief has been aligned with the treatment of vacancy and reoccupation under Transitional Relief.

Under the updated rules, a change of ratepayer or a period of vacancy after 31 March 2026 will not affect eligibility for the Supporting Small Business Relief scheme. Eligibility will still be lost if the property becomes occupied by a charity or a Community Amateur Sports Club.

The change has been made to reflect the fact that the relief is intended to mitigate business rate bill increases as a result of revaluation. The change has been backdated to 1 April 2026.

08/06/2026

Following its mention in the King’s Speech, the Small Business Protections Bill has now been put before Parliament.

The Bill introduces measures that are designed to help alleviate some of the difficulties smaller businesses face in getting paid. They include:

• A 60-day cap on payment terms for large businesses paying small suppliers.
• Mandatory interest on late payments. This is to be set at 8% above the Bank of England base rate.
• A prohibition on withholding retention payments in construction contacts.
• New powers for the Small Business Commissioner to be able to investigate businesses that have poor payment practices, arbitrate in disputes and fine persistent late payers.
• A requirement for the boards or audit committees of large companies to publish explanations of late payment performance and what steps are being taken to improve.

Smaller businesses will be keenly watching the Bill’s progress through its Parliamentary processes to see when these measures will come into force.

04/06/2026

The government has announced a temporary reduced rate of VAT for children’s meals in restaurants and family leisure activities over the summer.

VAT will be reduced from 20% to 5% between 25 June and 1 September 2026 for qualifying activities as the government tries to ease pressure on household budgets and promote activity for tourist businesses.

The temporary VAT reduction applies in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In addition, children in England aged 5-15 will qualify for free bus travel during August.

The dates the relief applies between are set to coincide with the start of the Scottish school summer holiday on 25 June, and the end of the school holidays in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on 1 September.

The government expects businesses to lower their prices so that the VAT cut is passed directly on to the customer.

This may require work in updating signage, tills, accounts software and websites to deal with the revised pricing for the summer. However, this may be justified by the increased footfall.

Affected businesses should check how the rules will apply in their specific circumstances. Detailed HMRC guidance is available to help businesses.

See: https://f.mtr.cool/smxbzqlbyw

If you need any help in dealing with the temporary VAT reduction, please feel free to contact us.

01/06/2026

Incorrect advice provided by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other websites is contributing to a growing trend of late VAT return filing and payment.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are reminding VAT-registered businesses that there is no extension to the statutory due dates when they fall on weekends or bank holidays.

HMRC’s systems do allow for VAT returns to be submitted at weekends or on bank holidays. However, if a business cannot do that, then the return must be submitted by the last working day before the due date. HMRC will not accept weekends or bank holidays as a reason for filing a VAT return late.

It is similar to VAT return payments. When the due date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, payment must clear into HMRC’s bank account by the working day before the due date, unless a taxpayer’s bank allows faster payments on weekends and bank holidays.
Missing the due dates for submitting VAT returns and making payments can result in interest and penalties, so it is important to have a good reminder system to ensure the deadline is met.

If you need any help with filing your VAT returns or any other aspect of VAT advice, please do get in touch. We would be happy to help you!

29/05/2026

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has published a new blog on questions to ask when using AI models to find vulnerabilities in your IT system.

Cyber criminals are increasing the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance their ability to make cyber-attacks. However, AI can also be used by businesses to discover vulnerabilities in their own systems first and shore them up.

Before throwing caution to the wind though, the NCSC recommends considering some important questions. These are:
• What are you trying to achieve by using AI?
• Is using AI the best way to improve security?
• Do I have a process to manage any vulnerabilities that AI finds?
• How should I prioritise vulnerabilities?
• What are the risks when using AI to find vulnerabilities?
• What AI model should I use?
• Where should I start?
• What’s my long-term plan to deal with new AI models?
• Where do I need to invest in people?
• Do I know how everything we develop or use is patched?

To read the blog in full, see: https://f.mtr.cool/ueyoygmfus

27/05/2026

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have reported that 298,905 people filed their Self Assessment tax return in the first week of the tax year, with a record total of 737,891 returns being filed during the month of April 2026.

HMRC are highlighting several benefits to filing early, including:
• Getting a refund sooner if you are due one.
• Reducing stress by avoiding the pressure that comes from filing at the last minute.
• There is no need to pay tax early but knowing how much you owe ahead of time helps with budgeting.
• Any mistakes can be checked and corrected before the deadline.
• A processed tax return can be used as proof of income for mortgage and loan applications or benefit claims.

More than 12 million tax returns are due to be filed by 31 January 2027, so there are still plenty of returns to be filed yet.

If you would like help in preparing and filing your 2025/26 tax return, please do get in touch. We would be happy to help you!

See: https://f.mtr.cool/gzycahcqdk

Address

6 St John's Court Vicars Lane
Chester
CH11QE

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+441244401001

Website

http://www.meacher-jones.com/

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