Insights

Last month, we hosted an exclusive roundtable breakfast for finance and operational leaders, focused on the changing R&D tax relief landscape. Ahead of the event, we were hearing the same thing from many of our clients: the process is increasingly complex, is incredibly time-consuming and the worry of getting the claims process wrong is putting people off.

Barbara Bento, Tax Disputes and Investigations Partner, has contributed an article to HMRC EIP Magazine examining HMRC’s strengthened Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) powers and the risks now facing contractors.

Longer opening hours and increased footfall during the 2026 World Cup could place added pressure on how pubs manage tips and service charges. We explore the operational, compliance, and NIC considerations hospitality businesses should not overlook ahead of a busy summer.

Our Real Estate team recently spoke with Bisnow about the viability pressures continuing to reshape the UK development market, from planning delays and financing constraints, to rising construction costs and evolving regulatory requirements.

Key discussions at MACH 2026 highlighted a major issue for the UK: a strong ability to generate innovative ideas, but a persistent challenge in scaling them into successful businesses. An R&D tax relief claim can assist in bridging the gap to scale up, but successful claim hinges on three things: clear eligibility, robust documentation, and a defensible link between qualifying activities and costs. In this article, we outline how to approach a robust, supportable manufacturing R&D claim

Within the financial services sector, innovation is rarely superficial. It often involves deep technical and mathematical problem‑solving, delivered within highly constrained environments whilst achieving low latency, high throughput and regulatory compliance. All of this must be delivered whilst facing increasingly tight cost controls.

When someone who was not a long-term UK resident dies – or, for deaths before 6 April 2025, was non-UK domiciled – while holding UK assets, the UK IHT reporting requirements can be difficult to understand. We’ve outlined these requirements in this article, including why reporting may still be required even when no IHT is due. In particular, we focus on how the reporting rules apply to “excepted estates” in these circumstances.

HMRC is using AI and data analytics to identify discrepancies faster and more accurately than ever before. Tax investigations are no longer driven by random checks alone, with enquiries now increasingly triggered by digital records, online activity, and automated risk analysis.