New Sage research shows 33% of sole traders still use pen and paper for finances, with 70% unaware they must submit digital tax returns from April under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.
Category: News
Stay informed with the latest UK self-employed news, small-business policy changes, tax updates and freelancer market trends.
Small Business Britain: Budget offers relief and growth opportunities, but challenges remain
Small Business Britain has given a cautiously positive response to the Chancellor’s November 2025 Budget, saying the package provides “some relief” for small firms and signals a renewed focus on reducing living costs and supporting entrepreneurial growth.
‘Leave us alone’: What small traders in Rachel Reeves’s constituency want from the Budget
Small business owners in Rachel Reeves’s Leeds West & Pudsey constituency say they want certainty, no new tax burdens and better support ahead of the Budget after last year’s NI and VAT pressures.
Nigel Farage urges government to raise VAT threshold to help small businesses
Nigel Farage has called for the VAT threshold to be raised to support small businesses, warning that lowering it would stifle growth and increase bureaucracy.
National Theatre launches new training drive to nurture next generation of backstage talent
The National Theatre has opened applications for three major training programmes for young creatives, tackling the UK’s backstage skills shortage and boosting access to creative careers.
Income tax raid ‘would hammer the self-employed’, warns industry body
Rachel Reeves has been warned that a £6bn income tax raid in her forthcoming Budget could hit the self-employed hardest, discouraging new entrepreneurs and breaking Labour’s pledge to protect working people.
Self-employed workers lose 17 hours a month to business admin, new study reveals
The average self-employed worker spends 17 hours a month on business admin — time that could earn an extra £3,000 a year — according to new research from Virgin Money ahead of the government’s Making Tax Digital rollout.
MPs urge Reeves to raise gambling taxes despite industry ‘scaremongering’
MPs on the Treasury select committee have urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to raise taxes on the most addictive gambling products, dismissing industry warnings as “scaremongering” ahead of the November Budget.
Bank of England holds interest rates at 4% as Rachel Reeves’ Budget looms
The Bank of England has held interest rates at 4% as policymakers weigh stubborn inflation and weak growth ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ crucial November Budget.
Wealthy investors pour record sums into offshore bonds amid rising UK tax burden
High earners are investing record amounts — £10.5 billion in a year — into offshore bonds in Ireland, Luxembourg and the Isle of Man, as looming UK tax rises drive demand for tax-deferral opportunities.
Ex-John Lewis boss warns UK faces £85bn sickness bill and economic crisis
Sir Charlie Mayfield warns Britain risks an “economic inactivity crisis” as sickness drives 800,000 out of work, costing employers £85bn a year and the economy £212bn.
AI firm Stability AI wins High Court case against Getty Images over copyright claims
Stability AI defeats Getty Images in a landmark UK copyright case. Judge rules AI model Stable Diffusion is not an “infringing copy,” fuelling calls for new UK regulation.
Big Short investor Michael Burry places $1.1bn bet against leading AI stocks
Michael Burry, famed for predicting the 2008 crash, bets $1.1bn against Nvidia and Palantir as Wall Street warns of an AI bubble and possible 10% market correction.
Reeves shifts blame for looming tax rise to Brexit and austerity ahead of budgeting storm
Chancellor Rachel Reeves sets the scene for a manifesto-breaking Budget tax raid, blaming Brexit, Tory austerity and global turmoil as she claims the economy ‘is not working as it should’.
OpenAI strikes $38 billion deal with Amazon to supercharge AI computing power
OpenAI has signed a landmark $38 billion agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to secure the immense computing power required to train and deploy its next generation of artificial intelligence systems — marking one of the biggest technology infrastructure deals ever struck.
