Spring 2009 Newsletter Content Oh for a little hindsight Can't pay, won't pay? Shock in Essex Car tax You signed it Don't be late Age before beauty? IHT and falling prices More paper Shopping around Less paper PAYE or not PAYE... Flat rate scheme A change of heart There are limits Do your duty Free lunch VAT a mess Dissatisfaction guaranteed Don't believe it! Too late Tax on tick £100 note Temp reminder

Shopping around A recent survey suggested that 65% of small businesses were dissatisfied with their bank and thought about changing, but only 4% actually did so. Well, HMRC are doing just that - it's unlikely that they are unhappy with the service or security of the Bank of England, but a decision was taken a few years ago that the Bank would no longer provide clearing services to government departments. HMRC have put their business out to tender and will in future use Royal Bank of Scotland and Citi. When this was decided it was probably not expected that the Government would own a large part of RBS HMRC say that they will make sure their "customers" know where to send money. If you have set up an electronic transfer, you will need to change the sort code and account number - but only when they tell you. They are also bringing in a facility to pay tax by credit card, but there will be a charge of 1.25% of the amount paid. Perhaps they will give Nectar points