Scotland’s non-domestic rates reliefs

Business rates is the commonly used term for non-domestic property rates. Business rates are charged on most non-domestic premises, including most commercial properties such as shops, offices, pubs, warehouses and factories. Some properties are eligible for discounts...

Post-cessation receipts and expenses

Tax relief may be available for post-cessation expenses of a trade. In order to be an allowable post-cessation expense, the trade must have ceased, and the expense must have been deductible in calculating the trading profits. This means that the expense still has to...

Basis of assessment changing

Forthcoming 'basis of assessment' reforms will change the way trading income is allocated to tax years for the self-employed. The changes will affect sole traders and partnerships that use an accounting date between 6 April and 30 March. There is no...

Farming – using the herd basis

There are special rules which can apply to farmers and market gardeners that prepare their accounts on accruals basis. This includes special rules for farmers’ averaging relief, dealing with losses and the treatment of compensation for compulsory slaughter. The...

Scope of Trade

There is no statutory definition of ‘trade’. The only statutory reference to the term is that ‘trade’ includes a ‘venture in the nature of trade’. This absence of a formal definition decides if an activity is a trade more...

Demergers

There are special statutory demerger provisions that are designed to make it easier to divide and place into separate corporate ownership the trading activities of a company or group of companies. Using these provisions, an exempt demerger will be deemed to take...