Apply for Your Refund Now!

If you worked in the UK at any time during the 2005/2006 tax year, you should apply for your refund as soon as possible. The UK tax office has recently shorted the reclaim period from 6 to 4 years. The new time period will begin in April 2012, allowing a short grace period for claims from 2005/2006. Continue Reading

With the paper filing deadline recently passed, and the online filing deadline of 31 January looming, here are 4 good reasons to ensure you file on time this year. Continue Reading

At least 1200 guaranteed jobs on offer!

This Saturday and Sunday (26/27 November) sees the Australia Employment Expo hosted in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. The event seeks to introduce Australian employers from a variety of sectors to qualified and experienced Irish people looking to relocate.

More than 30 employer and recruiter stands are expected at this event, many of them from the following industries:

• Health & Wellbeing (including medical & dental care)
• Building & Construction (including Engineering & Architecture)
• ICT (Information & Communications Technology)
• Mining, Oil & Gas

Interested parties will have the opportunity to find out more about Australia as a country, as well as about the employment opportunities on offer, which sectors are hiring, how to apply for a visa and much more. Potential employees will also have the opportunity to meet with several employers who have immediate vacancies to fill and who will be recruiting on the spot. More than 1200 jobs have been confirmed for the event, among them 400 through huge engineering company Hatch. Representatives of Western Australia are also said to have more than 3 000 skilled migration visas available especially for the event.

Keith Seed, International Trade Services Manager at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Western Australia has said that up to 10 000 skilled workers are needed in Australia in the immediate future, particularly in Queensland and Western Australia.

If you’re interested in attending the event and applying for any of the jobs, you must have registered at www.ausemploymentexpo.com and paid €10 prior to the event.

For advice or information on Visas to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or the UK, visit www.1stcontactvisas.com.

If you’re a contractor working in the UK, you might be wondering how you can up the ante by increasing your turnover and landing the most lucrative contract positions out there. Here’s our simple but effective guide to finding Top Contracts in 2012.

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HMRC has announced that those who submit their 2010/2011 tax return late will face higher penalties than in previous years.

According to HMRC, the previous £100 penalty was not enough of a deterrent and new measures have been put in place to ensure timeous returns. A spokesperson said: “HMRC spends a lot of time pursuing late returns and getting involved in unnecessary appeals work. We want to focus our resources on more productive work such as catching criminals and collecting tax.” Continue Reading

We have heard from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) this week that it is preparing to send out tax rebates totalling £2.5 billion between now and the end of next year, as it clears its backlog of pay as you earn (PAYE) open cases for the tax years 2003 to 2008.

You may be very surprised to learn that there are many more tax rebates also sitting at HMRC waiting to be claimed. Continue Reading

The European Commission has recently given the green light to the UK government’s measures aimed at increasing tax relief for people who invest in fast growing small firms. The measures, first announced in the annual budget speech in Spring, will now come into effect, as part of the Government’s plans to create employment.

Changes include:

• Lifting income-tax relief from 20% to 30% for investors who provide equity finance to smaller firms.
• The amount on which an investor can get tax relief will also be doubled to £1 million.
• An investor who buys shares in a firm that qualifies for the scheme will now be able to set 30% of the cost of the investment against their income-tax bill.
• Holding onto the shares for three years will mean that any gain on the investment is free from Capital Gains Tax.
• The higher threshold will take effect from April 2012 and tax relief will be backdated to April 2011.

George Osborne has said that the UK Government wants to make the UK “the best place to start, finance and grow a business,” He added: “these changes will give a bigger tax break to those who take risks for growth and jobs in Britain.”

The treasury has estimated that while these smaller high-growth firms account for only 6% of businesses employing 10 people or more, they have in fact provided more than half the new jobs created in the last three years.

Take our Refund Potential Quiz to see if there is a nice sum of money waiting to be claimed by you!

Answer the following questions – yes or no.

1. Have you worked in the UK in the past 5 years?
2. Have you paid Emergency Tax in the UK in the last 5 years?
3. Have you left the UK before the end of a tax year (6 April to 5 May)?
4. While working in the UK, did you have more than 1 Employer in a tax year?
5. Have you at any point only worked for part of a tax year?
6. Have you been on an incorrect tax code at any point in the last 5 years?
7. Have you at any time had two or more jobs in the UK concurrently?

If you answered yes to 2 or more of the above questions, there’s a good chance you are due a refund!

Call a 1^st Contact Tax Refund Consultant on 0808 141 5503 and make sure you have the following in order:

• Exact information of the companies you have worked for in the previous 5 tax years.
• P60s and P45s from these jobs. (If you don’t have these forms from your previous employers, a 1^st Contact Tax Refund consultant can help by applying for them on your behalf. Alternatively get a Statement of Earnings from the HR Department of the companies you worked for.)
• Your National Insurance Number. (If you don’t have one, you will have to apply for and receive your NI number before you can claim back your overpaid tax, but not to worry – a 1st Contact Consultant can help you with that too.)

We’ll fill out all the necessary documentation over the phone, submit your claim to HMCR and then keep you up to date with your claim process.

Remember that even with our efficient service and direct line to HMCR, it can take a few weeks before you receive your money. So why wait? Apply now and you could have an early Christmas!

Call 0808 141 5503 to speak to a qualified Tax Refund Consultant or visit http://www.1stcontact-taxrefunds.com/ for more information.

Chairman of the National Outsourcing Association Martyn Hart said recently that more firms and sole traders operating in the modern business environment are choosing to outsource their payroll functions to companies who specialise in these services. Continue Reading

A targeted unpaid tax crackdown by HMRC has seen five plumbers arrested during raids in London, Hampshire, Surrey, Middlesex and West Bromwich. Continue Reading

IR35 legislation is once again in the spotlight after another tribunal hearing has ruled against HMRC in favour of the independent contractor, finding him to be “legitimate”. Continue Reading

Around half a million taxpayers did not receive their Self Assessment Tax Forms in time to submit and pay by the 31st of July this year.  HMRC on their website said that “no one needs to worry about this” and apologised for the delay, presumably caused because the Revenue ran out of paper. Continue Reading

“Independent Contractors in the UK should start looking to small and medium businesses for new contract opportunities,” says Pieter Carstens of 1st Contact Accounting.

“In contrast to large businesses, which have cut back on hiring fulltime or contract staff, SMEs are predicting job creation within their businesses, particularly for IT and engineering contractors.” Continue Reading

Are you the owner of a limited company or an independent contractor in the UK?

Using a professional accountant and accounting system for your business can hugely reduce your admin and stress, save you money and ensure you avoid any legal hassles. But how do you know if you’ve chosen the right accounting firm to deal with your particular needs? Continue Reading

The LVCR (Low Value Consignment Relief) tax avoidance loophole will finally be closed this year, putting an end to the multi-million pound Channel Islands industry and an unfathomably long run of exploitation by large online mail order companies, including Play.com, Amazon and HMV. Continue Reading

Money Transfer with 1st Contact VS The High-street Banks

Which can save you up to AUD 65 per 1000 you transfer? Continue Reading

Banks are not the only option for Foreign exchange and international remittance. Most consumers don’t know this. Ironically the high street banks know that most consumers don’t know this, which all causes a very strange economical phenomenon: Banks hold a façade monopoly position in the Foreign exchange and remittance markets, whereby they continue to offer sub-standard service at exorbitant prices to an unknowing public.

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The 2011 South African Tax season is upon us again and this year’s theme is “Taking the ‘eish’ out of tax-eish-ion.” In keeping with this, here at 1st Contact the SA Tax team have been hard at work refining their process to make it easier for their clients. Continue Reading

New UK visa rules will reward those who contribute to the economic growth with accelerated settlement. Compared to the previous 5-year rule, those investing £10 million in the UK economy may settle after 2 years, while those investing £5 million and/or creating at least 10 jobs may do so after 3. Continue Reading

Leading Australian Developer Central Equity

A wide variety of Melbourne property available from just $229,000!

A full range of Central Equity property is now available for purchase including the latest release of Melbourne apartments, houses, and home-sites from just $229,000*. Central Equity’s market leading projects represent excellent value for the purchaser with an eye for quality Melbourne property. Continue Reading